Mario Vazquez is the debut studio album by American singer Mario Vazquez. It was released by Stiefel Entertainment and Arista Records on September 26, 2006 in the United States. The album did not fare well in its first week on sale, coming in at number 80 on US Billboard 200, selling slightly more than 12,000 units. In France, Mario Vazquez peaked at number 104 on the French Albums Chart.
Critical reception
Dan Aquilante of New York Post gave Vazquez's self-titled debut a three-star rating, praising its authenticity and departure from the polished formula associated with American Idol. He highlighted the album's harder-edged reggaeton collaborations and Vazquez's more personal artistic direction. Writing for USA Today, Elysa Gardner gave the album a two-and-a-half-star rating, praising his "sweetly fluid" tenor and rhythmic ability while criticizing the album's formulaic material. She highlighted "One Shot" and "Don't Lie" as signs of his potential for future growth.
AllMusic's Andy Kellman found Mario Vazquez uneven, criticizing the album's lack of focus and describing Vazquez as tentative across a range of styles. He suggested that a more personalized approach and tighter songwriting could lead to stronger future releases. Ericka Souter, writing for People, also criticized the various genre-hopping throughout the album but gave credit to the first two tracks for properly showcasing Vazquez's vocal talents and charisma, saying that he's "still worthy of a little idol worship." Julianne Shepherd of Vibe praised the Latin pop tracks for displaying Vazquez's tenor but found diversions away from it make his voice lack style. She concluded by advising Vazquez that, "until he can personalize every track, he'll still be just another Idol: an able singer belting someone else's songs."
Track listing
Notes denotes vocal producer denotes co-producer
Charts Chart (2006) Peakposition scope="row" scope="row"
References