Attention: Mary J. Blige has found that special someone, and this time there is definitely no more drama. Instead, on her sixth studio album, Love & Life, Blige's warbling voice tells of her new outlook on life and, of course, her newfound love. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs returns as her producer, a role he served on Blige's debut, What's the 411? and its follow-up, My Life. In many ways, Love & Life is about Blige returning to her roots. Occasionally, an artist's trip back into her past often signals a creative rut or nostalgia for better days.
Blige is still on top, however. Aside from a few allusions to her debut and the intro taken right from her first effort, she is blazing an entirely new and different trail for herself. In a sense, the album is both a reflection and an anthem of her past. She is looking back, sometimes in amazement, usually in pride, at all that she's accomplished, but this time, she's not dwelling on the sadder moments.
On the surface, P. Diddy provides the perfect complement to Blige's singing: plasticky club beats that sound like normal hip-hop fare, until Blige's vocals breathe life into them. Take the album's lead single, "Love @ First Sight," a danceable beat that when blended with Blige's soulful voice becomes Top 40 hit material. On other tracks, like on the sultry songs "When We" and "Feel Like Making Love," a new, sexy side of Blige is revealed.
Indeed, revelation could be the theme of this album. On each of the 18 tracks, a new facet of Mary J. Blige is discovered. Maybe because of this, Blige's style as an artist sounds much more developed here than in any of her other albums. Who knew she had it in her?
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