Mary J. Blige’s aptly named “The Breakthrough” gained her eight Grammy nominations last week, a crowning success to the R&B singer’s 15-year recording career. What better timing, then, to cash in on that news than with a greatest-hits collection?
Released today on Geffen, “Reflections (A Retrospective)” is Blige’s first proper disc of 2006 and a fitting (if abbreviated) survey of her discography. Blige has recently made headlines for duets with Bono, Sting and Elton John, but “Reflections” reintroduces us to the snaking path she took to get there.
Before she was the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Blige was a conflicted high school dropout in New York City. Signing with Uptown Records at age 18 led to working with producer P. Diddy (then Sean “Puffy” Combs) on her first album, “What’s the 411?” Only one track from that 1992 debut is represented (“Real Love”), but it’s enough to highlight Blige’s gradual makeover from streetwise singer to refined, confident queen.
Blige already boasts three Grammys and seven multi-platinum albums, so “Reflections” has nothing to prove. But the collection features four new songs and a remix. Album-opener “Reflections (I Remember)” looks back lyrically and waffles between endearingly nostalgic and clichéd, remembering the days when Blige was just another hungry singer. The slithering melodies and simple, string-backed beats satisfy, at least.
“We Ride (I See the Future),” while layered with taut melodies, illustrates why Blige doesn’t always hit the level of classic performer. The vocals and tinny production are interchangeable with any number of faceless R&B radio jams.
Other tracks fare better: “You Know” recalls propulsive club singles like “Crazy in Love,” while “No More Drama” samples the familiar “Young and the Restless” theme, its minor key piano strains propelled by scratchy beats, guitars and synth bass. “Family Affair” should be familiar to anyone with ears and a radio, its addictive, head-bobbing chorus the ideal synthesis of hip-hop syncopation and impassioned vocals. “Not Gon’ Cry,” while not particularly innovative, also features one of Blige’s most soulful vocal takes.
The undercurrent of pain in Blige’s voices justifies the “soul” part of that “soulful” tag, a palpable gut-punch of wounded maturity that at times recalls Aretha Franklin – another artist with whom she has worked. Blige’s childhood is peppered with sexual abuse, drug experimentation and poverty. Similarly, her streetwise edges never have been completely lost, a fact that prevents her from straying into the mawkish ballads.
It’s clear that Blige’s collaborators have played a hefty role in her success. The name brands that have helped her over the years – Dr. Dre, will.i.am, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – are mostly represented here. Blige also brings in John Legend (“King & Queen”) and Wyclef Jean (“911”) to help on a couple tracks.
But if “Reflections (A Retrospective)” proves anything, it’s that Blige’s triumphant versatility and talent are hers alone.
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
