In what is most likely a first for the Winans family, Mario Winans’ sophomore solo album possesses a “Parental Advisory” sticker. The sticker is a bit misleading because the multi-talented Winans doesn’t use vulgar language and truth be told, if it weren’t for a misplaced Foxy Brown guest spot on “Pretty Girl BullSh*t” or an appearance by Black Rob on “This Is The Thanks I Get” then the CD wouldn’t have the sticker. After a failed album on Motown records, Mario went on to produce many gospel (his family’s preferred genre), pop, and R&B acts. Most recently Winans has been a “House producer” for P. Diddy’s Bad Boy Records. That association led to a new artist deal and Mario’s new album. Unlike every other Bad Boy release, there’s only one producer and main instrumentalist: Mario Winans himself. This is a remarkable achievement in the world of multi-tasking and such.

Like Carl Thomas (Bad Boy’s other crooner), Mario Winans plays an appealing brand of R&B music. It won’t make any waves as unique or totally original and while most of the guest spots are “typical” Bad Boy, they don’t detract from the cohesiveness of the record. The record opens up with the Ready For Love Interlude that is simply Mario and his piano. Never Really Was is a tasty R&B song that is sure to do well on radio with it’s driving bass line and lyric that finds Mario asking why a relationship is over. The great single I Don’t Wanna Know also has a driving bass line but the angelic harmonies by Enya provide Winans’ lyrics (which find a man so in love that he’d rather not know about his girl’s infidelity than move on) with a serenity that few R&B songs have nowadays. The P. Diddy rap isn’t terrible and if the man is anything, he’s a decently skilled everyman rapper. The song is currently a multi-genre cross-over in the Top 10.

How I Made It is a short track that samples the Commodores’ “Celebrate” melody to make a track that tells of Mario’s struggle’s to the top. Loon’s rap fits in nicely with the verses that Mario sings. It should do well on radio. With a delicious guitar driven melody, “3 Days Ago” begs to be a hit single. It is my favorite track on “Hurt No More” and I can honestly seeing a gospel band and/or a country artist recording the song and having a hit with it. “Days” finds Mario contemplating how a strong love can seemingly turn the page from good to indifferent in short order. “What’s Wrong With Me” finds Mario asking what he’s done wrong to lose his baby girl. “Pretty Girl Bullsh*t” is the weakest song on the CD and if it weren’t Mario’s production skills, the song would be more of an abomination. ”So Fine” is another guitar driven track but this one has a gospel sound to it that adds a slice of variety to the record.

Turn Around” ends the CD on a fine note. Like all good modern R&B albums, “Hurt No More” deals primarily with relationships. Mario Winans is a wonderful singer, a gifted writer and a beyond-belief producer that is finally getting his due as the artist he’s always been. While Mario may be the “Bad Boy” of the Winans family, he’s got plenty of heart to make “Hurt No More” one of the best R&B albums recorded in the past few years.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Romancing