Produced by Warryn Campbell, the song outperformed to its original, peaking at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

It also reached at number 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming Mario's second most successful single in the United States.

Dan LeRoy from AllMusic stated that the album "offers doses of the real thing; its combination of Nickelodeon-style charm and authentic substance are reminiscent of nothing so much as a young Michael Jackson, with none of the creepy subtext [...] Naturally, you have to excuse a certain amount of filler to believe fully in Mario's potential, but most of these 11 tracks offer generous hints of it.

"[4] In his review for USA Today, Steve Jones noted that "Mario has a mature-for-his-age voice that sets him apart from the pack, even though he sticks with themes that don't make him seem older than he is [...] Radio-friendly grooves such as "Just a Friend" should get him immediate attention, but the soulful ballad "Never" suggests he's only scratching the surface of what he has to offer.

[8] On September 15, 2002, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.