Customer Reviews

Growing Pains

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm a huge fan of Mary J. Blige. I've been a fan more or less from the moment What's the 411? dropped back in '92. I've bought every single album she released since, including the live and remix albums but excluding 2003's Love & Life, right up to The Breakthrough. I didn't get Reflections - A Retrospective but that was because I just didn't see the point (I had practically everything on it already) and not because I didn't like it.

But I seem to be the only one on the planet who just can't get into this one. I simply don't get it. Mary has been selling millions of albums across the world for 16 years now and that could explain why, to these ears, she's beginning to sound a bit weary. She's been telling us all how she's incredibly happy now, how her life is exactly where she wants it to be and how, whilst going through all the pain in her recent past, one thing she's always strived to do is keep things real with her fans. This might all well be true but I'm yet to see Mary actually LOOKING happy in an interview or a video. (Jill Scott always looks happy for instance, even these days - and she's just been through a divorce!).

But maybe that's just Mary's way. Maybe it's the 'street' or 'ghetto fabulous' thing to; to never smile even if feeling blissful. Her continuous banging on about said bliss is starting to grate on the nerves a tad though. She's a strong woman, no doubt, and a trooper. She does "keep on going", as one reviewer said but at what cost? Like I said, the poor woman is probably just really tired.

When she burst onto the scene back in 1992 with songs like "Real Love", "Reminisce" and "Love No Limit", she showed energy, versatility and raw emotion that have long since dissipated. The bittersweet "Be Happy" and the poignant "I'm Goin' Down from her sophomore album My Life proved she was no one-hit wonder. And let's not forget her star turns on hip-hop classics like "Can't Knock The Hustle" with Jay-Z (1996) and "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" with Method Man (1995). I for one thought the title "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" was absolutely well deserved.

But every subsequent album has been less satisfying, and more geared towards what was playing on the radio than the one that preceded it. By the time "The Breakthrough" came out, I was starting to lose interest. It was clear to any objective listener that Mary was just treading water and I've barely played the CD three times since I got it. This one I simply couldn't bear and had to take right back to the store and ask for something else.

As soon as I saw the video to her single "Just Fine", I had my doubts. The Michael Jackson homage-paying intro (and the video itself) was probably well intentioned but to me, they just fell flat. It just doesn't sound or look like she really means it. She's singing about being uplifted but she sounds (and looks) anything but. Jackson looked ecstatic in the video to "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" but to me, Mary looks like she'd rather be somewhere else, doing something else. It's not so much in her moves, it's in her eyes and her facial expressions.

The female empowerment of "Grown Woman" and "Feel Like A Woman" sound like the kind of thing that would play well to Oprah's studio audience but this listener just couldn't find the groove - and I'm no chauvinist. It would take too long to list the female empowerment tunes I've grooved to in my time.

Pharrell's multi-tempoed "'Til The Morning" and Ne-Yo's interestingly winding "Smoke" are probably the only two songs on here that break away from the made-for-radio formula that dominates the album and Mary is probably singing the best she's ever sung - much more control, much less excess - but somehow for me, that just makes her less interesting to listen to. A perfect example of what I mean is the solemn "Fade Away". Forget all the almost spiritual wailing and chest beating of the good old days, Mary sounds like she's barely breaking a sweat.

Maybe that's how music is now in the 21st century and I need to either get with the program or leave it alone. Or maybe, just maybe, as listeners, we've allowed our standards to drop to basement level and as a result, anything even slightly passable is lauded as the next best thing. Mary is undoubtedly one of the legends of our time and I'll never even try to take that away from her but I do wonder if the way many of us fans are almost deifying the woman these days, is blinding us to the fact that her music is simply not as good as it used to be. I realise that we're living in an age where creativity and individuality are not rewarded and where studio executives and radio programmers are now telling artistes what kind of music to make so it's entirely possible that Mary's heart isn't really in the music she's putting out, despite all her talk of the contrary. Whatever. In the end, we'll only get the quality of music that we as consumers demand.

