Wild but true: some of Mary J. Blige‘s longtime fans would rather see her sad. Not that they wish for her to go back to her life as a depressed star in an abusive relationship with drug and alcohol problems, but the music that came out of that era is among her most memorable. The happy, dancing MJB of recent years just doesn’t seem to strike that same chord that she did in more troubled times. Much like many artists make their best work when they’re new and hungry, some do their best when real life is kickin’ them in the ass. Such was the case with 1994′s My Life.
By the time her second album was due to drop, Mary J’s first album had already changed the game. Every other new chick in the game was singing over hip-hop breakbeats, something she’d definitely made her stamp at that point. Rather than capitalize on that trend, My Life instead took another direction. As she’d shown on 411 with her cover of Chaka Khan‘s “Sweet Thing”, Mary also drew inspiration from music of the ’70s. With Chucky Thompson and Puffy handling most of the production, much of My Life‘s sound was sampled from the great soul artists of that era.
In late-’94, I was flooded with hip-hop albums for the most part- Biggie, Method Man, Redman, Keith Murray, etc. But for whatever reason, there was something about the Mary J. songs I heard on the radio that drew me to the album. By then, my local stations had been running the lead single “Be Happy”, as well as “Mary Jane” and the Rose Royce cover “I’m Going Down”. I’d already liked 411, so it was a safe bet to check for the new one. I didn’t actually purchase it myself when it dropped on November 29th of that year, but fortunately for me, my older sister was an MJB stan by that point. Once I heard My Life in full around early ’95, I was on it heavy.
The thing that got me the most was the samples. I liked the hip-hop remixes and all just as much as the next man, but I was also becoming more interested in classic soul records, so My Life was right on time. The music of Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Barry White, and Roy Ayers along with Mary’s vocals was a combo that worked. Speaking of Mary’s vocals, she stepped her game up noticeably on this album. Up to that point, despite making some great hits, her singing skills were met with mixed opinions. Her style wasn’t the most pitch perfect or technically sound, but the imperfect emotion behind her singing on My Life was hard to front on.
I’ve let it be known before that MJB is one of my favorite artists in any genre, but I admit that I have had little to no interest in her last few albums. One of the things that have dropped my interest is that many of her later albums lack a sound. They come off like a collection of different types of singles with no real direction. With My Life, there was a vibe throughout the majority of the songs- from the beginning to end, the album had soul and “knock” all at once. The prime example of that was what still stands as my all-time favorite MJB song, “I Love You”. It was late in the album, and I was already sold on the whole thing, but that one was the clincher.
At 23 years old, Mary J. Blige was three years deep in an industry that was getting the best of her. In between being high, drunk, abused, and paranoid, she channeled that energy into the songs she wrote (along with Faith Evans) and performed for My Life. While she (rightfully) has no plans to return to that place in her life, I’m still driven to agree with the fans of “Sad Mary”. She’s made some good music, and even great music since ’94, as one of the few R&B acts from the early-’90s who are still relevant. Still, the defining album of her career remains to be the one that took the most pain in her life to make.
-D!
“My Life” is one of those albums that came out at a pivotal time in my life, I was in high school, being the stereotypical angst-ridden teenager. This album spoke to my frustration, pain, and a depression I was going through at the time. Sometimes the best healing is knowing someone else is going through some bullsh*t as well, especially someone with the star power that Mary had/has.
Most guys I talk to are kinda “meh/take-it-or-leave-it” about the “My Life’ album, but mostly every woman who grew up in the 90′s has a special connection with it. By the way, my favorite song off of that album was “You Gotta Believe”… however, my least favorite song is “I’m Going Down”, but I just generally dislike that song, the original and her remake…
(Sorry to write a blog in your comments, lol)
Man…”My Life” established Mary as a star and a staple in mind. I think people connected w/her so greatly b/c the pain in her voice was palpable. You could hear that the pain in her voice was authentic, and as such, could share in her experience. Nowadays, how many artists literally pour their being into their music? There aren’t many. Great post, Danj!
This is definitely one of the gems the 90s unleashed. Like shawty above i didnt care for I’m Goin down. But the rest of the album just sneaked its way into my playlist somewhere between the Roots and the Beatnuts during that year in high school. I still make sure that it is one of the first added albums on my Ipods because i have no luck with them. Damn she need to make music like this again. Oh well. Great read.
Mary had that hip hop to R&B crossover appeal. If I hadn’t been open minded enough I would have not listened to Whats the 411 or My Life. I haven’t listened to her other albums but I’m sure it’s close to impossible to replicate that feeling again.
Kinda sucks that once artists get complacent (I don’t mean by rich, I’d love to see artists get money if their quality doesn’t suffer) they start phoning it in so to speak.
Man it took me getting older to really go back and get into the ol’ school Mary. I knew a few songs here and there. (I just KNEW that I would be everything if my mom would buy me a baseball jersey, some biker shorts, combat boots, and ballcap! …She never did.) I fell in love with “You Are Everything” but outside of that, I wasn’t really a fan in my younger years.
Now, I am adamant in saying that doped up, 40 drinkin’, getting her ass beat on a regular Mary. That bitch sang for her LIFE! I know that everybody can’t be stuck in a rut forever, but she’s definitely one of those ppl that is the poster child for the saying “Artists with tortured souls make the best music!” And eh, it also helped that Puffy was still on his honest hustle shit back then.
What’s the 4-1-1?, My Life, and Share My World could easily be sold together as a package. (I would put the Mary album and No More Drama together. After that, new Mary emerged.)
[...] Danj Loves the 90s: Mary J. Blige……Danj Loves the 90s [...]