By Brian Hall
GENRE: R&B/SOUL
LABEL: GEFFEN RECORDS
RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 21, 2009
RATING: 3 OUT OF 5
Mary J Blige has forged a career for herself that is certainly one for the history books. She has worked with amazing talent like Rihanna, U2, Raphael Saadiq and Beyonce and she continues to add to her repertoire with Drake, T.I. and Trey Songz on Stronger withEach Tear. This album has a very strong focus on true love and commitment, which bothered me considering the recent video showing her punching her husband at the release party for this very album, but the other portion of the album, is about female empowerment. I suppose she decided to align herself with that element of the record. I say this because this affected the way I listened to the album. I found that I would start chuckling to myself when I heard lyrics like “Aint nobody gonna treat you better, aint nobody touch you better, aint nobody gonna love you better, more than I am…” I forced myself to ignore those factors while reviewing her album for the sake of being objective.
Overall the album is standard R&B fare, which is where a portion of my hesitation to give the album four stars comes in. It is standard. While the first few tracks are fun and distinctive, a good portion of the rest of the album is very normal. “The One” is a great party song that features Drake for a rap interlude (apparently this is a prerequisite for any Top 40 success lately) that is not only shockingly squeaky clean, but it borders on being chivalrous. But this lies in stark contrast to other tracks like “I Feel Good” and “I Am” that sound like 80% of the other songs that you hear on any radio station out there.
I would recommend this album for the first three tracks, the peppy “Kitchen”, the honest and touching “We Got Hood Love” and probably the truest MJB song on the record, (also the song from the soundtrack for the film “Precious”) “Color”. The rest of the album isn’t bad, it’s still enjoyable. Sadly however, it is just that.
Review copy provided courtesy of Geffen Records.
You have unfairly judged this woman, which is your sin, but your misteps shouldn’t interfere with the review for this website. You say that the incident didn’t interfere with the review, but then I have to ask; why then did you bring it up. I now feel like I’ve got a bias review instead of an honest review of the material. I hate when you reviewers do this. I feel like the consumer is cheated.
As far as Mary’s situation, was you there? Do you know what transpired before she PUSHED her husband. Maybe he disrespected her. Maybe he hit her. Maybe he pulled a Tiger Woods on her. And if this was the case, then lyrics like: Aint nobody going to treat you better, would be fitting. For all you know, she’s been fighting for her marriage for years. You don’t know, therefore you can’t judge.
And who told you that Mary J Blige had to be perfect just because she sings about love. We Christian bone heads don’t realize that we have to transgress the law ourselves in order to point the finger at the world (who we were commanded not to judge, being that they don’t belong to the Savior). Stop emulating the world’s gossip mags. This website has been called to a higher standard.