Eight albums into her career and comfortably settled into married life -- and, for the most part, herself -- Mary J. Blige continues to prove her versatility and strength, building off 2005's The Breakthrough, but not copying from it. Her increased self-confidence, some of which comes from confessing her all-too-human flaws, makes Growing Pains a ...
At the end of 2005, Mary J. Blige's career was supposed to be anthologized. The singer had her way, however, and one of her best studio albums came out instead. In retrospect, her previous album, 2003's Love & Life, was awkward; the P. Diddy collaborations, likely intended to recapture the magic the duo put together on What's the 411? and My Life, ...
With this cutting-edge debut, Mary J. Blige became the reigning queen of her own hybrid category: hip-hop soul. In retrospect, it is easier to place the album into the context of her career and, as such, to pinpoint the occasions when it runs wide of the rails. For instance, the synthesizer-heavy backdrops ("Reminisce," "Love No Limit") are ...
Like its two predecessors, A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 3 is a charity album featuring new recordings by superstars. Like Vol. 2, Vol. 3 is a little weaker than the first collection, but there are still a number of fun holiday songs on the record, including cuts by Sheryl Crow, Chris Cornell, Smashing Pumpkins, Tracy Chapman, Hootie & the ...
Perhaps the single finest moment in Sean "Puffy" Combs' musical career has been the production on this, Mary J. Blige's second proper album. The production is not exactly original, and there is evidence here of him borrowing wholesale from other songs. The melodic sources this time around, though, are so expertly incorporated into the music that ...
The hype that surrounded Mary J. Blige in 1992 was definitely excessive, and those who exalted her as the "new Chaka Khan" did both Khan and Blige an unforgivable disservice (few could live up to such a title). But as the 1990s progressed, Blige really did evolve into one of the decade's most appealing R&B vocalists, and she's in good to excellent ...
From 1992's "You Remind Me" through 2006's "Take Me as I Am," Mary J. Blige netted 16 Top Ten R&B singles, making the end of 2006 the ideal time to produce an anthology collecting the singer's biggest hits. A 16-track disc with nothing but Top Ten hits would be undeniable -- though, admittedly, not faultless since the 15 years of highlights cannot ...
In its short history in the U.S., the Now anthology series has developed a rigid approach to its arrangement of recent hits on successive albums, and the ninth volume is typical. It begins its 20-track sequence with big, broad-based, dance-oriented hits like Pink's "Get the Party Started" and the Billboard chart-toppers "Family Affair," by Mary J. ...
Listeners of Mary J. Blige's seasoned and confident fifth studio release will have zero problems remembering the album's title, No More Drama. An urban-sounding vocal sample that sings, "Mary J. Blige, no more drama," plays throughout the length of the 17-track disc. This very well may be the first time such a tactic has been used in contemporary ...
Perhaps it was inevitable that Mary J. Blige would mature, toning down the raunchier elements of her persona that have been evident since her debut, while repositioning herself as a classicist soul singer. Even so, the sheer classiness of Mary, her fourth album, may come as a bit of a surprise. Blige made a conscious effort to create an album that ...
Mary J. Blige has made it clear in virtually all of her TV appearances and interviews surrounding her sixth studio album that she's happy with the way things have been going for her, both personally and professionally. That's more than apparent -- albeit detrimentally apparent -- throughout Love & Life, an album that sees her linking back up with ...
VH1 Divas Live 99 presents VH1's second gathering of superstar songbirds, including Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Cher, Mary J. Blige, LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Chaka Khan, and Elton John. Hill's "This Kiss," Turner's "The Best," Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time," John's "I'm Still Standing," and Rimes' "How Do I Live" are among the concert's ...
At the end of 2005, Mary J. Blige's career was supposed to be anthologized. The singer had her way, however, and one of her best studio albums came out instead. In retrospect, her previous album, 2003's Love & Life, was awkward; the P. Diddy collaborations, likely intended to recapture the magic the duo put together on What's the 411? and My Life, ...
Perhaps the best overall introduction to the dauntingly large Wu-Tang universe, RZA Hits is an excellent singles compilation covering the first round of Wu projects -- their debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and the five solo albums recorded in its wake. The material here traces the Wu's rise from underground heroes to full-fledged stardom in ...
D.J. Mix '98, Vol. 1 is a continuous-mix collection of hip-hop, techno, urban soul, and pop hits from 1997. Most of the cuts are available in their original form (albeit segued together), while some are featured in remixes or edits. Either way, the end result is a fun party album, even if collectors will prefer to acquire these songs in a format ...
MTV Party to Go: Platinum Mix is an excellent collection of hip-hop and club hits from the early half of the 1990s -- each of the 14 tracks was a major chart smash, and the balance between long-range superstars and one-hit wonders makes this set a terrific way to acquire much of the material in question. Highlights include Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' But a ...
Listeners of Mary J. Blige's seasoned and confident fifth studio release will have zero problems remembering the album's title, No More Drama. An urban-sounding vocal sample that sings, "Mary J. Blige, no more drama," plays throughout the length of the 17-track disc. This very well may be the first time such a tactic has been used in contemporary ...
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs isn't your standard remixer. He doesn't just alter the beats of his songs; he re-writes his songs -- new beats, new vocalists, new lyrics, new everything. Of course, Combs doesn't actually do this himself. Rather, he outsources the work to his roster of producers (the Hit Men) and some of the biggest names in urban music. So, ...
A good collection of the best in 1995's hip-hop scene (along with a rogue track from Sheryl Crow). One rather refreshing item to note about this compilation: some half of the tracks are actually the original LP mixes for the songs (something that the Party to Go series hasn't generally been too good about providing). Represented here are Notorious ...
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![The Breakthrough [Bonus Track #1]](http://images.alibris.com/cover/h24682n0jlc_t.jpg)
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![I'll Be There For You [EP]](http://images.alibris.com/cover/g59302dwe8t_t.jpg)
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