Mary

iTunes Review

Few artists have fused personal growth and artistic growth like Mary J. Blige; her fourth album parallels her transition out of young adulthood and into middle-age maturity. Mary is unhurried and meticulously arranged. The album moves away from the club and radio-oriented songs of Blige’s early career, and presents itself as something to be pondered and absorbed, perhaps while driving or reclined in a well-loved chair. Led by the magnificent, spellbinding opening song, “All That I Can Say” (written and co-sung by Lauryn Hill), Mary aspires to the deeply personal, jazz-influenced albums by elder heroes like Stevie Wonder and Roberta Flack. Wonder himself contributes “Time,” a foreboding and beautiful work with underpinnings of reggae. Even the ballads are more pensive than before, delivered by a woman who has learned well from her experiences of the world. As indicated by its simple title and cover photograph, Mary offers a beautiful and deeply rendered portrait of its author, free of gloss or gimmicks.