Turning Point (Mario album)

Turning Point
Studio album by Mario
Released	December 7, 2004 (see release history)
Recorded	2003–04 (see Locations and studios)
Genre	R&B
Length	49:18
Label	J
Producer	Scott Storch, Lil Jon, Drama Family Entertainment, The Underdogs, Harold Lilly, Allen "All Star" Gordon, Carvin & Ivan, Sean Garrett
Mario chronology
Mario (2002) Turning Point (2004) Go (2007)
Singles from Turning Point
"Let Me Love You" Released: November 16, 2004 "How Could You" Released: March 15, 2005 "Here I Go Again" Released: May 4, 2005 "Boom" Released: October 3, 2005

Turning Point is the second studio album by American recording artist Mario, released by J Records in 2004. A R&B record with heavy elements of soul and hip hop music, it involves a diverse roster of collaborators including Scott Storch, Lil Jon, The Underdogs, Carvin & Ivan, and Sean Garrett.

The first single from the album was "Let Me Love You", which hit number one in the United States and number two in the United Kingdom, becoming his biggest hit to date. The second single was a split single. In the U.S., "How Could You" a song written by Bay Area singer-songwriter J. Valentine was released (reaching number 52) but in the UK, Here I Go Again was released (reaching number 11). The fourth and final single from the album in the US was "Boom" featuring Juvenile.

The album guests include Cassidy, Juvenile, Baby Cham and, for the official "Let Me Love You" remix, Jadakiss and T.I.. In the UK, the album received a Parental Advisory sticker.^[1] Due to the success of the album, it was released in a DualDisc edition. In support of the album, Mario supported R&B trio Destiny's Child in their tour, Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It, as an opening act for the American leg.

Recording and production

Concept and themes

In an interview with MTV, Mario explained: "One of the biggest reasons I wanted to do it is that I did want to stand out from everybody. I get to share it with the world," he said. "It's good for me. I been blessed to be in this situation. Everything's been going great. I just been pacing myself, working real hard on this album. That's what my life is about right now: my transition into manhood."

The interviewer from MTV said : "If you look at the production credits for the mid-tempo record, you may be surprised to discover that the song was produced by Scott Storch, who's been making noise with club bangers like "Baby Boy" and "Lean Back" the last couple of years."

Mario said "He did a lot of stuff back in the day, you'd be surprised," Mario said of the producer's talents and versatility. "He played me some stuff he did for Erykah Badu, for Lauryn Hill, for Eminem and 50 Cent. When I went to Scott, we went in the studio and freestyled and came up with some great records."

The interviewer stated: "Storch also produced "Call the Cops" and the "Let Me Love You" remix with Jadakiss and T.I. Mario called on Lil Jon and Juvenile for "Boom."

Mario answered: "It's a straight club banger," Mario said. "There's another record called 'How Could You.' I did that with the Underdogs. It's a ballad about me being in a relationship with some shorty. She was doing some things behind my back. I'm telling her, 'Yo, how can you teach somebody the ghetto Kama Sutra?' It's a timeless record, real strong and powerful. Then there's a record called 'Nikes Fresh Out the Box.' I'm talking about a girl, but I'm comparing her to my Nikes.^[2]

Release and promotion

Singles

• The first single, "Let Me Love You", was released on October 12, 2004. Produced by Scott Storch, it was a worldwide success, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks and #1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs for eleven consecutive weeks, respectively. In the UK, the single peaked at #2 just falling short of the number one spot. It also peaked at #1 in New Zealand, Germany and the Netherlands, becoming his biggest hit to date.
• "How Could You" was the second single, peaking at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs. It was however a worldwide disappointment only reaching #37 in Australia.
• The third single, "Here I Go Again" failed to peak in the Billboard Hot 100 but reached #9 in Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs. Worldwide the single was a success, in UK it reached #11, #15 in Australia and #16 in Ireland.
• The fourth and final single, "Boom" was his lowest charting song to date peaking only #23 at Rhythmic Top 40.

DualDisc Edition

Due to the success of the album, it was repackaged and released in a DualDisc format on April 19, 2005 in the U.S. It includes the album in Enhanced Stereo, the music videos for "Let Me Love You" and "How Could You"; Sessions at AOL Special Live Performances of "Let Me Love You" and "How Could You"; and a Photo Gallery.

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Blender	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[5][6]
MTV Asia	(7/10)[7]
The New York Times	(positive)[8]
The Situation	[9]
Uncut	[6]
USA Today	[10]
Vibe	[11]
The Washington Times	(positive)[12]

Jason Birchmeier from AllMusic writes that "Above all, though, it's "Let Me Love You" and its remix that make Turning Point a noteworthy effort for this teenager and a fine second album overall."^[3]

Baz Dreisinger from Blender sais that "Though the Baltimore-born singer is newly legal (as he tells us on the too-terse club jam "18"), his enticingly even-toned voice—smooth as R. Kelly's—transcends teen-pop. It's even manly enough to convey lovelorn intensity ("Here I Go Again"), offer explicit "Directions" to an uncorrupted gal pal ("Trust me, I got skills"), then sweetly stage an "intimate talk" with her ("Like Me Real Hard"). Only his age-appropriate tracks—the singsong club jingle "Girl I Need", or the irony-free homage to "Nikes fresh out the box"—remind us that Mario is not a boy, but not yet a man."^[4]

The review from Virgin Media explains that "the production is tight throughout the album but not overly polished, and there is enough edge maintained from start to finish to suggest that Mario may indeed buck a few R&B trends in the months to come".^[13]

The review from Entertainment Weekly says that "POINT is plenty catchy..." giving to the album a B-.^[5]

Awards and accolades

The album was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the Grammy Awards.^[14]

Chart performance

Its first appearance was in the Billboard Albums Top 200, selling roughly 161,000 copies in the first week, debuting at number thirteen later certified Platinum in the U.S, selling over 1.2 million copies.^[15] The last appearance was week 37/2005 in the Belgium Albums Top 50. Its peak position was number 6, on the Dutch Albums Top 100, it stayed there for 1 week. Its highest entry was number 9 in the Dutch Albums Top 100.^[16]

Track listing

DualDisc bonus tracks

1. "Entire Album in Enhanced Stereo"
2. "Let Me Love You" & "How Could You" (music videos)
3. "Sessions @ AOL Special Live Performances: Let Me Love You & How Could You
4. "Photo Gallery"

Personnel and credits

Locations and studios

Recording locations and studios included:^[17]

Charts and certifications