Album Review: Glad You Came by Mario
In a style reminiscent of the ‘70s, Mario rejoined the major label and released his sixth studio album, which captures classic soul and modern R&B.
The young Mario lives carefree from day to day. Suddenly, at the tender age of only four, his talent as an entertainer breaks out of him. His mother is shocked when she discovers little Mario—barely dressed and singing loudly in his room—completely unprepared. What to do? It’s pretty obvious: buy the boy a karaoke machine and put a piano in front of him. Everything else will follow. Mario’s mother was right. Her little boy enjoys his new toy and makes full use of it. In retrospect, Mario is firmly convinced that these two objects trained his sense of harmony and voice. Not yet fully aware of his mission but already sensing it, this natural talent leaves the karaoke machine behind to try his hand at talent competitions.
He strives for greater heights, wanting to become like Usher or Stevie Wonder, and he enters countless—and sometimes merciless—competitions. He fights bravely, and fate wills that he be discovered. With that, Mario moves a bit closer to fulfilling his life’s mission. Within a short time, he recorded tracks for his self-titled debut album, Mario, which was released in 2002 by J Records; then, two years later, he raised the stakes with Turning Point, and three years later, we got Go! Two years later, we get D.N.A., home to the single “Break Up,” which turned out to be rather forgettable. After that, there were delays, scrapped material (with Rico Love and Scott Storch), and label issues, although we did get “Somebody Else” with Nicki Minaj during that time frame.
Nine years later, he went independent and finally released Dancing Shadows. Even if the material was more left-field than his previous work, it was among the most personal output he had ever released. Now, almost at Christmas time, we have Glad You Came, his first major label release in 15 years, this time partnering with Epic. We are introduced to “Space,” the album’s first single, which drew comparisons to Lucky Daye’s sound. Nonetheless, it’s a great way to kick off the album. “Questions” follows the same vein of a multifaceted theme of desire, vulnerability, and the complexities of romantic engagement while singing about self-assuredness while navigating the vulnerability inherent in personal connections, expressed through the duality of confidence and uncertainty.
The beautifully sung “I’m Sorry“ is followed by the interlude of “Love Callin,” which navigates the tension between longing and reality, mixing struggle and unfulfilled potential. It envelops the theme of Glad You Came in contemplating romantic aspirations versus the ungraspable essence of a partner’s true self. While hearing the women speak poetically articulating the conflict of loving an illusion and the yearning for mutual understanding, she captures the paradox of intimacy where the persona believes the beloved understood his love yet struggled to touch “what I needed” and conveys a haunting sense of loss and nostalgia, amplifying the feeling of an unreachable past self with its reflection (“It’s like the man that stood in front of me always felt like a distant memory”). The analogy of ‘placing love at your feet in every way I thought you could receive it’ paints an image of earnest but futile attempts to connect, as hinted in some of the album’s second half.
Mario conveys a yearning that blends hope and anxiety in “Give It to You.” While being a short interlude type of track, he speaks to a willingness to invest fully in the relationship, adjacent with a simultaneous recognition of personal inadequacies—“I know I don’t deserve it,” even though the last two upbeat songs, the Afrobeats-infusion of “Mantra” and the Latin-tinged “Run It Back,” doesn’t quite connect as it sonically feels out of place. However, the former could be a grower. Despite that, Mario still sings with conviction. His partner in crime, James Fauntleroy, helps out with the pen on most of the songs, like the lovely title track, stating his attentiveness to a partner’s words and actions, illustrating a deep sense of understanding and appreciation for nuanced signals (“I listen to what you say, Girl, I’m watching what you do”). He also explores the turbulent dynamics of love and personal insecurity on the slow-steaming “Selfish.” When Mario says, “Looking in your eyes, eternity,” there’s a hint of an endless longing contiguous with a persistent state of not being “ready.”
One of the album’s best songs, “You 101,” beautifully correlates the theme of romantic yearning with academic dedication, creating an engaging metaphor where love and learning seamlessly intersect. “Love Ain’t Perfect” gives off a Chris Brown influence on how it’s produced and sung (even though Mario is miles ahead vocally), but it reveals a candid acknowledgment of personal flaws and the mysteries of love, suggesting a kind of love that is forged not through flawlessness but through understanding, which same can be said with “Play Fair,” unfolding with vulnerability, desire, and a lucid connection between two individuals. The language throughout suggests an urgency and a deep yearning for companionship.
Twenty-two years in the R&B space, Mario crafted some of his best work since Go! Outside of minor hiccups, the production suits him nicely as BNYX contributes more than half the record, James Fauntleroy helps with some clever songwriting, and Mario is no slouch on the vocals, further proving how to mature and leads by example without sacrificing his gifts. Listen to “Keep Going (Aaaaahhhhh)” and tell me with a straight face that it’s not him at its best: grappling with intimacy and personal turmoil, promising love despite flaws: “Got some blood on my hands, but I’m still a good man.” His lyrical technique in Glad You Came combines these poetic elements with direct, almost conversational language, creating a fusion between heartfelt emotion and everyday relational dynamics.
Through his introspective examination of these topics, Mario crafts one of his best songs to date, along with one of the best R&B album releases, to close out a strong year. Despite releasing our list early on, Mario crafts his sixth studio release with emotional sincerity, accentuated by a yearning for connection and understanding amidst the pressures of reality.
Great (★★★★☆)
Favorite Track(s): “Glad You Came,” “You 101,” “Keep Going (Aaaaahhhhh)”