Customer Reviews

Hurt No More

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

Let's get this out the way: Mario Winans is anything but a Charlie Nobody. Not only is he a member of a legendary gospel family, but this gifted pianist also has an impressive list of r&b singers with whom he's collaborated as a producer. It's not that Winans isn't talented; he's an accomplished performer who should have made a much better record than "Hurt No More." A safe collection of standard r&b with a few hip hop kicks, the CD never rises beyond the predictable and runs awfully low on hooks. "Never Really Was" samples the string arrangement off Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" and glides along a fairly generic groove, and the hit "I Don't Wanna Know" barely registered with this listener. Staying true to formula, this album has a host of guests --Loon, Foxy Brown, Slim, and Black Rob, and, of course, P.Diddy -- none of whom brings much to the table. More unsettling is Winans' voice, which is intermittently pleasing but ultimately lacks both range and emotion. Towards the end, we find a hidden gem in the form of a killer ballad "Should've Known," but it's too little too late to redeem the rest of the album from its mediocrity. "Hurt No More" has heart. What's missing is soul.

Both Mario Winans cd's are great to listen to. Personally i like the first one (theres nothing like the first album). Im a neo-soul person, so for me to be rating this cd 5 stars must be for a good reason. When i herd "I Don't Wanna Know" i thought it was alright, but theres much better songs then that on the album. I think Mario's voice is very unique. I just hate the way in "most" of his songs he says "OoOh Baby" in the beginning. The lyrics are well written and his voice make this cd a very good RnB album of 2004. The cd has slow jamz and Hip Hop Rnb joints, which i think this cd is very well put together.
A few of my fav. song would have to be "Can't Judge Me" and "Shouldve Known". I also love the way how Mario kept it current with a little bit of old school beats.

Song Rating:

1.) Ready for love (interlude) - Its the whole version of the interlude that you heard in the beginning of the "I dont wanna know" video.

2.) Never Really Was - 4 stars - This song has like an orchestra background. Its a song about when the realtionship is not what you really thought it was. ( Men have feeling too women ) lol.

3.) I Dont Wanna Know - 5 stars - His first song off the album. Has the fugees beat in the background. "He doesn't want to know if his girl is cheating on him because it might tear him up even more".

4.) You Knew - 5 stars - The beat to this song (i dont know why) but it brings me back to B.I.G's era. This jam is def one of my fav. songs on the album. The smooth sounds of Slim from 112 and Mario Winans smooth song makes it a hot jam. The lyrics to this song are beautiful.

5.) How I Made It - 3 stars - This is probably my least fav. song on the whole album i really do not like it. Its talking about "How he made it". Its not really a long song. Also, Loon raps towards the middle of the song.

6.) Already Know (interlude) - He already knows the "Secret"

7.) 3 Days - 5 Stars - The beat is ok the course is very catchy. Im guessing the song is about that the girl doesnt have any time for him and hes saying "will i ever get through to her".

8.) What's wrong with me - 5 stars - The beat is cool. "What's wrong with me" when someone doesnt listen to there instincts and still jumps into something and gets there heart broken, but he still loves her.

9.) Can't Judge Me - 5 Stars - This is my fav. song on the album. It starts off slow and smooth then he upgrades the beat to a little uptempo beat. Its when a guy says things he doesn't mean and the girl takes it seriously and starts judging him when he really isn't like that. Don't you hate it when people do that.

10.) Disbelief - 5 stars - Smooth song, love the lyrics. "Seems so real to me almost like a dream, now your loving me got me in (disbelief). After all this time you made up your mind now your wondering why you got me in (disbelief).

11.) Enough ( Interlude) - "Enough of the pain girl" Damn she thinks she is slick.

12.) Pretty Girl Bull**** - 4 1/2 Stars - Uptempo beat (Hiphop). The song starts off with Foxy Brown rappin'. If you have the Bad Boys 2 album then you already heard this song. The song flows the the previous interlude. He doesn't want no more of that "Pretty Girl Bull S**t."

13.) This Is The Thanks I Get - 4 stars - Uptempo beat but he keeps his voice very smooth. Its about when the guy gives everything to his girl and all she gave you was pain. The lyrics are ok i rated it 4 stars and not 5 because im more of a slow jam person.

14.) I Got You Babe - 5 stars - This songs beat kind of resembles the beat in the song "You knew" nice old school current beat i love it. He finally got the girl that he was waiting for, hes saying "I got you babe".

15.) So Fine - 4 1/2 stars - Nice song. He's talking about the girl hows shes so perfect, fine, and that shes all his. The beat is nice too i like this song.

16.) Shouldve Known - 5 stars - My Fav. Song on the album with "Can't Judge Me". I love way the song starts off it reminds me of like a little flavor of Keith Sweats oldschool stuff with Mario's own style. The songs lyrics are really nice totally true. That he shouldve known that the realtionship was going to end, that he feel so stupid. "Breakin up ain't easy" True True.

