Mary J. Blige: A Career Retrospective

As it turns out, a musical milestone has sort of crept up on me. Next month, Mary J. Blige, one of my all-time favorite artists, will release her tenth(!) studio album, “My Life II: The Journey Continues”. 

Wow. Ten albums deep. 

In the spirit of celebrating this achievement, I thought it’d be fun to do a brief, little retrospective of her previous nine efforts, as well as offering a State of Career assessment on MJB. *Fair warning, snarky Senator is on full-display.*

“What’s the 411?” (1992) 

As MJB albums go, this may be the one that launched her career, but it isn’t my favorite. Of course there’s a special place in my heart for “Real Love”, and “Love No Limit” is criminally one of her least-revered classic singles, but “411” in its entirety just doesn’t meet the “no-skip” status of some of her proceeding efforts. I think part of my issue is it’s decidedly “New Jack”-era flavor, a flash-in-the-pan genre that was all the rage in the late 80s and early 90s that does absolutely nothing for me. 

“My Life” (1994) 

Gritty, soulful, emotional, artistic, brooding, and ambitious, ‘Life’ is Blige’s most critically lauded album to date. But for me, again, it hits and misses. “Mary Jane (All Night Long)”, “Be Happy”, and her “I’m Going Down” remake are all stellar songs. “My Life” is one of the greatest cuts ever recorded by anyone, period. But the gaps in between these songs bore me to tears. Mary isn’t compelling to me when she broods. Even her emoting can be grating, but the somberness with which this album exudes leaves me cold for the most part. 

“Share My World” (1997) 

Here, Mary is giving me everything I want and need. She graduated into full-fledged R&B diva on ‘World’, largely swimming in safer, more mainstream territory than ‘Life’. I don’t skip a track when I listen to this album. The title song is one of my favorite Mary joints, and with “I Can Love You” (another forgotten classic single), “Love Is All We Need”, “Seven Days”, “It’s On” (rare full-blown baby-maker Mary), and “Missing You”, Blige offered one of her best albums to date. 

“Mary” (1999) 

I remember copping this back in ‘99 and being majorly disappointed. Mary went all earth-Goddess on me and completely switched-up the flavor from ‘World’. It took a few years and some maturity to really grow to appreciate this album for what it was: a transformation. Even more so than “No More Drama” (which was more a gimmick), “Mary” showcased a spiritually rejuvenated Blige, someone headed for greener pastures and a new, fresher, healthier direction. “Mary” boasts my all-time favorite MJB song, “I’m in Love”, and a damn-close second place finisher in “All That I Can Say”. Then there’s “Deep Inside”, “Your Child”, and “Time”…what a whopper of an effort this thing was! 

“No More Drama” (2001) 

Let’s be honest, the concept of this album was more gimmick than anything else. Sure Mary had turned a corner personally and spiritually, but the contents of this record aren’t altogether different from her previous efforts. There’s plenty of drama here. But that’s okay, I still love the album. It’s a “no-skip” affair for me. “Flying Away” and “In The Meantime” are two of my favorites from MJB. Then there’s “Family Affair”, the title track, “2U”, and “Destiny”; she had plenty of great material to work with, and this marked three albums in a row that had me swooning. 

“Love & Life” (2003) 

When it was first released, given all the hype and expectations that came with Mary and Diddy reuniting to create it, this album was panned. Personally, I don’t think it’s been given a fair shake. Sure, it comes across a little rushed, and the material isn’t the most memorable, but ‘Life’ is full of solid tunes that were masterfully sung. The anthems are abundant: “Ooh”, “Press On”, and “It’s a Wrap” are the TRUTH. “Don’t Go” is the bomb, as is “When We”, and (the romantic as well as spiritually ambiguous) “Ultimate Relationship”. Four-in-a row. 

“The Breakthrough” (2005) 

She broke-through alright. She smashed records and officially became a “pop” brand. Deservedly so, too. This is her most accessible album. “Be Without You” is perfection, as is “I Found My Everything”, “Father In You”, and (YES!) “Take Me As I Am”. Five. Unfortunately, this album also marks the moment Mary shifted into auto-pilot mode. She’s spent every album since trying to recreate what was accomplished here, and to dismal results. 

“Growing Pains” (2007) 

Let’s start with the positive: “Work That” goes hard! With or without that Itunes commercial burning the chorus into my brain, this is another anthem. “Just Fine” was a nice change-up for Mary, and is really the last time Blige took a chance with her sound; it’s been five long years. The rest of this album is just downright mediocrity. “Talk to Me” is the only other track I can get down with. The streak was broken.

“Stronger with Each Tear” (2009) 

Mary dear, please sit down. This album is awful. It pains me to say that being a big Blige fan and all, but Lord Sweet knows ‘Tear’ is a big waste of time. “I Feel Good” is the only track here I find redeeming. When Mary is reduced to duet with the likes of Trey Songz, you know it’s time to call Houston. “I Am” was an embarrassment, too. 

State of Career

In keeping up with her traditional new release every two years, Blige launched her first street single, “Someone to Love Me (Naked)” some months back (it got tepid radio response, though I was digging it); and just released “25/8”, apparently the first official single from new album, “My Life II”. I’m feeling it, too; doesn’t really scream “hit” though. Ask me, Mary needs to take an extended break from music. She needs to do something else and come back in a good three to four years. Creatively, she hasn’t done much since ‘Breakthrough’ and this new material doesn’t really indicate a big shift in that general trend. When she returns, I want a concept album. Even if it veers on gimmickry, I want Blige coming back with a clear concept and direction for her music, not just dropping another collection of heard-it-all-before tunes. Ten albums deep, there isn’t a whole lot we haven’t heard from Mary. If she wants to remain the Queen and join the ranks of divas that have lived on the pantheon of music history, it’s time to reinvent (and not just style and image).