The Breakthrough

:et’s be frank. For all the heavy hitters guesting on this, Mary J Blige’s seventh album, the majority of Hot Press readers will have their interest piqued by the appearance of a certain U2 on a version of a certain song. Given that they don’t make their appearance until track sixteen of eighteen, the temptation to hit the skip button is probably immense. Don’t, because to gloss over the rest of this album would be to miss out on something quite special. Forget all the pretenders to her throne who have come and gone over the years, this is the sound of the new queen of soul doing her thing like no other. The stresses of recent times behind her, that voice sounds bigger and bolder than ever, revelling in a new-found security and happiness in her private life. The bad times feature too, with the strutting ‘Baggage’ dishing out advice from one who knows.
Yet, the spectre of that U2 collaboration looms large over the record, and when it comes it doesn’t disappoint. Stemming from an appearance at a Hurricane Katrina benefit earlier in the year, their mutual version of ‘One’ builds from its traditional (if maybe a touch funked-up) start into a tour de force. Blige picks up from Bono’s vocal and makes the song totally her own, her performance on the final verse in particular sending shivers up the spine. Both acts have hit their fair share of highs over the years, yet there are probably few that can match this. After more than a few false starts – Mary J has finally hit her stride.
eight/ten