Mario is back with a new album, Glad You Came, an invitation to a new era in his life and a journey of confidence, flirtation, love, intimacy and vulnerability.
The project pays homage to the music Mario loves, starting with a jazz and R&B fusion and turning into more contemporary songs along the way. It's geared toward fans whose palates have matured over the years, specifically women and the men who want to speak to women through music.
"I partnered with James Fauntleroy on this record to make something refreshing and different ... from things I put out before," Mario tells ABC Audio of the album, which features the title track, a song "about putting your woman first ... and making sure that she's going to be pleased over your own selfish needs."
Glad You Came arrives nearly six years after Mario's last album, Dancing Shadows, a wait partially due to not feeling "ready" or like he "had the right creatives involved."
"Making the album is a more concentrated experience," he says. "So I'm happy that I waited, like I didn't rush out."
With James by his side this time, he took advantage, choosing to drop the record before he hits the road.
"I was a little nervous about putting it out in fourth quarter because [it's Christmastime]. Mariah Carey ... she's coming out the freezer," he jokes. "But I'm really confident in just the fact that R&B is an art that I feel like is about the marathon and not just about first week or second week. It's about the experience of the whole project."
Mario adds, "I'm excited about what people's favorite songs are going to be, how they interpret them, and just really creating dialog around R&B in my own way again."