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 A must have! Oct 25, 2008
If you loved the song "Gallery" then you will love the whole cd. This has so many other well written and sung tracks that I know you will love it.
2 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 3-1/2 stars -- Talent, inc. Sep 22, 2007
For those that don't know, Mario Vazquez was a contestant in the Final 12 of American Idol at one time, but then he dropped out for personal reasons. He was able to record his self-titled album anyway, soon after releasing the single "Gallery" last year. It didn't do much at first, but then it was re-released later in the year, upon which it did, well...anyway, his album is pretty good.
The aforementioned "Gallery" is a song that I never really paid a whole lot of attention to until just recently, and I found that it's a very good song. There are other good songs as well, including "Just a Friend", "One Shot", "I Bet" and "Everytime I". And while "How We Do It" looks a little corny on paper, it still works.
There are also a few songs I can do without, like the drug ode "Cohiba" (with Fat Joe) and the filler track "She Got Me". And as for "Like It or Not", I would have to say the latter. But there are still enough good moments on Mario's album for a good listening experience.
Anthony Rupert
Awsome CD Jun 21, 2007
Mario has alot of nice songs on his cd! If you like R&B and hiphop this is a cd for you.
"Mario Vazquez" - The Singer Is Extraordinary, The Album Is Not! Mar 24, 2007
For an R&B / Pop-singing American Idol dropout, the self-titled debut album of Mario Vazquez isn't too bad. Despite this album's extremely low sales, dropping out of "American Idol" was a smart move - that means no contractual or artistic restrictions and he won't be immortalized as "some dude who lost on American Idol". Which is a great thing, considering Mario Vazquez is a very talented singer. Unfortunately, his talents aren't fully utilised on this album, despite help from Ne-Yo, Scott Storch, Stargate, Sean Garrett, Johnta Austin, etc.
As a Latino singer, Mario Vazquez is a typically smooth and emotional singer who naturally excels at balladry. Lead single "Gallery", an emotional ode to a woman who is deliberately with the wrong man, is easily the best track on the album, especially with Stargate's acoustic guitar and Ne-Yo's "Let Me Love You"-reminiscent (but still sharp) songwriting; the Rock-inflected "Don't Lie" balances smooth vocals with more sharp songwriting extremely well; "4 The 1", a guitar-driven Spanglish ballad, serves not only as a nondescript ode to an anonymous "cocoa-eyes" lover, but as a tribute to his own Afro-Puerto Rican roots; and on "Just A Friend", another guitar-driven ballad, Mario Vazquez struggles to convince his woman he wasn't cheating with one of his female friends.
Unfortunately, not much else is very distinctive, with the unwelcome exceptions of filler tracks. The lusty "Cohiba", featuring fellow Bronx people/rappers Fat Joe & Knox, seems to try to be so many things at once -lyrical ode to drugs and sex, musical ode to his hometown (The Bronx), obligatory wannabe-club banger, etc.- but it falls flat on every level. Rapid drum patterns and other Middle Eastern-inflected sounds are put to waste to poor lyrics and below-average vocals on "She Got Me" & "Fired Up", respectively; and "One Shot" starts off beautifully with that mellow guitar, and Mario Vazquez's vocals are nothing short of wonderful - then come the cheesy lyrics ("If I was a builder, then you'd have a castle / To rival the highest mountain / And if I were a billionaire / I would give you every material thing / But unfortunately all I have to give to you / Is an imperfect heart").
On the whole, this album is very average. The only thing that truly separates this album from other R&B / Pop albums is that the vocals are the ultimate highlight of the album, rather than the (partially) weak production and (mostly) poor songwriting that, in this case, plague this album. There's definitely something wrong when Jennifer Lopez, another Bronx-born singer (or, in her case, singer / actress / businesswoman / regular PETA target / etc.) of Latin descent, is representing The Bronx with a deliberately commercial Hip-Hop/Pop club banger ("Jenny From The Block") better than a genuinely talented singer like Mario Vazquez. I'd love to blame the cheesy lyrics and forced sexuality on his Latino heritage, but I'm not tryna get racist or stupid here, so I end it with this - the artist is extraordinary, the album is not. 3 stars!
5 Best Tracks (IMO) (In No Order):
"Gallery"
"4 The 1"
"Just A Friend"
"I Bet"
"Everytime I..."
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A MUST HAVE Jan 12, 2007
This in my opinion is one of 2006's best album. But he did disappoint almost everyone in america when he left american idol, but after hearing this album we all forgave him! Keep up the good work!
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