It is a fallacy that tragedy and pain are required to produce powerful art. The anguish in coping with the tragic death of singer Aaliyah did inspire Mary J. Blige to create a contemporary masterpiece with her 2001 album No More Drama. However, on her new collection The Breakthrough, she proves that great joy can also inspire great art.
Moving Forward
The overall thrust of The Breakthrough is forward and positive. Mary J. Blige acknowledges her painful past, but in songs from the elegant first single "Be Without You" to her powerful duet with U2 on "One," she boldly asserts that the only acceptable future path is one in which problems are solved and people learn to live positively together. These songs are not the work of a naive individiual. When Mary says you've got to "Look him right in his eyes and tell him" he's the one, you would be a fool not to.
Top Tracks
- I Found My Everything featuring Raphael Saadiq
- MJB Da MVP
- One featuring U2
- About You featuring Will.I.Am
Deserving of the Title 'Queen'
From a stunning blend of Blige's soulful voice with Nina Simone's legendary deep croon courtesy Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am on "About You" to a powerful spin on the last 15 years of her life on "MJB Da MVP," Mary J. Blige proves she is profoundly deserving of the often repeated title "Queen of Hip Hop Soul." She is equally at home delivering intricate contemporary hip hop-based vocals and cutting loose on gospel-inspired soulful shouts. Even on a relatively weak song here like Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' "Baggage," Blige's vocal delivery makes it all go down easy.
One of the Top R&B Albums of the Year
The release of this album was beset by schedule changes and even order of release changes with a Mary J. Blige greatest hits album waiting in the wings. Often these scheduling issues signal problems with the music itself. Happily, with The Breakthrough this is not the case. In the eleventh hour, Mary J. Blige has delivered one of the top r&b/hip hop albums of the year. This is a perfect last-minute Christmas gift or stocking stuffer for anyone.
12 songs into The Breakthrough, after Mary J. Blige has delivered approximately 50 minutes of consistently soulful material, she blows you away on the celebratory "I Found My Everything." Producer/performer Raphael Saadiq's gloriously rousing "gospeldelic" style meets the perfect interpreter in Blige. She channels Aretha Franklin from "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman," and you realize just how much joy husband Kendu Isaacs has brought into Mary J. Bliges' life. It is 5 1/2 blissful minutes that help move a good album toward greatness.
