Mary J. Blige: Soul 'Stronger' Than Music
Mary J. Blige - In addition to
Mary J. Blige has a classic R&B instrument: Her voice has that mixture of gospel assurance, soulful rawness and dynamic range that enables her to make her best performances into short stories with a beginning, a middle and an often cataclysmic end. Her ninth studio album, Stronger With Each Tear, is an uneven effort that finds Blige shifting her tactics between commercial calculation, gut-instinct music she just wants to sing the heck out of, and some ineffable combination of the two. All of these factors come together in one of the remarkably good songs on the album, "Kitchen."
The song has a slightly strained metaphor — the man she loves is "her kitchen," and thus the refrain, "Never let a girl cook in your kitchen" — but Blige carries it off. Her tone is at once pleading (Don't take him away from me), ferocious (You'd better not take him) and playful (This is my kitchen, honey, and things can get hot in here). The result is a fine, fine pop-soul ballad.
A few times on this album, Blige is obliged to craft a few cutting-edge hip-hop tracks, but she's too much of a craftsperson to make them sound like mere obligations. This quality is what gives "The One" — a track performed with Drake, the hottest name in hip-hop right now — a jolt of juiciness. Drake's line late in the song, "You might block me, but this ain't Jenga," doesn't hurt, either.
One particularly standout performance on Stronger With Each Tear is the song "In the Morning." Blige begins the song crooning smoothly alongside a beautifully arranged brass and keyboard section. Then, she modulates into the more forceful chorus, asking the question, "Will you love me in the morning?" — and leaving the listener to think, "Who would have the nerve not to?"
What Blige does on "In the Morning" is to update the kind of soul Aretha Franklin made in 1976 on the appallingly underrated soundtrack to the movie Sparkle, produced and arranged by Curtis Mayfield. Like Mayfield, Blige is a changeling artist: She can play the defiant one, the victim, the seducer and the controller all with equal effectiveness when her material approaches her talent. On Stronger With Each Tear, she's taken what could have been just one more inspirational-anthem hodgepodge and shaped it into something that may have weak spots, but can also carry you away with a romantic realism that's as brutal as it is dreamily hypnotizing.
9(MDAyNzUwMDI2MDEyNTA3MTU5NzcyNTQyNA004))
TERRY GROSS, host:
Our rock critic Ken Tucker has a review of Mary J. Blige's new album, her ninth, "Stronger with Each Tear." Blige bridges hip-hop and rhythm and blues, and inspires the kind of devotion that's led her to be called the queen of hip-hop soul. Ken says that while this collection is uneven, its high points merit the high opinion of her admirers.
(Soundbite of song, "I Can See in Color")
Ms. MARY J. BLIGE (Singer): (Singing) It took a long time to get to this place. And now that I'm here, no one can ever erase the joy�
KEN TUCKER: Mary J. Blige has a classic R&B instrument. Her voice has that mixture of gospel assurance, soulful rawness, and a dynamic range that enables to her make her best performances short stories with a beginning, middle and an often cataclysmic end. "Stronger With Each Tear" is an uneven album that finds Blige shifting her tactics between commercial calculation, gut-instinct music she just wants to sing the heck out of, and some ineffable combination of the two. All of these factors come together in one of the remarkably good songs on the album, called "Kitchen."
(Soundbite of song, "Kitchen")
Ms. BLIGE (Singing) Him and you, girl. I know lot of girls that don't need a man, but I need this one. I need this one. Yeah. And I know you might need you a man, but you ain't getting this one. Ain't getting this one. No, no, no.
See, I can have anybody, baby, I ain't stressing. But what I done for him, I consider him an investment. Trying to take my man is like trying to take my money. And trying to take my money, well, just ain't happening. I don't know it all, but I tell what I know. Never let a girl cook in your kitchen. Kitchen. All up in your fridge�
TUCKER: Mary J. Blige carries off that song's slightly strained metaphor - the man she loves as her kitchen - and thus the refrain, never let a girl cook in your kitchen. Her tone is at once pleading, don't take him away from me; ferocious, you better not take him; and playful, this is my kitchen, honey, and things can get hot here. The result is a fine, fine, pop-soul ballad.
A few times on this album, Blige is obliged to craft a few cutting-edge hip-hop tracks, but she's too much of a craftsperson to make them sound like mere obligations. This is what gives "The One," a track performed with the hottest name in hip-hop right now, Drake, a jolt of juiciness - that and Drake's line late in the song, quote: You might block me, but this ain't Jenga.
(Soundbite of song, "The One")
Ms. BLIGE and Mr. DRAKE (Singers): (Singing) Them other girl's you done been with. None of them got nothing on me. Hang down my style, they ain't got nothing on me, nothing on me. Way I walk, way I talk, my swagger. Look around, every dude want to have her. I ain't saying that I'm the best, but I'm the best. Hey, baby you need that. Stop looking for it, looking for it, I'm the one. Stop looking for it, looking for it, I'm the one. Stop looking for it, looking for it, I'm the one. Stop looking for it, looking for it, I'm the one. Stop looking for it, looking for it, I'm the one. Stop looking for it, looking for it, I'm the one. Yeah, that boy doesn't know I'm the one. That boy doesn't know I'm the one.
TUCKER: A standout performance on "Stronger with Each Tear" is the song "In The Morning." Blige begins it crooning smoothly, alongside beautifully arranged brass and keyboard sections. Then she modulates into the more forceful chorus, begging the question: Will you love me in the morning - leaving the listener to think, who would have the nerve not to?
(Soundbite of song, "In the Morning")
Ms. BLIGE: (Singing) Baby, when this all began, you said that love would never end. Some time has passed. We've settled in, now the shadow of darkness is covering. Yeah. Tell me what happened. It started changing up, and you and me are acting so different. Oh. I know that I love you. And you're in love with me, that's what you say, but I just can't believe it. Did we disagree, fuss and fight, we get it wrong more than it's right? Did we make mistakes and fix mistakes but never even see an eye to eye? But when the dust clears and settles and it's all is said and done, when the night breaks and day finally comes, will you love me in the morning?
TUCKER: What Blige does on "In the Morning" is to update the kind of soul Aretha Franklin made in 1976 on the appallingly underrated soundtrack album to the movie "Sparkle," produced and arranged by Curtis Mayfield. Like both Franklin and Mayfield, Blige is a changeling artist. She can play the defiant one, the victim, the seducer and the controller, all with equal effectiveness when her material approaches her talent. On "Stronger with Each Tear," she's taken what could have been just one more inspirational-anthem hodgepodge and shaped it into something that may have weak spots, but which can also carry you away with a romantic realism that can be as brutal as it is dreamily hypnotizing.
GROSS: Ken Tucker is editor-at-large at Entertainment Weekly. He reviewed "Stronger with Each Tear" by Mary J. Blige.
You can download podcasts of our show on our Web site, freshair.npr.org. And you can follow us on Twitter at nprfreshair. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
