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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

An R&B regular finally makes it big

Mario Winans is the biggest R&B star you never heard of -- until now.

A member of the legendary gospel singing Winans family, the singer's 1997 debut met an uninterested public. But with the power of P. Diddy and Bad Boy records supporting it, Winans' latest album "Hurt No More" isn't being slept on; the album entered the Billboard charts at the number two spot. It turns out that Winans' transition from gospel to hip-hop inflected R&B proves to be a great career move.

The success of the latest album finally gives Winans the shine he wanted since entering the R&B world in the mid-1990s. "Hurt No More" sold 222,000 copies in its first week with the breakout single "I Don't Wanna Know" leading the way.

Where has Winans been all this time? He's been behind the scenes producing for top-tier R&B singers like Mary J. Blige. He also had great success in 1995 when he produced R. Kelly's multi-platinum, self-titled third release. Even so, producing alone left this born singer unfulfilled.

Winans' voice may quickly become well-known in the mainstream with "I Don't Wanna Know," but many contemporary R&B fans already have his polished tenor stuck in their heads. Winans has been present on songs like the popular P. Diddy track "I Need a Girl Pt. II." He is also been featured on songs with Tamia, Mr. Cheeks, Queen Latifa, and Benzino.

Winans is able to do creative things with an old beat on his sing, "I Don't Wanna Know." The song uses a sample of Enya's "Boadicea" popularized by the Fugees with their hit "Ready or Not." It's never a bad idea to use a beat your listeners are familiar with, but Winans' context of a lover's betrayal makes the beat new.

"Hurt No More" isn't a completely commercial release. Winans did his producing in the mid-90's when R&B was at its silky finest, before crossover appeal, and when the biggest stars found their musical inspiration in hip hop and not in pop music.

"You Knew" is one of the best examples of Winans' throwback style. After the obligatory Notorious B.I.G. voiceover and the counterpoint with Slim (from the group 112), Mario takes over the track. The bass line is static and Slim's painfully high pitch serves as a great variation. This song is truly from another time, but it should be welcomed in 2004.

"Disbelief" is in the same vein of simpler rhythm. Winans' voice shines on its own. This track comes later on the album as the lyrics start to shift to the joy of finding a new love. The sincerity of the lyrics makes Winans' gladness contagious.

"Pretty Girl Bulls**t" features the flow of Foxy Brown, and she does kill the track. Fox takes her style back to '96, continuing the older feel the album sometimes sports. The track is a traditional R&B and hip hop collaboration with a twist: a man sings the hook while Foxy spits the lyrics.

The only track that might leave listeners unhappy comes in the middle of the album. "3 Days Ago" isn't so much unpleasant as it is confusing. The song never really finds itself by changing from a ballad to rock with touches of folk. The music swings violently, and it's hard to imagine anyone enjoying the song as a whole.

Saying that Mario Winans found himself on his second release would be lying. He has had his style down since his 1997 debut. Winans inherited a great voice, but decided to take it in a different direction. Gospel music doesn't offer the kind of exposure "Hurt No More" is already getting, and its attention is well deserved.