Maybe Mary's new life is indeed the happy and peaceful one she says it is. All I know is that while it must be a good thing (especially for her) that all the pain is behind her and all the angst gone, her supposedly newly-found joy is not coming through in the music quite yet. To me, singing songs of empowerment and bliss while looking and sounding utterly miserable just makes Mary painful to watch - and to listen to.

The album will probably still sell truckloads and earn her all kinds of awards, so I know my view is the minority one. I also know that my review is very likely to be unpopular here but I had to say my piece. I didn't want to post the review but a good Amazon buddy of mine (who will remain nameless) encouraged me to do so, so here it is. Let the hissing, booing and clicking on the "no" button begin.

Most people love "What's The 411" and "My Life" and they think they are totally classic, and then there's "The Breakthrough" which is a 5 star effort in itself - but here Mary J. Blige surpasses everything she has done - the cut SHAKE DOWN with Usher is so commercial it's sickening which is GREAT it's like the sweetest candy you could ever want - but don't think for a minute she's sold out. NO NO NO - this CD is so deep, so heartfelt, so BLACK, so true, so much full of emotion. Mary J. Blige I think this is her "THRILLER" - this CD is phenomenal from start to finish. Even if you've never heard of her before - you will be infected with these songs - they stay in your mind, soul and heart. This CD is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING - her best effort yet, and how do you surpass "My Life" - she has done it - you will be TOTALLY REWARDED WITH THIS PURCHASE - look out for Mary in 2008 and 2009 - SHE TRULY IS THE UNDISPUTED "QUEEN OF HIP-HOP SOUL" Girl you GO GO GO GO GO!!! Man O Man, Mariah you know you're my heart, and Rickie Lee you are my favorite - but she even revamps some old Emotions samples - THIS CD IS BEYOND BEYOND. Just listen, GUARANTEED!!! Thank you ET for my favorite gift this Christmas. God is alive - Listen to Mary - you'll be a witness!!! It's THAT UNBELIEVABLE - miraculous. Anyone who rated this CD less than 5 stars has not listened to it more than twice, this CD rewards the listener with repeated listens and you see how brilliant this CD is. It's really A NON STOP PARTY. Keep playing this at your Christmas or New Years Party's - you'll see - this grows on your without ANY PAIN. MARY J BLIGE - much respect. This is one of the best CD's I've ever heard - period. Trust me, listen to it a few times - you'll start becoming infected with her "Growing Pains". THIS IS A SLAMMER - all respect to the TRUE QUEEN OF HIP HOP SOUL. God is my witness!! If Mariah is "the voice" - and Rickie Lee is "my heart" - then NO QUESTION Mary J. Blige is QUEEN OF MY SOUL. This CD is too good. YOU WILL NOT REGRET YOU BOUGHT THIS CD EVER.

I instantly became a fan of Mary J. Blige once I heard the song "You Remind Me". Her debut CD What's the 411? was an instant favorite of mine because of the way that Mary mixed r&b songs with hip hop samples. Obviously, the direction of the production had something to do with that but since I am also a rap music fan, I was able to appreciate Mary J. Blige even more. My favorite tracks ended up being "Love No Limit", "Reminisce", "I Don't Want To Do Anything" w/K-Ci, "My Love", "Real Love" and Mary's remake of the Rufus & Chaka Khan classic "Sweet Thing". In 1994, Mary J. Blige released her 2nd CD My Life. This is clearly my favorite r&b CD of all time. Mary not only surpassed my expectations after her debut CD, but she definitely had gained a fan for life as she did her best to chronicle the good times, the pain and everything inbetween to put together a fantastic CD. My favorite track was "I Never Wanna Live Without You" but I could play the CD in its entirety. My other personal favorites include "Mary's Joint", "I'm The Only Woman", "Be Happy", "Mary Jane" and "Be With You". The alternate versions of the tracks were phenominal as well. I am sure everyone remembers Smif N Wessun on "I Love You", LL Cool J on "Mary Jane", and the late Notorious BIG (Biggie) ripping the "I'm Goin' Down" (Remix)) which used the beat for the track "The What" that was featured on Biggie's "Ready To Die" that also included Method Man. Mary J had plenty of other releases:

