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Turning Point

Credits

Release Date

Record Label

Performance

Reviewer

Bob Smithouser
Rhonda Handlon

Album Review

Pro-Social Content

The singer wants to care for a lady as desirable to him as “Nikes Fresh Out of the Box.” However …

Objectionable Content

Comparing a girl to a pair of athletic shoes has an uncomfortable woman-as-disposable-property feel. On “Couldn’t Say No,” Mario confesses that a mere week apart from his girl led to sex with someone else, and blames testosterone for his weakness (“A man just can’t say no”). That track and others use mild profanities. Racial slang further mars the self-absorbed “18.” The artist meets a sexually aggressive woman on “Call the Cops,” which describes the casual encounter in detail. He marvels that his woman could practice their “ghetto Kama Sutra” with another man (“How Could You”) and re-enters a bad relationship just for the physical intimacy (“Here I Go Again”). A libidinous guy prowls at a club on “Shakedown” and “Boom.” The latter finds “everybody getting tipsy.” Promises to treat a lady better than her last beau did emphasize expensive cars, jewelry and “amazing sex” (the smash “Let Me Love You”). “Directions” provides a road map to sexual satisfaction.

Summary Advisory

Like so many artists eager to shed their child-star skin, this 18-year-old projects a precocious, amoral sexuality. Fresh new Nikes? Hardly. Smooth vocals notwithstanding, Mario’s Turning Point is more like old sneakers dangling from a power line—not worth a second look.

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Bob Smithouser
Rhonda Handlon