Keith Sweat vs. Mario | Head 2 Head 🗣️

On the 5^th edition of Head 2 Head (2022), Keith Sweat and Mario contend for the best rendition of “Right and a Wrong Way.” 

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elcome to Head 2 Head 🗣️! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  On the 5^th edition of head-to-head (2022), 🎙 Keith Sweat and 🎙 Mario contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “Right and a Wrong Way”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

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1. Keith Sweat, “Right and a Wrong Way”

💿 Make It Last Forever • 🏷 Elektra • 📅 1987 

“You may be young but you’re ready / (Ready to learn).” Those are timeless lines from the first verse of 🎵 “Right and a Wrong Way”. R&B standout 🎙 Keith Sweat continues, “You’re not a little girl, you’re a woman / (Take my hand) Let me tell you, baby / I’m yours for the takin’.” Ooh-la-la, Keith! “Right and a Wrong Way” ranks among the very best songs of his collection.  Specifically, this superb, sexy adult contemporary R&B joint hails from his 1987 album, 💿 Make it Last Forever.

“So, don’t play no silly games with me, baby

… All I need is your loving here

(Hold me tight, baby, with the joy you can bring).”

“Right and a Wrong Way” is a high-flying, sensual slow jam. It’s a lushly produced, late 80s R&B joint that helps ushers in the New Jack Swing era. The old-school drum programming, the robust bass line, and a heaping dose of electric piano, sigh! Notably, Sweat wrote this gem alongside 🎼✍ Teddy Riley which explains that unique, New Jack Swing vibe.  Refocusing on theme and lyrics, “Right and a Wrong Way” is all about love and its course, sex.  The centerpiece is the unforgettable chorus: “There’s a right and wrong way to love somebody / There’s a good and a bad way to love somebody…” “Right and a Wrong Way” is one of those special, once-in-a-lifetime gems that’s quintessential 80s but also feels totally right in the 2020s.  Could anyone dare challenge the original version of this classic?

Appears in 🔽:
Keith Sweat, “Right and a Wrong Way”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 10 (2022)

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2. Mario, “Right and a Wrong Way”

💿 Go • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2007

Who would dare tackle covering the beloved 🎙 Keith Sweat classic, 🎵 “Right and a Wrong Way”? 🎙 Mario (Mario Barrett), that’s who! Barrett had a big-time no. 1 hit in 2004 when he was just 18, 🎵 “Let Me Love You”.  With a gorgeous instrument in his own right, he proves he has the chops to tackle this late 80s gem.  His rendition of “Right and a Wrong Way” appears on his 2007 album, 💿 Go.

Had Keith Sweat not originally sang “Right and a Wrong Way,” Mario could easily claim the classic as his own.  He ‘does the damn thing’ to say the least. In his hands, he commences the record with impressive, ripe falsetto, which helps him make this cover truly his own. Like Sweat, Barrett showcases a gorgeous tone and fabulous vocal nuances. What I truly like about his performance is the fact that he doesn’t merely serve up a copycat performance. He embodies Sweat’s dramatic, authentic original, but ensures he distinguishes himself. As far as the production (🎛 T-Wayne and 🎛 Stee), it’s modernized for the aughts while retaining the New Jack Swing vibes of the late 80s. The background vocals match those supporting the Sweat original.  Smartly, Mario’s version eliminates the 80s synthesized saxophone solo, which would’ve sounded dated in 2007.  All in all, Mr. Barrett nails it.

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The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

Keith Sweat or Mario?  Again, I must praise Mario. He did a fantastic job covering 🎵 “Right and a Wrong Way”.  Still, when it’s all said and done, this Head 2 Head 🗣️ goes to the OG performer, Keith Sweat, period! The original, well, it’s just timeless, dated synthesized saxophone solo and all!

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Keith Sweat vs. Mario: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 5 (2022) [📷: Brent Faulkner, Elektra, Layers, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay, RCA, RODNAE Productions, Valentin Tikhonov]

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