Share My World (1997)
Mary (1999)
No More Drama (2002)
Love & Life (2003)

From these 4 releases you had my personal favorites such as "Seven Days", "All That I Can Say", "The Love I Never Had", "Special Part Of Me", "Ooh!", "Everything" and "Share My World". Mary J. returned in 2005 with The Breakthrough. She enjoyed tremendous success with her 1st single "Be Without You". "Darkchild" blessed her with my favorite track, "Enough Cryin'" and my other favorites included "I Found My Everything", "Take Me As I Am", "No One Will Do" and "Father In You". Mary's record company got a little greedy with Reflections - A Retrospective. The CD started off with 4 new tracks which included the single "We Ride", the title track and "King & Queen" w/John Legend. Then Geffen tried to conduct a greatest hits CD with the rest of the CD which was a mere 11 tracks, with 2 of the tracks being songs that were never on her CDs but were quality collaborations with the remix to Method Man's "All I Need", that was featured on "Tical" and "911" w/Wyclef Jean.

"Growing Pains" was released on December 18th, 2007. The CD starts off with the uptempo "Work That". Mary makes an uplifting anthem for the ladies that tells them to be happy with themselves and not to live everyday trying to please other people. Do your best to work with the best attributes that you have. Ludacris appears on "Grown Woman" to return the favor for Mary J. appearing on the track "Runaway Love" that was featured on Ludacris' last release "Release Therapy". In my opinion, "Grown Woman" is basically a continuation of "Work That". You have to come to a point in your life where you are happy with yourself as a woman, mentally and physically. Mary J. has struggled with that fact for many years in her life and she is trying to be a positive example for ladies, young and old around the world. Luda does a decent job with his verse but he is trying to talk about some things that could be done with this woman instead of adding to the positivity that Mary is trying to bring to the track, with a touch of attitude. "Just Fine" is basically Growing Pains' "Family Affair". It doesn't matter how the week at work was or what trials and tribulations that you went through during the course of the week, it's Friday night and this beat comes on, go out and have a good time or just do the infamous 2 step like I do. "Just Fine" is a nice, uptempo feel good jam. "Feel Like A Woman" has Mary talking to her man about making her feel appreciated as a woman. Whether it's a shopping trip, making love to her through the night or just making a nice gesture, tonight she just wants to feel like a woman. The slow jam man, Bryan Michael Cox shows up to produce "Stay Down", which is a thoughtful slow jam. In every relationship, you are going to have ups and downs. No relationship is perfect. The relationship is enduring one of those down times and Mary is asking her man to try to keep putting up with these down times so that they can receive the greater award at the end. "Hurt Again" has Mary describing a situation where she is starting to have feelings for someone but she is hesitant in letting him know that because of all the times that she has been hurt in the past. "Shake Down" is tolerable but when you see Usher and Mary J. Blige on a track, you have huge expectations. Just like when you saw Usher and Alicia Keys on the track "My Boo", you expect the artists to make the collaboration memorable. On "Shake Down", it's decent but nothing that you would expect when you have Mary and Usher on the same track. Pharrell does his best to try to take you back to the 80s on "Til The Morning", but for the most part, unless you want to grab some old fashioned roller skates and go to the skating rink, this song won't work for most Mary J. Blige fans. On "Roses", Mary has to get a point across to her man that she is fed up with all of the confrontations with her man and today she is not having it for any reason. I can definitely relate to this track. Men: You're in a no win situation when this day comes so let her vent and this type of day will go by faster and be much easier for you to handle...lol

