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May 2004 Vol. 6 No. 4 | Submit stories, articles, letters, essays, poetry here!

Mario Winans

MUSIC REVIEWS

Hurt No More - Billboard 200 "Hot Shot Debut" - Enters Charts at No. 2

MUSIC REVIEW

Click here for ratings guide

(5/1/04) What is all the hype surrounding Mario Winans! The first single "I Don't Wanna Know" is da bomb! But is that because we're reminiscing about the Fugee's "Ready or Not" or should we say Enya's song, "Boadicea," that both songs sample? That is the only hit off the whole album!

He sounds like a bad version of Brian McKnight. His low, whiney voice is nerve racking, I just wanna slap some energy into him. I need a lyric book just to make out what he is saying, he sings so low like Janet Jackson on her latest release Damita Jo. This is his sophomore release, after 1997's Story of My Heart on Motown, which sold only 15,500 copies. Scrap the vocals and turn the CD into an instrumental and it would go over better with me.

Naturally, with him being a Winans, the son of Vicky Winans and stepson of Marvin Winans (brother of platinum-selling gospel artists CeCe and BeBe). I was curious why he wasn't singing gospel. After, listening to the album, I understand! He can't sing. You have to SANG to rep for the Lord.

At the age of 14, Winans was a gospel music producer. Self-taught on every machine., he produced a gospel album for one local group. He plays the piano, drums, and keyboard. After graduating from Walled Lake Western High School, he started producing for Dallas Austin in Atlanta, GA. In R&B and hip-hop he has produced for P.Diddy and R.Kelly. Despite his disappointing solo effort, it showcased his talent as a producer. He has worked with Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Biggie Smalls, 702, Brian McKnight, Janet Jackson, David Bowie, the Winans family, Lil' Kim, Ice Cube, J.Lo, Faith Evans, Tasha Scott, and Tamia. In the future, he is set to work with Toni Braxton, Omarion, and Marvin Winans, Jr., his brother. He is is in the process of building up his own label, Yellowcity Entertainment.

His discography includes Beyonce's "Summertime" from the Fighting Temptations soundtrack, Queen Latifah's "Do Your Thing" from the Bringin' Down the House soundtrack, Brian McKnight's "How I Do" from his Greatest Hits, and Tamia's "Mr. Cool" and "Be Alright" from More.

Winans, age 29, was born in South Carolina, but raised in Detroit, Michigan. In a Detroit Free Press interview Winans says, "I was exposed to a lot of musical things at an early age. There's music all over Detroit. And growing up in the Winans family was good for me. God gave me the gift and talent that I have. I've pretty much just done what I know and what I've learned to do coming up."

Winans has been a member of P. Diddy's production team, the Hitmen, for the past six years. P. Diddy's "I Need a Girl, Pt. II" introduced the world to his vocals.

Hurt No More is executively produced by Sean "P.Diddy" Combs for Bad Boy Entertainment, Inc. It entered the Billboard 200 Album Charts at No.2 and was the "Hot Shot Debut." It has sold more than 222,000 in less than week.

Note to Puffy: while making "Da Band" you should have been makin' "Da Man" or insisted that your protege' stick to being a Hitman--that's where Mario Winans' talent lies--production.

Play by Play:

Ready for Love (Interlude)

Produced by Mario Winans, the Hitmen, and Bad Boy Entertainment, Inc. All Instruments by Mario Winans.

Never Really Was - 3

Produced by Mario Winans, the Hitmen, and Bad Boy Entertainment, Inc. All instruments by Mario Winans. Contains excerpts from the composition "Papa Don't Preach" and samples from the Madonna recording "Papa Don't Preach."

*I Don't Wanna Know feat. Enya and P.Diddy - 5

Haunting plea for deception. Produced by Mario Winans, the Hitmen, and Bad Boy Entertainment, Inc. Inspired by Enya's original song "Story of Boadicea." All instruments by Mario Winans. Sample from Enya's "Boadicea."

You Knew feat. Slim - 3

Produced by Mario Winans, the Hitmen, and Bad Boy Entertainment, Inc. All instruments by Mario Winans. Contains excerpts from the composition "Love Me in a Special Way" and sample from "Love Me in a Special Way" by DeBarge.

How I Made It feat. Loon - 4

Upbeat, inspirational. Produced by Mario Winans, the Hitmen, and Bad Boy Entertainment, Inc. All instruments by Mario Winans. Contains excerpts from the composition "Celebrate" and sample from "Celebrate" by the Commodores.