17.) Turn Around - 5 stars - Nice ending song. After all the songs he Happy and Sad (mostly sad), but finally the girl is actually leaving but he still wants her back. He's telling the girl "Turn around" take one more look at me and tell me are you sure you want to just walk away.

This cd is a must have. I didn't rate the interludes, because i think they are all good and they go good with the cd and how they flow right into the song.

I hope this was helpful. 1

Mario Winans got picked up by Bad Boy some time ago, and that led to him singing and producing many tracks for Diddy and company, like "I Need a Girl Part II". But then came the time for him to release his Bad Boy debut album, Hurt No More.

I have to say that this album is very tired. For starters, as other reviewers have mentioned, Mario does not have a great voice. To be honest, he sings like a background singer. That certainly doesn't help when it comes to songs like "I Don't Wanna Know", which I think is VERY overrated. I know it's a monster hit, but listen to the lyrics: "I don't wanna know/If you're playing me, keep it on the low/'Cause my heart can't take it any more/And if you're creepin', please don't let it show..." If you can sit there and honestly say that's not the wimpiest thing you've ever heard, you're just kidding yourself.

But the rest of the album isn't any better. Most of these songs are about the same thing: women doin' him wrong. And when it's the other way around, like on the sleep-inducing "Should've Known", things still aren't impressive, especially with lyrics like: "Why was I under her shirt/Lifting her skirt? (the song that follows, "Turn Around", sounds like a carbon copy of that song). One of the few songs that isn't like that is "How I Made It", but that song isn't really about anything.

There are other songs to avoid, like "So Fine" ("You're so fine and I know it/You're so fine..."); and the background singers in "Disbelief" and "I Got You Babe" may even sound worse than Mario. But one surprise is that Black Rob shows up and drops a nice verse on "This Is the Thanks I Get" (how about a second album, Diddy?), but that still can't save the song, let alone the album. If you don?t wanna hurt no more, press the STOP button on your CD player.

Anthony Rupert

P.S. In response to the reviewer that compared this album to Jodeci's "Cry For You", that was the name of the song, not the album (the album is called Diary of a Mad Band).

Okay, I went out and bought this album from Circuit City cause it was moderately priced.... I really do love the song "I Don't Wanna Know," but the album as a whole just SUCKS! I give him a lot of credit by showing that guys have their fair share of pain too, we're not all about being "pretty ricky's" and "pimps" and the like. He took a chance with representing the emotional side of a man... now the lyrics and the beats may help (not ALL of them, but a good amount of them), but the VOICE... HIS VOICE... MARIO WINANS VOICE just DOESN'T CUT IT! It stays the same, nothing different, and it really just bores me, along with the cameo appearances that I really find pointless and a waste of time and money. He might just want to stick to doing songwriting or something, or just go back in the studio and try to put out something better than this P.O.S.

I'm not bashing Mario, cause I think he is talented, and he has come a long way, but bottom line: it sucks! Considering all of that, I decided to give it 2 stars.

Having the name Winans alone is probably enough to gain Mario some attention. Mario comes from a prominent family of gospel singers, most notably the four brothers who make up the gospel group, The Winans, as well as brother and sister duo BeBe and Cece Winans. Instead of following his family's footsteps and singing only gospel music, Mario decided to step up from his role as songwriter and deliver his sophomore album, "Hurts No More" in 2004. Prior to this, Mario had written songs for everyone from Tamia to Faith Evans to J. Lo. Instead of going for the standard gangster/player formula that most male R&B artists use, Mario shows us the other side: the heartbroken male. Normally, female artists have complete control over this style of song but Mario manages to hold his own.

The album starts off with an emotional, piano/vocal intro called ""Ready For Love" that most will recognize from the first single. Instead of "I Don't Wanna Know" following, as one would expect, we have the second single, "Never Really Was". Sampling Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach", the song describes how Mario's girl lied to him and he's asking her why. It's a welcome change to hear a guy singing about his feelings instead of about getting girls. "I Don't Wanna Know" follows and, while many guys complain that it's wimpy, I think it is quite touching. It describes how Mario's girl is cheating on him and he decides that it doesn't matter as long as he doesn't know any more about it. That is to say, it would hurt him too much to hear about it so she should keep it to herself. The song features a slightly-above-average rap from P Diddy in which he raps about how good he was to his girl but she cheated anyway. The song ends up being great primarily because of Mario's delivery.

"You Knew" comes next and is a mediocre song that talks about the same thing as the previous two. However, Mario sounds more like a background singer in this one so it is not quite as good. "How I Made It" has a somewhat clichéd message, about how hard Mario worked to get where he is now. This song is saved by Mario's delivery and by the great background music. The rap contributed by Loon is fairly typical and neither hurts nor helps the song. My main problem with this song is that it consists mostly of the chorus being repeated with only a verse or two by Mario. "Already Know" is an equally stellar interlude which features almost haunting background music and makes a nice opener for the next song. "3 Days Ago", a personal favourite, follows and is lyrically beautiful. The song also has one of Mario's best vocal performances. Also, the song is not completely dominated by the chorus, which is an added bonus.

