A Solid Tune-Up Fight for an R&B Heavyweight

Released: November 14, 2025

Making his musical debut over 20 years ago during a wave of teenage R&B acts (Chris Brown, B2K, Sammie, etc.), Mario has pretty much run the musical gamut. He has not only carved out a musical legacy but also completed various “side missions” along the way, including acting, Verzuz, The Masked Singer, and recently announcing to the world he is entering the ultimate endeavor known as fatherhood.

While there have been noticeable absences in his music catalog, Mood Swings marks the singer’s second released project in as many years. Listeners can expect some highs and some lows this time around, resulting in a decent R&B experience.

Coming in at eight songs and 27 minutes, this release is technically considered an EP, so I won’t harp too much on it being short. I can appreciate the artist seemingly committing to consistency after periods of lengthy droughts between releases throughout his career. However, a compact project leaves little room for error; unfortunately, the first three tracks—including the title track—feel a bit overproduced. There are periods where the beat seemingly drowns out the vocals, as well as times where there appears to be an overuse of reverb. These tactics are usually reserved for singers with weaker voices—a weird choice given the artist’s known vocal strength.

Things do pick up at “Friends” featuring Ty Dolla $ign (the only feature, by the way) and continue until the end. Usually, albums decrease in quality toward the back half, but in this case, the opposite rings true. The back end of the project provides the best listening experience, culminating with the best track on the project—and probably the best chance at a charting single—“Nobody But Us.”

Although I commented on the briefness of the project, oddly enough, I think this is one of those cases where less is more. Omitting a few of the early tracks would probably serve to uplift this project just a bit more. That being said, the middle and end of this EP give way to a strong R&B performance and provide enough promise for fans to anticipate a full album in the not-too-distant future. For what it’s worth, Mood Swings can be considered a good tune-up fight for a prizefighter coming off a hiatus in anticipation of a blockbuster event.

Standout Tracks: Chosen, Nobody But Us, Friends

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑 (6/10)