Mary J. Blige


Home > Music > Mary J. Blige > Discography
Mary J. Blige
My Life
Release Date: 1994 11 29
Running Time: 65:26
Label: MCA

Perhaps the single finest moment in Sean "Puffy" Combs' musical career has been the production on this, Mary J. Blige's second proper album. The production is not exactly original, and there is evidence here of him borrowing wholesale from other songs. The melodic sources this time around, though, are so expertly incorporated into the music that they never seem to be intrusions, instead playing like inspired dialogues with soulsters from the past, connecting past legacies with a new one. This certainly isn't your parents' (or grandparents') soul. But it is some of the finest modern soul of the '90s, backing away to a certain extent from the hip-hop/soul consolidation that Blige introduced on her debut album. The hip-hop part of the combination takes a few steps into the background, allowing Blige's tortured soul to carry the album completely, and it does so with heartwrenching authority. My Life is, from beginning to end, a brilliant, wistful individual plea of desire. Blige took a huge leap in artistry by penning almost everything herself (the major exception being Norman Whitfield's "I'm Going Down") in collaboration with co-producers Combs and multi-instrumentalist Chucky Thompson, and everything seems to leap directly from her gut. Blige's strain is sleekly modern and urban, and the grit in it comes from being streetwise and thoroughly realistic about the travails of life. My Life, nevertheless, emanates from some deep, dark place where both sadness and happiness cohabitate and turn into one single, beautiful sorrow. Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide

Tracks:
TitleComposerTime
1IntroBlige, Combs, Thompson1:04
2Mary Jane (All Night Long)James, Blige, Combs, Thompson4:41
3You Bring Me JoyBlige, Combs, Hailey, Thompson4:14
4Marvin InterludeBlige, Combs, Thompson:40
5I'm the Only WomanBlige, Combs, Thompson4:32
6K. Murray InterludeCombs, Murray, Myrick, Thompson:24
7My LifeBlige, Combs, Thompson, DelValle4:19
8You Gotta BelieveBig Bub, Blige, Combs, Evans, Hailey, Thompson5:02
9I Never Wanna Live Without YouBig Bub, Blige, Combs, Evans, Thompson6:20
10I'm Going DownWhitfield3:44
11My Life (Interlude)Big Bub, Blige, Combs, Thompson1:15
12Be With YouBlige, Combs, Thompson4:27
13Mary's JointBlige, Combs, Thompson5:02
14Don't GoBlige, Combs, Evans, Thompson5:01
15I Love YouBlige, Combs, Thompson4:33
16No One ElseDeGrate, Hailey4:17
17Be HappyBlige, Combs, Olivier, DelValle5:51

Releases:
YearTypeLabel
MCA
1994MCA
Suave/Relativity
2007CDGeffen
1994CDMCA
1994CSMCA
1994LPMCA



Similar Artists:
Faith Evans
TLC
Mariah Carey
Brian McKnight
R. Kelly
More >>

Influenced By:
Chaka Khan
Teena Marie
Janet Jackson
Aretha Franklin
Anita Baker
More >>

Followers:
Amy Winehouse
Destiny's Child
Ashanti
Lil' Mo
Aaliyah
More >>

Browse More Music:
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Hello Guest
comment What do you think about Mary J. Blige?
Latest Member Comment:
i really do love her she is my role model and i wish she can be my sister
By: liltrey656
Read 103 Comments
Rate
View ratings