My Life (CD - 1994)

Personnel includes: Mary J. Blige, Keith Murray (vocals); Chucky Thompson, Herb Middleton (various instruments); "Bassy" Bob Brockmann (strings, keyboards, programming); Regina Carter, Diane Monroe, Lesa Terry (violin); Eileen Folson (cello); Gloria Agostini (harp); "Prince" Charles Alexander (flute, piccolo, tenor saxophone); Mark "Led" Ledford, Bruce Purse (trumpet); Lenny Underwood (piano); Victor Bailey (bass); Kevin "K-Dog" Johnson (drums); LaTonya J. Blige, Faith Evans, Big Bub (background vocals); JoJo Hailey, K-Ci Hailey.

Producers include: Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Nashiem Myrick, Herb Middleton, Mr. Dalvin.

Engineers include: Nashiem Myrick, Tony Maserati, Rich Travali.

Recorded at Sound On Sound Recording Studio, Axis Studios, Daddy's House, The Hit Factory and Clinton Recording Studios, New York, New York.

MY LIFE was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.

Personnel: Mary J. Blige (vocals, background vocals); Paul Pesco (guitar); Gloria Agostini (harp); Regina Carter, Diane Monroe, Lesa Terry (violin); Eileen Folson (cello); Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander (flute, piccolo, tenor saxophone); Vincent Henry (alto saxophone); Mark Ledford, Bruce Purse (trumpet); Lenny Underwood (piano); Chucky Thompson, Fred McFarlane, Bob Brockmann, Herb Middleton (keyboards); Frank Colon (percussion); Nasheim Myrick (programming); Latonya J. Blige, Faith Evans, K-Ci & JoJo, Big Bub (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Bob Brockmann; Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander ; Rob Paustian; Tony Maserati.

Recording information: Axis Studios, New York, NY; Clinton Recording Studios, Inc., New York, NY; Daddy's House Recording Studios, New York, NY; Hit Factory Studios, New York, NY; Sound On Sound Recording, Inc., New York, NY.

Photographer: Sante d'Orazio.

Arrangers: Dalvin DeGrate; K-Ci & JoJo.

Perhaps the single finest moment in Sean "Puffy" Combs' musical career has been the production on this, Mary J. Blige's second proper album. The production is not exactly original, and there is evidence here of him borrowing wholesale from other songs. The melodic sources this time around, though, are so expertly incorporated into the music that they never seem to be intrusions, instead playing like inspired dialogues with soulsters from the past, connecting past legacies with a new one. This certainly isn't your parents' (or grandparents') soul. But it is some of the finest modern soul of the '90s, backing away to a certain extent from the hip-hop/soul consolidation that Blige introduced on her debut album. The hip-hop part of the combination takes a few steps into the background, allowing Blige's tortured soul to carry the album completely, and it does so with heartwrenching authority. My Life is, from beginning to end, a brilliant, wistful individual plea of desire. Blige took a huge leap in artistry by penning almost everything herself (the major exception being Norman Whitfield's "I'm Going Down") in collaboration with co-producers Combs and multi-instrumentalist Chucky Thompson, and everything seems to leap directly from her gut. Blige's strain is sleekly modern and urban, and the grit in it comes from being streetwise and thoroughly realistic about the travails of life. My Life, nevertheless, emanates from some deep, dark place where both sadness and happiness cohabitate and turn into one single, beautiful sorrow. ~ Stanton Swihart

The immediate success of her triple-platinum debut WHAT'S THE 411? put Mary J. Blige in a singular class as a soul-hop visionary, and opened the door for other hip-hop-influenced R&B acts. Yet as the follow-up approached, the nature of her talent began to be questioned, and the strength of her debut became an obstacle.

If Blige heard all those rumors, she must've decided that musical revenge is the best payback of all. Thus, MY LIFE comes across as another ground-breaking venture, linking R&B's new and old schools, filling the airwaves with delightful harmonies AND hip-hop samples. When Blige connects with her music's roots, she doesn't pussy-foot around soul's perimeters searching for eligible influences--so "You Bring Me Joy," "My Life" and "Be Happy" sample such luminaries as Barry White, Roy Ayers and Curtis Mayfield, respectively. The reconstruction of the Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long" is (Mary Jane) Blige's shout-out to the funky '80s, while "Don't Go" is a feminist retort to Guy's "Goodbye."

Even though much of the album's musical direction is steered by producers Sean "Puffy" Combs and Chucky Thompson, Blige is the dominant songwriter here. And that's the main reason MY LIFE turns out to be such a statement of purpose--a 17-song diary full of Blige's life, love, and struggles in defending her title as the queen of hip-hop soul. minimize