Stronger With Each Tear

This was posted originally on February 8, 2010...and still remains true!  

Many were once Mary J. Blige fans a long time ago, with her meaningful songs such as “Be Without You.” The song always reminds me of good memories and just can’t help but to sing along with it.  Those good old memories have since pass and now are filled with disappointment and anger.  Her latest album “Stronger with Each Tear” just did not meet the music expectations that many of her fans have put on her.

This album is just another marketing strategy to gain short-term profits. First, why would you want to collaborate with a rapper or a R&B artist that does things differently from you? As it shows, their lyrics and music career are based on more club enjoyment and one hit success while you have been singing from inspired music lyrics and notes with a mission to lift up a person hope. To be direct, both of you are just from two different parts of universe.

Not only that, from the collaboration with this type of artists shows that you are indirectly supporting what they are rapping or singing. Before this, most loyal listeners would view Mary J. Blige as a superwomen that could help fight human rights form your powerful and meaningful songs especially women issues such as domestic violence.  Unfortunately, from this album it has shown the total opposite of that.

To prove this, just try listening to singles such as “We Got Hood Love” and “The One.” Both songs do not have much motivational and inspirational lyrics rather than just songs about putting your “swagger” style.
The album also lacks of quality collaboration from strong artists such as Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys and many more.
 
Not one artist featured in her album is considered a great artist. They are only featured because of their sudden hype or the current “hot thing” in today music community. It is time, the Mary J. Blige start to hold the responsibility and role model towards her title “The Queen of Hip Hop Soul” or risk being snatch away by other artists that are striving to create much better and powerful music.

Other billboard artist managed to stay true to their artwork despite the constant changing music scene such as Alicia Keys.  It’s time Blige learned a thing or two from her.