"What's Wrong With Me" is mediocre at best and not even Mario's delivery can save it. Lyrically, it is on the weak side and Mario sounds more like a background singer than the actual artist. The refrain is especially weak. "Can't Judge Me" seems to be about an argument Mario had with his girl. He seems to be telling her that she can't judge him based on how he acted when he was angry. While the hook and chorus sound great, it is not enough to save the otherwise mediocre song. "Disbelief" follows and is a slight improvement. It is quite difficult to pinpoint exactly what the song is about, and Mario's vocals are overpowered by the background music quite a bit but it is still a little more memorable than the song before. It is by no means a great song, and Mario once again sounds like a background singer but it is tolerable enough. "Enough (Interlude)" follows and it has a short phone conversation between Mario and his girl in which he catches her in a lie. "Pretty Girl B......t" comes next and features a mismatched guest spot from Foxy Brown. The song just does not work for me. Mario and Foxy do not fit together at all even though Mario's delivery isn't bad.

"This Is The Thanks I Get" has mildly grating background music that distracts from Mario's vocals and lyrics. Black Rob also shows up to contribute a verse, which has quite weak lyrics and does nothing to save the song. "I Got You Babe" sounds quite odd to me. Mario does not sound like himself, except in the background. It sounds almost like someone else's song with Mario singing background. "So Fine" is typical R&B in which Mario tells his girl that she looks so fine. It probably wouldn't be so bad, but it does not fit with the album at all. "Should've Known" has the story reversed, where Mario was the one cheating instead of his girl. This is a good song but is not quite enough to redeem the album after so many mediocre songs. Finally, we have "Turn Around" which is weak lyrically but is saved completely by Mario's delivery and the background music, making it a great album closer.

Overall Mark: 3/5

Despite the great song, "I Don't Wanna Know", as well as all the songs Mario has written which prove him a competent songwriter, he has yet to really prove himself as a solo artist. There is no particularly awful song however there is far too much mediocre filler in the middle of the album. Mario does not have the strongest voice, in fact he sounds like a background singer most of the time, however he manages to pull off some songs strictly by delivery. While I commend him for trying to give us the other side of the story (that girls cheat too), the album was not quite strong enough, or memorable enough, to really give that message. There are a few great songs, and it is worth picking up but it is far from a classic.

I believe the album is really about a 3.75 so I rounded up :)

I must slightly agree with the comments about his singing ability. He is not as skilled as others, but what would music be if everyone had the same sound? Then, and only then, would his voice be boring and uninspired.

Mario Winans' LP is very impressive. Some of the songs are REALLY good, but with all honesty, some are just ok. I would still suggest this album solely because it is something new and there is a song for everyone on the LP. His voice is unique, as is Slim's from 112, and it's good to have your own sound and style.

Peace and Blessings!

Oh my God, I just bought this garbage, thinking it wouldn't suck this much. I already had "sorted" views about "I don't wanna know" which the radio played way too much, but this whole entire album is on the same subject line. I mean, if you've just been hurt in a relationship or just got done wrong by some girl, then this album is something you should play all day, if you're planning on crying about your pain. That's the only purpose this album serves in my opinion. Very sullen, very down trodden, very depressing. His vocals are NOT impressive AT ALLLL !!! The same tired tone of "I don't wanna know" thru the whole CD. I'm sorry, but this is something that I have to get rid off, it's not worthy of being in the same stack of other CD's by other male soloist, like Usher, Brian McKnight, Joe. etc. Dude has absolutely no range and sounds like he's laying down, exhausted, the whole time he's singing. This is pure trash. True R & B fans will see thru this for what it really is and I'm sorry I even took a chance on this guy and bought this album.

I never buy a cd with out hearing it or getting some kind of feel of the album. Big mistake I made to run out and get this album as soon as it came out! The first single "I don't want to know" is the only good song on the whole album. This album is terrible....

Mario delivers a first rate R&B album. This is how R&B albums are supposed to sound. Mario incoporates old school samples perfectly into his modern day tales of love gone wrong. The subject manner makes for great mood music. Mario has a soft yet delicate voice thats easy on the ears. He doesn't reach new heights vocally, but I can see him getting better with each album. I can tell a lot went into this album, and the end result proves that. From start to finish Mario lays it down track by track sharing his utmost deepest feelings and fears regarding love, heartbreak, and despair. Go get this album!

I had never heard of this artist until someone gave me the CD. I started to listen to it, and liked it so much I wanted more music by him. Thank goodness I didn't read these reviews first. I would have assumed his music was bad.

I think he has an awesome voice. The music is not too slow and has a nice beat. And there is nothing wrong with singing about heartbreak. I would prefer that over some of the dirtier lyrics out there. That is what musicians do. They sing about what is going on in their lives. It's alot better then cookie cutter songs made to do nothing more then please a crowd. I prefer to listen to music with substance.