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NO MORE DRAMA
Mary J. Blige
(MCA-Universal)
This followup to Blige's excellent 1999 collection, Mary, finds one of R&B's fiercest divas -- a.k.a. The Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul -- continuing to build on both her vocal strength and songwriting skills.
Working with an A-list of producers and writers -- including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Missy Elliott and Dr. Dre -- and guests like Eve and Lenny Kravitz, Blige takes control starting with the pounding opener, Love, as she sings, "Let's get you ready for the lovin' of a lifetime!"
Other standouts include the Dre-produced dance track Family Affair; the softer-sounding Steal Away, featuring The Neptunes' Pharrell Williams singing alongside Blige; the surprisingly soulful PMS, which samples Al Green's Simply Beautiful; the Jam-Lewis-produced and -written title track that gets an unexpected lift from The Young & The Restless theme; the self-affirmation tune Keep It Moving, the album's best dance song, Dance For Me, which contains Sting's The Bed's Too Big Without You, and the Philly soul of Never Been with Elliott handling co-writing, producing and backing vocal duties.
Blige, who also contributes a poem, Forever No More, is expected to tour in support of No More Drama. (More on: Mary J. Blige).
Track Listing