Blige: only music, only good music

It must be so that practically every beginning R&B artist dreams of Mary J. Blige’s career, to release records as regularly as she does, to sing as confidently as she does. And while other celebrities of this genre mix their good releases with loud scandals, Mary is fully committed to music. This mega popular performer said farewell to 2009 delivering another splendid present to her fans, the ninth (can you believe it?) studio album called Stronger with Each Tear. Listeners have no reasons to be afraid of disappointment for disappoint Mary can not. Highest result is the only goal this singer sets every time she gets down to making a new record. And one glance at the list of her collaborators leaves no doubt about the result this endeavor may have. It is sufficient to only name Akon and Tricky among those who helped her make Stronger With Each Tear. Every detail here is perfectly worked out and the material is a perfect fit for all R&B radio stations that waited for this record as eagerly as listeners did.

Two faces of one album

Stylistically, Stronger With Each Tear is a development of ideas offered in the 2007 album, Growing Pains. In terms of music, it is a digitized canvas of beats for Mary’s beautiful voice depictions. This R&B dimension is visited by a bluesy mood, mostly because of the singer’s vocal parts and lyrics. Since it has come to the meaning of the songs, Mary continues speculating on the subjects she touched upon earlier. She keeps on her soul-searching, studying her own thoughts; and this process is fully disclosed to the listeners without hesitation. At the same time, she offers another issue: long term relationships. Kitchen is just a manual on how to fend off a third party, an uninvited stranger. I Am sounds like a declaration of independence from a partner, confidence in one’s own strength. In the meantime, Said and Done, and Each Tear are efforts to avoid a conflict, an attempt to reconcile the two. The mentioned compositions are oriented at those who pay attention to the texts. This is why the vocals are supported by the strings and piano which do not deafen, but highlight the words of the singer. There is another group of tracks, the ones just for clubs and parties. These include Tonight, and The One, the album’s first two songs. It is curious that the record’s last track carries an absolutely different mood and is, probably, the saddest composition here, called I Can See In Color.

Stronger with each release

Mary J. Blige’s first album was released almost twenty years ago, in 1992. Soon after that smashing debut, the singer was named a newly crowned queen of hip-hop-soul. The hardest thing since then was to keep her records interesting for the audience. There is no secret that many of those who show their best early in their career, later stumble and fall down. Nothing of that kind has ever happened to Mary J. Blige. Mostly because her albums are mirrors of what is going on in the singer’s life, fragments of a long and tell-tale conversation with the listeners. And while the first works by Blige are, predominantly, stories of all the hardships that the singer had gone through, he last efforts are demonstration of power of the spirit iron will and confidence. Mature and wise now, Blige offers two types of songs on her new CD Stronger With Each Tear. With the more energetic first half, the second one is on the slower side and makes you feel and think more. The sequence like this is a wise approach because this is the order that makes the album keep the listener intrigued up to the very end. No doubt, this record does not just widen the talented singer’s discography, but diversifies it just as well.

Alex Bartholomew
02.02.2010