NEWSSERVICE.TRITONDIGITALMEDIA.COM: Much A Blige: Mary J. Drops Tear

Jan 13, 2010

Much A Blige: Mary J. Drops Tear

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For her ninth studio effort, Stronger with Each Tear (available now), Mary J. Blige recruited a stable of studio studs to help guide her back to the top of the charts. Those winning hit jockeys include T.I., Drake, Rodney Jenkins, Swizz Beatz, Sean Garrett, Darkchild, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Polow Da Don, Stargate, and oh yeah, some guy named Ne-Yo. Obviously, when Mary J. calls, the elite thoroughbreds come running...fast!

Here’s The 411: Blessed with a voice from God, Mary J. Blige busted out of Yonkers, NY with combat boots on, comparisons to Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan in tow, and a hard life’s worth of tales of woe. Immediately, she channeled her caged rage into her music, shedding poor choices and bad habits, and healing physical as well as emotional scars along the way. In 1991, Sean “Puffy” Combs took interest in the former bad girl with the great voice and together they created her debut album, What’s the 411?, released the following year. The album seamlessly melded rap and R&B and in doing so, attracted a wide audience eager to hear what Blige had to say…and sing.

Three years later, Mary and “Puffy” teamed once more to produce her second CD, My Life featuring gut-wrenchingly honest cuts such as “I’m the Only Woman” and “Don’t Go,” to name just two. After ending her professional relationship with Combs, Blige returned in 1997 with Share My World, captained by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Another stellar collection, the record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart, going on to sell over 3 million copies. Putting her hard life and harder edge sound behind her, she settled on a much more soulful flavor for her fourth album, 1999’s Mary, featuring songs written by Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, and Elton John, among others. Clearly, she was focused on putting past drama behind her.
Appropriately, a more mature Mary named her 2001 release No More Drama. Song titles like “Love,” “Family Affair,” “Beautiful Day,” “Destiny,” and the title track reflected her older, wiser outlook on life. Her sixth album, 2003’s Love & Life, brought with it the return of P. Diddy, and a continuing sense that she was in fact enjoying both love and life. With 2005’s 8-time Grammy nominated The Breakthrough (she won 3), Blige again busted the bank and broke chart records with first single “Be Without You” spending almost a year on the R&B charts. A year later, she released Growing Pains, another worldwide smash, and her third consecutive chart topper.

Back stronger than ever, Stronger with Each Tear debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart and currently sits at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and she has just been confirmed as the first headliner and official spokesperson for this year’s Essence Music Festival, to be held July 2-4 in New Orleans. Undoubtedly, Mary continues to get stronger with each tear...and year.

The Only “One”: Watch Mary J. do her thing in the official video for “The One” featuring Drake:

As A Matter of Fact…
* Mary J. Blige was born January 11, 1971 in the Bronx, NY, spent a few years in Savannah, GA, then moved with her mother and older sister to Yonkers.
* Blige dropped out of high school in her junior year, and started doing her friends’ hair in her mom’s apartment and hanging around the neighborhood.
* A Karaoke machine tape of her singing Anita Baker’s “Caught Up in the Rapture” eventually fell into the hands of Uptown Records CEO Andre Harrell, who signed her to sing backup for local acts.
* After recording her first two albums with “Puffy,” she hired Suge Knight as her financial advisor, and signed a new deal with MCA.


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