Rating:
Genre:
R&B
Release Date: 10/13/2009
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, All Music Guide
;)
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