Tags » mary j. blige

Diggin' in the Crates, Month of Mary

All Mary Needs Is Some 'Sincerity'

Two things struck me simultaneously the other day as I was listening to DMX: firstly, DMX used to be able to get it hype and convey so many deep emotions all at once and secondly, some dude who was my...

ill Mami  |  11/21/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Leave a Comment  |  Permalink

Month of Mary, Soul Fashioned

Mary J. Blige, Style Icon: A Retrospective

 The "Month of Mary" on SoulBounce would not be complete without taking a look back on our beloved Mary J. Blige's look in the public eye. As a woman who grew up next to one of the fashion capitals of...

Alicia  |  11/20/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (4)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary, Video SoulBounce

'My Life' At 15: The Videos

No discussion about Mary J. Blige's My Life would be complete without talking about the videos that accompanied the singles from the album. Although there were only three videos made, they are as iconic as the album itself. Filmed during...

Butta  |  11/19/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (3)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'Be Happy'

Mary J. Blige's "Be Happy" was the upbeat first single from My Life to the rest of the world of people who hadn't taken the time to delve into this overwrought, thickened with emotion of an album. To outsiders, Mary...

ill Mami  |  11/18/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (5)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'No One Else'

Unwavering dedication--at the expense of tears, heartache and sanity--throbs in the core of any true "ride or die" type of love. When My Life dropped, Mary J. Blige had become the poster child for tormented souls battered by incredibly flawed love...

Fave  |  11/17/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Leave a Comment  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'I Love You'

I wish you'd change your ways soon enough/ So we can be together/ You just don't understand good love/ But now all we have is memories...Finally, we've reached the point where Mary is just about ready to let go. I...

Harlem  |  11/16/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (3)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'Don't Go'

Words such as "pleading," "longing," "desperation" have been used thus far to describe Mary J. Blige's seminal opus, My Life. You may be tired of reading such descriptions. I'm here to tell you that reading the rest of this post...

ill Mami  |  11/13/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (8)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'Mary's Joint'

"Unnecessary pain (pain is pain) / Tell me who would get the blame (you know it hurts) / If we should go astray / What would we do? What could we say?" There comes a time every person's life when...

Harlem  |  11/12/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (5)  |  Permalink

Morning Soul

Morning Soul: Chickens Is Watching

Get ready. A new MJ-themed Vegas Cirque Du Soleil show may be on the horizon. [IDOL]Speaking of MJ, a portrait of him at an LA auction sold for $812,000. Wow. [TOI]Alicia Keys looks very soppable nice on the new Uptown...

Harlem  |  11/12/2009 at 10:00 AM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15': 'Be With You'

After going down, "Be With You" brings Mary's pining up to a more predictable plane. It's a solid R&B track that's undoubtedly of its time. This is accentuated by the preceding track's wildly popular and masterfully employed anachronism (cheers, Diddy)....

Ro  |  11/11/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (4)  |  Permalink

Bounce-Worthy

Bounce-Worthy: Saunders Sermons

Miami native Saunders Sermons first love may have been singing, but it quickly encompassed Jazz as well when he picked up the trombone at the tender age of 11. Currently touring with Maxwell, Saunders' MySpace page proudly boasts "I worked...

ill Mami  |  11/10/2009 at 3:00 PM  |  Comments (21)  |  Permalink

First Spin, Month of Mary

Why 'I Am' Loving The Month Of Mary

We really picked the right month to feature Mary J. Blige. From rocking national anthems to the release of the Precious soundtrack, to the celebration of the 15th anniversary of My Life, Mary is everywhere this month. And even though...

Harlem  |  11/10/2009 at 2:00 PM  |  Comments (5)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'I'm Goin' Down'

Though it was first popularized nearly 20 years earlier by Rose Royce, Mary's rendition of "I'm Going Down" is arguably the definitive one. This has everything to do her truth at the time. While she doesn't diverge much from...

Ro  |  11/10/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (2)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'I Never Wanna Live Without You'

"I never wanna live without you, baby / I wanna be your lady / Love is so amazing"One of the standouts on an already stellar album, "I Never Wanna Live Without You" is amongst a handful of tracks that...

Butta  |  11/09/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (4)  |  Permalink

Diggin' in the Crates, Month of Mary

Mary J. Blige Is 'