Customer Reviews
mary, mary... - By: ms funkyapple, 13 Jul 2005 
this was the most personal album that mary's done. it is also the best. songs like 'i'm the only woman', 'no one else' & the sublime 'be happy' blow me away, even after all these years.
'my life' is pure soul & most r'n'b/hip hop ladies would kill to make an album as brilliant as this.
Best of the bunch - By: M. Kilpatrick, 11 Jul 2005 
Having also listened to 'What's the 411', 'Mary' & 'No More Drama', I've come to the conclusion that MJB is an outstanding soul singer but the material/producers she works with sometimes lets her down. I've no time for slick/overproduced soul/r'n'b & for me the music's got to have an edge to it to make it work. I think on this album, MJB found the ideal formula; particularly on 'My Life', 'No One Else' & 'Be Happy'.
There are some fine moments on 'What's the 411' - such as 'You remind me' - & whilst it showed her potential, I don't think the material is as strong as on this album.
Other reviewers have rated 'Mary' as excellent but I found it disappointing & a bit dreary - as if she wanted to make a "grown-up" album & be a "serious" artist. I think it was a mistake & she's much better doing what she does best as on this album & on more recent albums.
Even on this album, there are one or two tracks which are on the syrupy side - hence only 4 stars - but when it hits the spot, it really hits it
Excellent - By: Leon, 26 Feb 2005 As i'm a big big fan of Mary J Blige the album My Life is wicked, when i mean the woman can sing oh my gosh, anyone who isnt a Mary fan it doesn't matter. Just listen to any 6 of her albums & ur surely b a fan.
Mary J. Blige lets you inside her diary - By: , 02 Aug 2004 If you want to hear a womanin love with a man who isin the process of dumping her than My Life is waiting for your ears. Song by song, Blige lets listeners into her troubled relationship with K-Ci Hailey from the R&B group Jodeci. She may not have the best voicein the world, but like her debut album, What's The 411?, Blige still lets you know she is & will always be the Queen of Hip Hop Soul. This time singing over more sophisticated samples, Blige opens up with the Rick James sampled "Mary Jane,"in which she pleads, "if you give me one more chance/I can still show you romance." A couple of tracks later she takes you into "I'm The Only Woman" & if you know Blige, you know she's not afraid to hide her feelings on wax. It takes a few minutes but Blige goes from "I'm The Only Woman" to the Roy Ayers sampled "My Life." Sounding like she's on the verge of tears she quails, "if you look at my life you will see I'm so blue." As much as we love her honesty on some tracks it's clearly blatant she's a womanin love on the bass driven, "Be With You"
the best of the lot - By: , 09 Mar 2004 If you're only ever gonna buy one of her albums this is her most soulful, most moving album. You can hear the pain & tell that there was plenty of drama going on at this point. the best hip-hop soul album of the 90's. Aside from 'beautiful ones' & 'All that i can say' on the 'Mary' album, this was MJB at her best! Go buy it!
