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Nothing but "My Life" by Mary J. Blige:1. Mary's Joint
2. Don't Go
3. I Love You
4. No One Else
5. Be Happy
These five songs are tracks 13 through 17 on what, to me, has to be one of the 10 best R&B albums of the previous decade. f not the absolute best. "My Life" reminds me that Puffy was once, indeed, a very talented producer.
This morning's spin through the '90s reminds me that I'm still selfishly peeved at her husband, Martin Kendu Isaacs. Somehow, he's been able to rid Mary of all the blues and melancholy that once made her such a great artist.
These days, though I'm happy for her newfound peace and happiness, I can barely stand to listen to any of her songs. I always feel like something or someone is missing. Maybe it's K-Ci Hailey.
On another (somewhat) related note, "My Life" was the first compact disc that I ever owned - I was holding it down for cassette tapes until the bitter end. I got it from a Wherehouse Music in Houston, where a couple of the guys at the register let me and my homeboys know they were "offering" 4 CDs for $20. I ended up leaving the store with "My Life," Boyz II Men's "II", TLC's "CrazySexyCool" and R. Kelly's "12 Play." No sales tax included.
This was only 14 years ago. Sigh.
6 comments:
The last 4-5 records on that album make one of the best sequence in r & b history. the last 3 is near-bout matchless.
Real text message sent to the First Lady at 7:08 p.m. eastern: "Seriously, the last 10 songs on Mary J. Blige's "My Life" are perfect. Just realizing that. Wow."
We're operating on the same wavelength, A.T.
And yeah, if you tighten that up to the last three, it's pretty much without peer. "I Love You" is a classic.
thing is, i don't even fool wit mjb like that. like, she makes good records, but that's about as far as i go with her. so when i say that that 3-song sequence you got right there is among the best in history, i'm talkin bout i'll take that over a 5-song stretch on some classics. yes, over anything on What's Going On...over any 3 song stretch on Here My Dear...Songs In The Key of Life...all'a them.
Can the last 5 on My Life fade the first 5 on Motor Booty Affair? We may hafta take that challenge.
Once again, we're here ~~~.
I might have one other Mary J. album - Share My World - in my entire collection. And she'll never be one of my favorites, though I have serious respect for her career. She's been completely thoro.
As an aside, I especially like "All That I Can Say" for whatever reason.
But you're right: I can't even come up with a comparable 5-song span on another album. Certainly not one from the past few years.
Motor Booty Affair, eh? Damn. You taking it back. Street Songs? Brown Sugar or Voodoo? Still Bill? I dunno, bruh. Sounds like a challenge to me.
And sh*t, "Off the Wall" might make the list if not for "Get on the Floor."
But "Thriller" is a serious contender for the throne, too. "Thriller," "Beat It," "Billie Jean," "Human Nature," and "PYT." That's a pretty solid starting five right there.
okay, i'm doin the knowledge on SITKOL...and I don't know. The 5 songs on Side 2 are pretty serious:
I Wish
Knocks Me Off My Feet
Pasttime Paradise
Summer Soft
Ordinary Pain
That's a tough stretch to beat right there.
That Thriller stretch is vicious too.
Mama's Gun can put up a nice 5-song stretch too. A couple of em, actually.
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