MODERN SOUL'S GREAT LADY TURNS 38 TODAY
WE OFFER OUR RESPECTS
Soul music after 1980 isn't littered with memorable artists. That wing of popular music has focused most heavily on cranking out product, much of it consciously numbskull ephemeral, and the artistic depth it possessed in its '60s/'70s heyday on labels like Motown and Atlantic Records has been abandoned for something thinner if still hugely popular. However, there's a few real jewels left in soul's crown, including Ms. Mary J. Blige. From the very start, Blige struck one as a lady you don't mess with; not so much hard as nails but tough enough to stand tall and proud in this man's, man's, man's world. She wasn't video-pretty but she was beautiful and proudly black – it's not much of a stretch to call her regal. And when she opened her mouth she sang with authority and great natural power. Her 1992 debut, What's The 411?, laid the groundwork for all the contemporary soul music that's followed with its then visionary collision of hip-hop and classic soul. Where it's hard to remember even a handful of soul singles from the past year, tracks like "Real Love" and "Love No Limit" endure in a way comparable to Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. While purists may count Mary J. as a lesser light to these giants, she's proven herself a massive, enduring talent over the past 13 years, picking up fans as diverse as Method Man, U2, David Byrne and Jim James along the way.
411 is the place to begin for those unfamiliar with Blige's catalog because it remains the blueprint for her sound and highlights her skill at picking strong material, including covering Rufus' "Sweet Thing." Her debut was also one of the first major successes for a young producer named Sean "Puffy" Combs, and while subsequent years have been less kind to Diddy's rep there's no doubting that what he wrought behind the boards on 411 helped shaped the future of soul in America. The forward drums and Philly fresh swing of many cuts may be smooth as glass but it's hard to resist running your hands all over these gleaming creations. What leavens the slickness is Blige's voice and streetwise disposition. Instead of seeing herself as a victim (of a broken heart or just being plain old broke), Blige pulls herself to her feet and tells us how to do the same. Her resilience retains some softer, human things, too, and this locus of seeming opposites is where Blige's enduring popularity lies. Who hasn't been torn down? Who hasn't wanted to give up on everything and everyone? And who doesn't appreciate a song that helps them get up off the mat and take another swing at things? Blige excels at underdog stories and bittersweet survival anthems, and JamBase is happy to raise a glass of Cristal to "The Voice" on her birthday.
Let's take it back to 1993 for a live performance of "Real Love."
Here's a more recent taste of Blige performing "One" with U2.
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