Mary J. Blige's New Album Mirrors Life Struggles with Fresh Reflections
Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/maryjblige/
Track number six, a simple interlude, might be the most significant track on Mary J Blige’s new album Good Morning Gorgeous. A candid moment of conversation reveals that this album represents a turning point for the soulful queen, as she learns to love and accept herself and acknowledge the beauty and power she contributes to the world.
“I finally got a chance to say ‘I’m amazing.’ I never said that about myself,” she said in the interlude. “When I was going through all this bad shit in my life, I started waking up and saying ‘Good morning, gorgeous.’ No matter what I was going through.”
In June, an Amazon-produced documentary was released that dissected and explored Mary J.’s life as chronicled in her hit 1994 album My Life. Giving us songs such as “I’m Goin’ Down,” “Be Happy” and “Mary Jane,” My Life has been an iconic and defining album for the singer.
“I spilled myself into this album,” she said in the documentary. “The album [was saying] ‘Please love me, don’t go. I need you.’ It was a cry for help.”
Flash forward to today, and we’re seeing the butterfly emerge from the chrysalis after almost 30 years of proactive self-love and healing. Where My Life said “I need you,” Good Morning Gorgeous says “No, I don’t.”
Good Morning Gorgeous is chock-full of classic Mary J. themes: love, heartache, grit, poise and elegance. But there is also a new-found sense of confidence and self-acceptance, as she asserts a sort-of dominance and control over the heartbreaks and difficulties and more lovingly embraces the triumphs.
The album boasts several vocal spots from artists including Anderson.Paak, Usher, and DJ Khaled, and songwriting collaborations from H.E.R., Cool & Dre, Ant Clemons and more, each of them bringing their unique styles to the table to assist Mary in presenting hers.
The title track, released as a single early February, is most definitely a love ballad to herself, one that seems like a universal struggle to many: fighting to move forward, getting enough sleep and getting in your own way. Add hating yourself, hindsight, and being gentle and caring to yourself and you’ve got a well-rounded personal battle.
That one is not the only standout track on the album. “On Top” featuring Cool & Dre and Fivio Foreign has a cool, contemporary hip-hop influenced sound with a dominant and dynamic energy. “Here With Me” is a smooth and rolling song with catchy melodies that feature Anderson.Paak’s fluid and raspy vocals, and “Enough” has that sweet early-2000s groove with a fed-up attitude.
Good Morning Gorgeous is a present-day picture of the Mary J. we have come to know and love since 1992. She continues to be unfailingly elegant, clever, assertive, feminine and unfalteringly tenacious and talented while continuing to transform and grow, inspiring us to do the same.
Listen to Good Morning Gorgeous on Spotify here:
Emily Cunningham is a freelance magazine writer with a passion for wildlife conservation, civil and societal issues, and artistic pursuits including dance, creative writing, and handmade art.
