A R&B record with heavy elements of soul and hip hop music, it involves a diverse roster of collaborators including Scott Storch, Lil Jon, The Underdogs, Carvin & Ivan, and Sean Garrett.

When asked about his decision to work his producer Scott Storch on material for the album, he elaborated: "He did a lot of stuff back in the day, you'd be surprised.

"[7] Jem Aswad from Entertainment Weekly said that Turning Point "is plenty catchy, but it's also so full of sugar that the spoon stands up," giving the album a B−.

[9] Virgin Media said that "the production is tight throughout the album but not overly polished, and there is enough edge maintained from start to finish to suggest that Mario may indeed buck a few R&B trends in the months to come.

"[18] Baz Dreisinger from Blender felt that "though the Baltimore-born singer is newly legal (as he tells us on the too-terse club jam "18"), his enticingly even-toned voice—smooth as R. Kelly's—transcends teen-pop.

It's even manly enough to convey lovelorn intensity ("Here I Go Again"), offer explicit "Directions" to an uncorrupted gal pal ("Trust me, I got skills"), then sweetly stage an "intimate talk" with her ("Like Me Real Hard").

"[8] USA Today critic Steve Jones found that "the material seems more what you'd expect from an 18-year-old [...] There are still a few lightweight ditties and songs that show he hasn't completely left his youth behind ("Nikes"), but he seems pointed in the right direction.

"[15] The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan wrote that "undisputed foxy dude that [Mario] is though, Turning Point owes its sparkling nowness to an astute choice of producers and guests.

The record's six-figure beats, provided by Scott Storch and Lil' Jon, are slicker than Aaron Neville's cocoa butter, ensuring that Turning Point will be a perennial fave among BET's 106 & Park fans.