Mary J. Blige: My Life II . . . The Journey Continues, Act 1 (Matriarch/Geffen)
NEW RELEASE
Although billed as a successor to her 1994 breakthrough album, this follows naturally from 2009’s Stronger with Each Tear, both in terms of what works (solid singing on heartfelt songs) and what doesn’t (self-congratulation and unnecessary cameos). For all the autobiographical intent, the best track may well be her scorching cover of Rufus’s “Ain’t Nobody.”