Clearly, my favorite track on "Growing Pains" is "Fade Away". Stargate, who has produced multilple Ne-Yo songs, Joe's "It's Me", Chris Brown's "With You", Rihanna & Ne-Yo's "Hate That I Love You", Trey Songz' "Can't Help But Wait" and most importantly to some people, Beyonce's "Irreplaceable", produce this memorable Mary J. track in "Fade Away". Ne-Yo co-produces and writes the track as well. Mary finds herself at times, because of all of her troubles not even wanting to be here on Earth. That's how bad times have gotten for her in the past. Although, her life is definitely much better than those times, she may still have moments where she feels like she did before irregardless of her success because of her past transgressions. Ne-Yo does an excellent job of reaching back so to speak in times in Mary's past to capture these moments. Here's the bridge: "Couldn't look myself in the mirror, asking myself how dumb could you be." "Maybe everything would be much clearer, if no one could see me". Mary's times in the past were so bad she didn't even want to me amongst the living at times. There were times when she just want to take herself out of this world and not even be here anymore. That's where I feel the "....invinsibility would be great" part comes from on the track. "What Love Is" is another memorable Mary, Stargate and Ne-Yo collaboration as Mary writes her rendition of what she feels the four letter word means just like Alicia Keys did on "The Thing About Love" from her "As I Am" CD. The effects at the end of the track add to the track as well. "Work In Progress" (Growing Pains) is also written by Ne-Yo as Mary walks you through how she is getting through life day by day the best she can. She is clearly trying her best, but she also wants to let women in the world know that she is just as human as they are despite her success. "Talk To Me" deals with Mary wanting to receive better communication from her man and the benefits of effective communication in a relationship. "If You Love Me" is a decent track but it sounds too much like "Be Without You" Part 2 to me. "Smoke" is clearly unlike any Mary J. Blige track that I have ever heard. This track seems to be a part of Mary J.'s musical maturity. You never would have heard Mary on a track like this in the What's The 411 and My Life days. As a matter of fact, she would have had a profanity laced tirade ready for Puffy if he even tried to bring her a track like this. In the end, it clearly works for me and it's nice to see Mary trying different things. "Come To Me (Peace)" ends "Growing Pains" on a good note as she is trying to win over the affection of a lost love from the past.

Overall, "Growing Pains" may not be Mary J. Blige's best CD, but if you look at her career since 1992's "What's The 411" to now, you see alot of progression in her music and lyrics in 2007. Not only do you see a growth process with Mary as a 37 year old woman but you also hear the growth process through her lyrics and her production. If you are a fan of the majority of Mary J's releases, then you should also add "Growing Pains" to your collection.

James' Top 5

1) Fade Away
2) What Love Is
3) Stay Down
4) Smoke
5) Work In Progress (Growing Pains)

Honorable Mention:

Hurt Again
Roses
Come To Me (Peace)
Work That
Just Fine

Back in 2003, someone apparently thought it was a good idea to bring the powers that were Mary J. Blige and P. Diddy back together, in hopes of re-creating the magic of their earlier works. Well, they were wrong. By no means was the result, Love & Life, a terrible album; however, almost any fan will agree that it's Mary's--for the lack of a better term--worst work to date. Yes, there were some great moments, but most of it was uninspired with some pretty lazy production, courtesy of Diddy. The disc barely went platinum, making it her lowest selling studio album by far. The ever-consistent woman who seemingly could do no wrong made a slight misstep. That's what made 2005's excellent release, The Breakthrough, such a pleasant surprise. With the huge success of "Be Without You," the album's triple platinum status, its record-breaking first-week sales, and its eight Grammy nominations, it proved that Blige was on top once again and wasn't going anywhere. Two years later, she is back with Growing Pains.

