RANKED: Mary J. Blige’s Studio Albums

R&B diva Mary J. Blige has held the crown of Queen of Hip-Hop Soul for almost two decades for one very good reason.  She is the only singer who has consistently appealed both to the people of the hip-hop generations and the lovers of sophisticated, emotional soul music.  In every album released the lyrics sung amidst the timeless production gives fans of many demographics to relate.

In the early stages of career, fans felt the pain of the young starlet who look for love in all the wrong places from all the wrong people as she tried to justify when she should love herself.  The second stage found Mary maturing into sophistication with an edge of a woman who graduated from surviving the struggles of the hood.  Blige’s current has taken listeners into a journey of self-awareness, empowerment and love, even in a preachy sense here and there.  Nevertheless, Blige’s testimony and lessons exemplified as a templates for fans and young women to learn how to mature amidst the challenges that life presents.  Mary’s soul touched many, and many people grew up with her.  I, especially, experienced Mary’s testimony of growth in her music since the beginning of her career as I have experienced my own life.

Let’s be real.  Mary J. Blige delivered some of the most classic albums in the history of modern soul music.  On World Wide Waddie, her nine studio albums are ranked by the hits, its cohesiveness, Blige’s messages, the timing and, of course, production, lyrics and arrangement.

9. Love & Life (2003)

This may have been the only universally panned album by music critics and fans throughout her entire career.  Love lacked Blige’s trademark soul, which was replaced a whole bunch of unnecessary wailing and featured guests to recapture the What’s The 411? vibe.  That is not very bad at all considering her contemporaries including Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Toni Braxton and Janet Jackson have suffered through at least two embarrassing albums and have been in the game since Mary started.  Even a queen makes mistakes, including Sean “Diddy” Combs’ careless, self-absorbed, sloppy input as executive producer of the album.  One could only wonder whether this album was to keep up R&B queen in-training Beyonce.

8. No More Drama (2001)

Throughout this album, and its re-release, it was evident that Mary chased the trends of the moment.  Drama ended up becoming a producers’ album rather than a Mary J. Blige album.  It is understandable that as the music market turned much younger at turn of the century, Mary’s maturation as a sophisticated hip-hop soul singer needed to be refined into the mainstream to keep up with the bubblegum pop machines of Britney Spears, ‘NSync, Janet Jackson and Destiny’s Child.  The result paid off at the beginning for the Dr. Dre-produced “Family Affair,” which became Blige’s first #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit.  However, the album lost steam quickly which result in a reissue of duets of current flavors of hip-hop: Eve, JaRule, Diddy and Pharrell.

7. Mary (1999)

After delivering three strong hip-hop flavored R&B album, Ms. Blige decided to progress into a sophisticated soul direction with the 1999 Mary album.  The body-bopping, sunglasses stuntin’ diva transformed into a well-poised, demure young woman.  The edgy, midtempo bass-heavy beats were replaced by colorful instrumentation and relied more strong piano chords.  The simple lyrics of young love gone wrong grew into story telling and descriptive tunes such as “Your Child,” “Deep Inside” and “All That I Can Say.” Inside of performing with youth-oriented hip-hop artists of the moment, she records with rock music legends Eric Clapton, Elton John and Aretha Franklin.

6. The Breakthrough (2005)

After a couple album setbacks, many fans and critics clamored to champion one of the most triumphant comebacks in R&B music.  Blige returned to form in The Breakthrough with the record-breaking lead single “Be Without You.” Upon release, the album broke sales record which showed that the listening public wanted to hear Mary in her songs regardless of mood as she did with “Take Me As I Am” and “Good Woman Down.” Unfortunately, Mary still held on to what derailed her success in the Love & Life album by developing a hip-hop character Brook-Lynn, which was quickly deadened by the end of the album’s promotion.

5. Stronger with Each Tear (2009)

This latest album effort finds the soulful icon in a difficult decision to taking the direction of her music.  We have seen Mary sad and suicidal. She has been high-spirited and celebratory.  She has been self-aware and empowered.  She has been the teacher and student about love.  What else can she do?  Here’s a great idea.  How about combining all the sides of Mary J. Blige, stirring within an album and season it with more passion and gusto than ever.  The result is Stronger With Each Tear.  This album packs enough heat to get heads bobbing and paying attention to hear her messages.

4. Growing Pains (2007)

After The Breakthrough, the pressure was on for Blige to create a follow-up that held the strength and power of a R&B diva whose impressive career has been built on sharing her world with the audience.  Thus, Growing Pains offered just that.  From the empowering “Just Fine” to the empathetic “Just Like You” and the enduring “Stay Down,” the album packed many gems that did not get to be singles.  Check out the Ne-Yo penned “Fade Away” and “What Love Is” which would have been crossover hits globally.

3. What’s the 411? (1992)

In an artist’s career, the debut album usually sets the tone on how his/her career blossoms.  Instantly, Mary J. Blige was a fresh identity on the modern R&B music scene as the female artists were known to be powerhouse singers like Whitney Houston and Patti LaBelle or dance divas like Janet Jackson and Jody Watley.  Not since the 70′s was there a female artist whose youth, experience, fashion and lyrics resonated with an audience with whom she reflected.  Blige did not need to glamorize or funk her appeal to engage into her audience.  Thus the raw emotions of “Real Love,” “Love No Limit” and “Reminisce” made women felt like Mary was one of their girlfriends and men perceiving as their sister.   Eighteen years later, singers and tunes are often compared to the timeless collection of What’s The 411.

2. Share My World (1997)

After taking listeners to one of the most emotional moments of R&B music with the introspective My Life album, many wondered how will the tortured soul return to music with new material, if she would.  More than a year after giving up on love, Mary return with the robust hip-hop driven “Love Is All We Need” with New York rapper Nas.  That followed by “I Can Love You,” “Everything,” “Missing You” and “Seven Days.” Aptly titled, Share My World, Mary took listeners onto a journey from an assumed suicidal ingénue who gave up on self into a woman who is willing to persevere despite the ups-and-downs throughout life’s course.

1. My Life (1994)

Besides being near the top of every music critic’s list as one of the greatest R&B albums of all time, the album perfected what a concept album entails.  My Life told Blige’s story of the pain-stricken emotional state she lived at the time, and many listeners empathized, especially those who experience similar struggles at the same time.  Mary’s Life gave a voice to those who needed to find love within throughout 1995 and still does today.  Fans of Mary knew what they experience, when and with whom whenever this album is needed as a reference.  Now, critics refer albums by Keyshia Cole, Chrisette Michele and others to this classic.  Remember when Toni Braxton’s Secrets album released 17 months later being called the sophisticated, mainstream version of My Life?

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