Track Listing

1. Intro
2. Mary Jane (All Night Long)
3. You Bring Me Joy
4. Marvin Interlude
5. I'm The Only Woman
6. K. Murray Interlude
7. My Life
8. You Gotta Believe
9. I Never Wanna Live Without You
10. I'm Goin' Down
11. My Life Interlude
12. Be With You
13. Mary's Joint
14. Don't Go
15. I Love You
16. No One Else
17. Be Happy

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16250 in Music
• Released on: 1994-11-29
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
During one of the "interludes" on My Life, Keith Murray is rapping about "Grab your cranium for my ultimatum," when someone in the studio control booth asks producer Chucky Thompson, "Hey, Chuck, put on some of that smooth [stuff]." Murray disappears; the dreamy synth chords of Blige's title track emerge, and her sultry voice moans with a combination of weary loneliness and unslaked desire. The ballad which follows is "smooth" but never slick, for the singer's sinuous, extended notes confess the blues even as they yearn for something better. It's tempting to see this little scenario--the rapper being turned off in favor of the soul diva--as a repudiation of hip-hop in favor of old-fashioned R&B. An honest listen to this album, however, makes such an interpretation impossible. Blige does no actual rapping herself on her long-awaited second outing, but the sound of "My Life" would have been impossible without hip-hop. The results confirm the promise of Blige's '92 debut; she is the premier soul diva of the hip-hop generation. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Livin' The Life
As a collective whole, Mary J Blige's "My Life" is incomplete. Why then give this album 5 stars? Because the good overweighs the bad. There are enough songs on this cd to satisfy your Mary J Blige fix. Even though Mary herself claims she was in her "addiction" at the time of this recording, it still showcases brilliance in the r and b music world. In a perfect world, Mary J Blige's "My Life" would be:

1. Mary Jane
2. U Bring Me Joy
3. I"m The Only Woman
4. My Life
5. I Never Wanna Live Without u
6. I'm Goin' Down
7. Be Happy
(M' faves!)
Forget the rest. I'm sorry to say that, but for the anal r and b fan, the rest of the songs on this cd sound dated and just don't do the trick for me. "Be With U" is beyond repetative, it sounds like Mary just did voice over arrangements and improvised over a weak beat with pre-recorded back up vocals. Not only that, it sounds like she had a few too many (wink wink), if you really listen closely to the song. That's all good, but if you hear Mary's new music, you see the glaring differences in the music. Music in general has evolved and Mary has ridden the wave to superstardom. She remained in her artistry and never gave up on herself. She stayed in the music and let God take her on her journey, using every experience as a helping hand and carry her up the ladder and onto enlightenment. Mary could have easily faded in the background, but she took what she had and the cards that were dealt and played a winning hand. "My Life" is a part of Mary J Blige history, and she left behind a beautiful majestry of recorded music that still lives on. I still romanticize when I hear "I Never Wanna Live Without U" on a magical rainy night when you watch your fantasy lover walk away, knowing one day he will greet you will a wet loving kiss. Or when Mary gives glory to God on "My Life", when she testifies about Jesus, and how He can give u all the hapiness u need. These are some of the feelings an artist like Mary J Blige can bring you and that is what makes her a special artist.

mary's best!
there's not much that i can say about this album. i had it on cassette, broke 2 of them from playing all the time, bought on cd twice. i'm with one of other reviews, even though mary's newer stuff is good, this i believe is her best. i think every woman can relate to every song on this album.

Excellent
I received the product in a timely manner. I didn't expect to receive it so soon and was able to enjoy my cd.