From the photos, to the lyrics, to the themes and overall sound, Mary J. is definitely getting her grown woman on. Now a wife, she speaks with brutal honesty and maturity on serious relationships. They involve work, conflicts, disagreements, dependency, compromise, pain, passion, effort, and love, of course. Although it is a beautiful thing and brings much joy to people, to quote her, "it ain't all roses." I have read numerous reviews, from proffesionals nonetheless, that simply dismiss some of the lyrics as "preachy," but I would have to disagree. Mary is a woman who has clearly been through many trials and tribulations in her life, and she just wants to share her wisdom and knowledge of the world to her large fanbase, who could most likely benefit from her viewpoints. (If these reviewers really can't hear these true-to-life statements without cringing, then it's probably time they put themselves in check!) The pictures in the album's booklet show Mary keeping it classier than ever.

The stunning back cover shows Mary sitting atop a cabinet of old vinyls. The only vinyl cover that you are able to decipher is Diana Ross' 1981 album, Why Do Fools Fall In Love. It is most likely just a plain coincidence, but it speaks volumes of Growing Pains. This album has the major crossover appeal that Ross possessed back in the day. While Pains will not alienate her solid fanbase that was built upon her original hip-hop/soul (which is still very present), each track, especially "Come To Me (Peace)," contains a slight change in sound that could let them be comfortable on almost any radio format, not just simply R&B. This could be due to some fresh producers and songwriters that have shown much promise recently, such as Ne-Yo, Tricky, The Dream, Jazze Pha, Bryan-Michael Cox, Stargate, and the Neptunes, among others.

"Work That," as heard in the iTunes commercials, is a great choice for the second single. It is upbeat, inspirational, and infectious. The production by newcomer, Theron Otis Feemster, is simple and melodic, but it suits the song perfectly. On this, and a few other select tracks, Mary has a new swagger in her delivery that almost makes her sound like an MC. "Grown Woman" is another example of this. Over the hard-hitting and grungy hip-hop beat, she exudes confidence and pride in her womanhood. "Stay Down" speaks on marriage and how "sometimes when we fight/ it don't seem like God's desgin/ but... I promised I would stand by you." My favorite line appears in the chorus, when she begs her man to "stay down/ we're almost to the very best part." The production, by ingenious Bryan-Michael Cox, complements the emotion and triumph in Mary's strong vocals. "Roses" finds her nowhere near being preahcy; it's about those days when you want to be left alone and quite frankly, your lover just fans the fire. In between verses, she speaks, venting her emotions. On "Talk To Me," she urges her man to communicate his feelings over an Emotions horn sample, casuing the track to have a very nostalgic, old school soul feel.

While this album is excellent, it is not flawless. Ludacris' guest appearance irritates me and almost ruins the great "Grown Woman" for me. His verse, while not terrible, is a bit vulgar, putting him and his supposed grown woman's bedroom business all out there. Lines like "we some Stairmasters/ I make her get her exercise" seem to contradict the classiness that Mary maintains throughout the rest of the track. "Shake Down" sounds a bit too much like something Mariah Carey would record. (I love Mariah, I just think that it's not like something Mary would do.) It's not a bad track, though. "Just Fine," oddly chosen as the lead-off single, is a song I can take or leave depending on the day and my mood. "Till the Morning," however, is my least favorite track. The Neptunes' production and writing has become very bland, stale, and predictable to me by this point in time. The song sounds like Kelis-lite during her Kaleidoscope era. The bridge is good, but that's pretty much all I enjoy of the track. "Work In Progress (Growing Pains)" is a musically very good, but the whole I'm-just-like-you-even-though-I'm-a-celebrity thing is getting pretty tired. "What Love Is" is also exceptional, but lyrics like "it feels like joy/ it feels like pain/ it feels like sunshine/ it feels like rain" are undeniably cliché.

The bottom line: It is not perfect, but Growing Pains is still a darn good album. Her vocals are on point, the production and songwriting is top notch, and the lyrics are mature and real. Growing Pains has a slightly new sound that will most likely lead to an even bigger crossover than The Breakthrough caused. Still, even her fans from the beginning will feel satisfied. How does she do it? It's a mystery. Mary J. Blige is a truly special and talented grown woman.

