MARY
J. BLIGE
The Breakthrough
Crowned
the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, MJB is easily the most
revered songstress of the 20/30-something generation.
Her mixture of soul, drama and hip-hop created
an original sound that has yet to be duplicated
to perfection. Yet, in recent years with new found
happiness, the Queen herself has dropped in popularity
among her people. Although she entered a more
peaceful place in her personal-life, many fans
wondered if it was at the expense of her career.
Since the release of her ’97 album, Share My World,
fans have been short of fickle - some even blatantly
requesting the return of the more tattered Mary.
Even 2003’s reunion with Diddy couldn’t bring
the fire back long enough to spark sales. Could
her latest album, The Breakthrough, be
the fix fans need?
The Breakthrough wastes
no time giving listeners a glimpse of what the
album has to offer via “No One Will Do.” The opening
track serves as more of a personal ode to her
husband – completely opposite of the gut-wrenching
tunes like “My Life” that made her famous: “It’s
me and him through the wire/ Cause when it comes
to love he delivers/ My personal UPS/ I’m sending
him an SOS.” Following suit is her first single,
“Be Without You.” Self-explanatory, the strength
of this cut took Mary to her best first-week sales
moving over 700,000 units from shelves. “Good
Woman Down” finds Mary passing her wisdom to “troubled
sisters”: “Now look at you/ Bruised up/ From him/
Girl recognize/ You're better then/ Him tellin'
you/ That he'll never hit/ You again.” Meanwhile,
the Rodney Jerkins-produced "Enough Cryin"
serves as one of the few glimpses of hip-hop on
The Breakthrough. This comes as no surprise when
you see Sean Carter, a.k.a. Jay-Z, in the credits.
Other standouts include “Ain’t Really Love” and
“Take Me As I Am,” which finds a now confident
Mary at peace with herself.
Despite
the overwhelming success, this album is not without
its faults. “One Mary J. Blige” featuring U2 did
very little for me. I can’t imagine that the rest
of her core audience felt any different. Perhaps
her new found fans could connect. Just as disappointing
was “MJB Da MVP.” While I appreciated the candidness
of Mary, the lyrics appeared to be thrown together.
There was absolutely no finesse to the word arrangement.
More of a mixtape cut, “MVP” simply sounds out
of place next to her more polished songs.
So
is The Breakthrough what fans have been
waiting for? Let me start by telling you this:
This is not the “My Life” or even the “411”
Mary. As far as I can tell, we may never see her
again. With that in mind, The Breakthrough, is
far from what the title suggests, but a solid
R&B album nonetheless. But wait…Is solid what
Mary is known for? While there aren’t too many
missteps on this album, what’s missing is that
song that just demands attention. That track that
just commands an involuntary head-nod. It’s no
secret that this album is a reflection of a more
mature, happy Mary. But it is disappointing that
such a factor translates into a less edgy sound.
While solid is above average.
