D.N.A. [PA]

Performer: Mario
Artist: Gucci Mane; Sean Garrett; Big Sean
Producer: Sean Garrett; Peter Edge
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Photographer: Florian Schneider. GO was the most satisfying of Mario's first three albums, but it lacked a major crossover single on the level of "Let Me Love You." Although the sensitive ballad "Crying Out for Me" was big on R&B stations, it did not break the Top 30 of the Hot 100. The minimal Sean Garrett and Shondrae production "Break Up," however--D.N.A.'s lead single, issued weeks before the album--did not take long to become the singer's biggest pop hit since his breakthrough. And it does turn out to be his fourth album's greatest deviation from the back catalog, carrying a laggard and sparse pulse to back Mario's whiny swagger. "Get Out" is a close second, a buzzing and grinding production from Jim Jonson and Rico Love that mirrors the song's theme of emotional entrapment. One of the hardest beats Mario has had at his disposal, it pushes him into that tough guy mode (as heard occasionally in GO) where you can sense him forcing his jaw to tighten and his eyes to bug out: "This ain't real, so what the f*ck is we doin'?" Even with several new collaborators, including Babyface, Carlos McKinney, the Dream, and Tricky Stewart, D.N.A. is more a natural development than a series of drastic shifts, and while it will please the majority of his fan base, the material does not allow Mario--a vocalist more versatile than many would like to admit--to do much more than toggle between a Lothario and a softie. Go was the most satisfying of Mario's first three albums, but it lacked a major crossover single on the level of "Let Me Love You." Although the sensitive ballad "Crying Out for Me" was big on R&B stations, it did not break the Top 30 of the Hot 100. The minimal Sean Garrett and Shondrae production "Break Up," however -- D.N.A.'s lead single, issued weeks before the album -- did not take long to become the singer's biggest pop hit since his breakthrough. And it does turn out to be his fourth album's greatest deviation from the back catalog, carrying a laggard and sparse pulse to back Mario's whiny swagger. "Get Out" is a close second, a buzzing and grinding production from Jim Jonson and Rico Love that mirrors the song's theme of emotional entrapment. One of the hardest beats Mario has had at his disposal, it pushes him into that tough guy mode (as heard occasionally in Go) where you can sense him forcing his jaw to tighten and his eyes to bug out: "This ain't real, so what the f*ck is we doin'?" Even with several new collaborators, including some of the aforementioned, Babyface, Carlos McKinney, the-Dream, and Tricky Stewart, D.N.A. is more a natural development than a series of drastic shifts, and while it will please the majority of the fan base, the material does not allow Mario -- a vocalist more versatile than many would like to admit -- to do much more than toggle between a Lothario and a softie. ~ Andy Kellman

The youthful R&B sensation Mario was signed to J Records when he was only 15, and hit the ground running with a high-charting debut album in 2002 featuring a popular remake of Biz Markie's "Just a Friend." His 2004 follow-up spawned a number one single co-written by Ne-Yo, "Let Me Love You." By the time he released his fourth, star-studded album in 2007, his vocals, writing, and performance had all matured significantly, making him one of contemporary R&B 's heaviest hitters.

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