Mario Winans Hurt No More CD

For a member of the revered Winans clan, practically the first family of gospel, to turn to Bad Boy Records would almost seem scandalous, but so it is with Mario Winans, the sultry-toned crooner/songwriter. After releasing an overlooked debut in 1997, he aligned with Sean Combs's empire to become a well-regarded producer. Almost seven years later, he emerged with the smooth, multicolored HURT NO MORE, a record crafted in the Bad Boy style, but absolutely immersed in soul of the past (particularly the Philly variety).

While Winans's stories of love, loss, desire, and deceit are entirely secular, he sings with unwavering heartfelt soul worthy of an heir to gospel royalty. It's as if he's pouring his entire being into many of the songs on HURT NO MORE, which contains simple, sweet, imploring ballads ("You Knew," "Should've Known"). However, the album also features songs with wonderful flourishes, such as the jazzy piano on "I Got You Babe," the imperial-sounding synth on "This Is the Thanks I Get," and the otherworldliness of Enya's vocals backing the megahit "I Don't Wanna Know." Aided by flecks of hip-hop, Winans soulful concoctions should make him a household name on his own terms.

Outside of some significant background details, nothing about Hurt No More is radically exceptional. It is, however, full of small surprises. Not only is it a Winans' record with a parental advisory sticker; it's also a Bad Boy release with production and instrumental duties handled by one person. That person is Mario Winans, whose return as a solo artist was announced by a Top Five single that is literally haunted by the spirit of Enya circa 1987. Primarily a producer and multi-instrumentalist, with credits up the ying-yang for big-name gospel and secular artists alike, Winans' rebirth as a solo artist -- after a false start with Motown in 1997 -- is as rich as humbled, sincerely sensitive, male R&B gets in 2004. Lead single "I Don't Wanna Know" trumps Ruben Studdard's "Sorry 2004" as the most touching R&B single by a broken-spirited male for 2004, made by a subdued drum pattern, Enya's ambient presence, a sprinkle of piano, and Winans' hushed, pained vocal -- which begs his woman to keep her infidelities low-key. Winans has experience making a wide range of music for others, but he excels most at creating slow, sophisticated grooves for himself. Songs of this kind make up most of this album, and that aspect has a lot to do with why this record is successful. Winans doesn't wear the few harder-edged numbers so well -- "Pretty Girl Bullsh*t," featuring an ill-matched verse from Foxy Brown, is particularly out-of-character and disrupts the lush, sensual flow of the record. A couple minor blunders like that hardly prevent Hurt No More from being one of the finest R&B albums of the year. [A clean version of the album was also made available.] ~ Andy Kellman

Personnel: Mario Winans (vocals, background vocals); Foxy Brown , Loon, Diddy, Black Rob (vocals); Erik Barbera, Francesco Romano, Tony Aliperti (guitar); Adonis Stropshire, Tierra "T Baby" Brown, Shannon Jones (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Tommy Jammin; Stephen Dent; Rob Paustian; Jim Beeman; Mario Winans; Diddy; Paul Logus; Rich Keller.

Recording information: Big 3 Studios, St. Petersburg, FL; Circle House Studios, Miami, FL; Daddy's House Recording Studios, New York, NY; Larrabee West, Los Angeles, CA; Planet To Planet Studios, New York, NY; Sony Studios, New York, NY; The Hit Factory, New York, NY.

Photographer: Jonathan Mannion.

Personnel: Mario Winans (vocals, various instruments); P. Diddy, Slim, Loon, Foxy Brown, Black Rob (rap vocals); Frnkie Romano (guitar).

Producers: Mario Winans, The Hitmen, Sean "P.Diddy" Combs.

Vibe (p.151) - 3 1/2 out of 5 - "This is the secret of Winan's magic; the soft touch of the synthesizers and his gentle piano playing blend with the signature sound of the kick and snare - hard, unadorned, punching through the music's gauzy, elegiac texture."