Mary J. Blige has evolved from ghetto gurl to glam goddess.
Photo: Markus Klinko + Indrani |
There’s gain to be wrung from pain. Music superstar Mary J. Blige knows it. For years she’s been upfront about her personal battles with low self-esteem, abusive relationships and alcohol and drug addiction.
In fact, she uses that knowledge to anchor the emotions of such compelling urban tales as “My Life,” “Not Gon’ Cry” and “No More Drama” (which are all included on her new retrospective album, “Reflections,” that offers 11 previous hits and four new tracks).
But after soaring to career defining heights in 2006, Blige’s aggrieved script has definitely flipped.
Ron Fair, the chairman of Blige’s label, Geffen Records, recently observed, “Mary J. Blige has reached the defining moment of her life — as a vocalist, as a songwriter and as a human being. … Anyone who has ever suffered loss, experienced pain, been in trouble, gave love or been loved, can find themselves in the music of Mary J. Blige.”
The singer’s dream year actually began Dec. 20, 2005, with the release of “The Breakthrough.” On the strength of that chart-topping album, its history-making lead single, a string of high-profile TV performances and a sold out tour, she proved that she’d grown into the hyperbole and had truly become The Queen of Hip Hop Soul.
“Breakthrough,” her seventh album, sold an astonishing 727,163 copies its first week — the best opening frame for an R&B solo female artist in the SoundScan era and better first week album sales than anyone would achieve in all of 2006.
The critical reception was equally stupendous. USA Today dubbed the album “another Blige ‘Breakthrough,’” Vanity Fair declared “she’s still the Queen” while the Boston Globe hailed the CD as “a start-to-finish triumph.”
Yet possibly even more explosive than “The Breakthrough” was the success of “Be Without You,” its first single. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, but it absolutely wrecked shop on the R&B singles chart. “Be Without You” held the top spot for 15 consecutive weeks, the longest run for any song since the R&B chart was re-introduced in 1965 after a brief hiatus.
Nominated for Grammys Album of the Year: Dixie Chicks. |
In February, at the 2006 Grammy Awards, Blige performed her cover of “One” with the song’s originators, U2. Throughout the year she also performed on “American Idol,” “Dancing With The Stars,” “Oprah” and the daytime serial “One Life To Live.”
In addition, she played to sold-out audiences from coast to coast on The Breakthrough Experience Tour. The 31-city trek was widely praised by critics and fans alike.
Like a fairytale capper to Blige’s amazing “Breakthrough” year, in December she received a leading eight Grammy nominations. Included among them are nods for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Album.
Given the charmed status of everything associated with the singer of late, her fellow nominees probably shouldn’t waste their time preparing any acceptance speeches.
2007 Grammy Awards
Here are the Big Four nominees for the 49th Annual Grammys. The awards will be presented live on Feb. 11, starting at 8 p.m. on CBS.
Record of the Year: “Be Without You,” Mary J. Blige; “You’re Beautiful,” James Blunt; “Not Ready To Make Nice,” Dixie Chicks; “Crazy,” Gnarls Barkley; “Put Your Records On,” Corinne Bailey Rae
Album of the Year: “Taking The Long Way,” Dixie Chicks; “St. Elsewhere,” Gnarls Barkley; “Continuum,” John Mayer; “Stadium Arcadium,” Red Hot Chili Peppers;
“FutureSex/LoveSounds,” Justin Timberlake.
Song of the Year (songwriters award): “Be Without You,” Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox & Jason Perry, songwriters (Mary J. Blige); “Jesus, Take The Wheel,” Brett James, Hillary Lindsey & Gordie Sampson, songwriters (Carrie Underwood); “Not Ready To Make Nice,” Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Dixie Chicks); “Put Your Records On,” John Beck, Steve Chrisanthou & Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriters (Corinne Bailey Rae); “You’re Beautiful,” James Blunt, Amanda Ghost & Sacha Skarbek, songwriters (James Blunt)
Best New Artist: James Blunt; Chris Brown; Imogen Heap; Corinne Bailey Rae; Carrie Underwood. |
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