Album Review: Mary J. Blige Growing Pains
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Two years after The Breakthrough, Mary J. Blige is back. This time the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul has arrived to reassert her womanhood, with an album centered around female empowerment and the ups and downs of her relationships. Such are the usual ingredients of Ms. Blige's albums, but whereas 2005's The Breakthrough marked the initial celebration of putting her troubled past behind her, with 2007's Growing Pains Mary comes across as an assured, grounded and proud woman. It's no wonder Growing Pains hit #1 on the Billboard charts during its second week of release.Appropriately enough, the album's second single "Work That," opens the album to offer an anthem of confidence for women everywhere. "Work what you got. It's gonna be fine," she sings. It's hard not to believe her, considering she's a woman whose inspirations come from what she knows.
"Grown Woman," is a harder hitting song, featuring a weak, somewhat annoying, rap cameo from Ludacris. Asserting her grown woman status, Mary boldly states, "I keep it covered up cuz I'm a lady. I know how to show a little somethin' somethin'. You can't see what's under there 'cause I'm a grown woman. I'm so sexy." Take that, all you scantily clad females!
"Just Fine," a track co-produced by hitmaker Jazze Pha, is the most radio-ready song on the album. It might take a little getting past the sheer corniness of the song ("Girl power!" is written all over this one), but once you do you'll be celebrating Blige's successes right along with her, perhaps taking her words on as your own self-affirmations.
The Neptunes-produced track "Til the Morning" conjures up a glittery, sweat-filled night on the dance floor. It harkens back to disco days, and if there's one thing MJB can do, it's bring the funk. The Neptunes, of course, know how to provide that funky rhythm that Mary hasn't been heard on enough. "Hurt Again" is another track that brings more of an old school, soulful feel to this album, an element that was missing on her previous release. Harmonizing hooks make this a classic sounding R&B slow jam. "What Love Is" presents itself as a bit of a throwback tune, with lyrics explaining love to be joy, pain, sunshine, and rain. Rob Base surely knows this. "Smoke," falls into the realm of slowed down, soulful goodness from Ms. Mary, sounding at times like a Stevie Wonder-assisted song, but it must be Ne-Yo's songwriter's touch.
Too much crooning and Mary loses me. Such is the majority of the end of the album. A few too many songs saying the same thing, over not so innovative beats (Sorry, Ne-Yo. "Fade Away," just didn't do much). MJB would've been wiser to leave off a couple of these, slow songs, so as not to bog down the end of Growing Pains. However, she rounds it out nicely with "Come To Me (Peace)" to bring the album's message full circle, as she puts her heart on the line, proclaiming she's ready to mend a relationship. "I'm here to make peace," she sings.
While The Breakthrough, was a showy, at times over-produced album that dealt with Mary triumphing over her demons, Growing Pains finds our star presenting herself in a cohesive, triumphant light as the grown woman she knows she finally is.
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