#126 Mary J. Blige, 'My Life' (1994)

Previously #281

The Queen Of Hip Hop Soul returns with her second and breakthrough album, ‘My Life.’ A raw and truthful record, the album deals with subjects such as depression, her battle with addiction to both drugs and alcohol, as well as the abusive relationship she had been in at the time with K-Ci, from K-Ci & JoJo.

The album opens with third single, ‘Mary Jane (All Night Long),’ a smooth late night jam with a drum sound that sucked me in immediately. Blige’s voice is perfect on this track. When ‘You Bring Me Joy’ started, I immediately expected to hear the lyrics “Me with the floorshow/Kickin' with your torso/Boys getting high/And the girls even more so,’ however that never eventuated. What I did learn, however, is that both this song and Robbie Williams’s ‘Rock DJ’ both heavily sample Barry White’s ‘It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me.’ Easily my favourite song on the album. The title track is another highlight, as is ‘I’m Goin’ Down,’ a cover of Rose Royce’s single from 1976. The album finishes with lead single, ‘Be Happy,’ a song that samples Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye. The album peaked at #7 on the Billboard Charts in the US, and reached the top spot of the R&B/Hip Hop charts. The Puff Daddy-produced record went on to sell over 3 million copies.

#rs500albums