Key tracks: Grown Woman, Stay Down, Roses, Fade Away, Talk to Me, Work That.

i like this cd. it's upbeat and real. it gets me motivated about ME. i think women around mary's age will appreciate the lyrics and the realness. i love her photos on the cd cover. mary seems to be living well and it's reflected in her work.

A Great CD for the Mary fan. Some reviews are not favorable. I don't understand the negativity. Each track has a message of hope, courage, strength, individuality or acceptance. If you want shallow music where the lyrics don't mean anything then Mary is not for you. But if you want a great baseline with heartfelt lyrics then you will listen to this CD over and over.

From 411 to Growing Pains, Mary is for real. She is still finding her way but delivering the goods to her fans. She's for real for real.

Beautiful Mary put the soul in our holiday. Mature compositions with a treasure trove of twists, the ever meaningful lyrics we long for. Mary's song strings continually remind us of Debussy, unconventional distinction, regal, imaginative, every stunning note a lovely symphony......

This song is exceptional. The first time I heard it, it took my breathe away. Mary J does her thing on every cd. She is a huge talent and this cd is definitely one of the best!!

Mary J. Blige follows "The Breakthrough" with "Growing Pains" which to me was an even stronger effort that claims the title of being one of her best, if not the best, albums of her career. She found her footing with "The Breakthrough" and any fears that she'd return with a cd that wasn't as strong should be put aside. "Growing Pains" has something for all of her fans and new ones, a sound that mirrors old R&B but also goes into territory that music seems afraid to venture into. After listening to the entire album, I found myself saying this was true quality. There isn't really a track to skip here; each song adds something to the mix and covers everything from a dance-vibe to a laid-back groove about love and loss.

Some of the standout tracks are "Work That" which is one of the upbeat songs, "Grown Woman" that could be this albums "Enough Crying" with Mary dishing out her good qualities and what makes her stand out at this point in her life. "Feel Like A Woman" is a new kind of song for Blige where she puts aside her reservations about being with someone and shows her most vulnerable of traits in this ballad-like track. "Stay Down" stands as my favorite, another turn for Mary J. Blige as she's asking her man to stay through the troubles and paints a picture of better days in their relationship that are to come. "Roses" is another track, more hard in sound, with Blige proclaiming she's all right and doesn't need people telling her what's wrong with her. "Fade Away" and "What Love Is" both are tracks that stand out for their production and the feeling she evokes. In what's perhaps one of her best closing tracks, "Come To Me (Peace)", is a big R&B/80s type of song that's a no-holds-barge explosion of sound and is moving and leaves you wanting more.

In all, "Growing Pains" is an absolute must own. Where most artist hit their peak at some point and become predictable, Mary J. Blige seems to be getting better with each year. The songs on this cd are fresh, original and yet sound different and a bit experimental for Blige as she matures into her new sound and comfort zone as an artist. Buy this cd, you will not be disappointed.

This is Mary's best album, it brings something new and exciting with every song. Work That is a feel-good song definitely. Grown Woman has Ludacris rapping in it, and Mary toughens up for this song. Just Fine is where you can tell that Mary is feeling more than "Just Fine". Feel Like A Woman has a nice beat, and it sounds like a slowed-down club song. Stay Down has yet another great new beat, and an amazing chorus. Hurt is a more somber song off of this album. Mary and Usher are awesome together in Shake Down. Till The Morning is my favorite, and it has an amazing beat to back up her amazing voice. Roses has a very clever chorus. Fade Away has nice piano instrumentation in the background. What Love Is has a soft beat to back up Mary's peaceful singing. Work In Progress (Growing Pains) reminds me of Love by Keyshia Cole, and is another one of my favorites. Talk to Me has a super-catchy chorus. If You Love Me? has a pretty beat. Smoke sounds like a song Mary would have done years ago. Come To Me (Peace) is a very chilled-out song. Overall this album is amazing! Very satisfied.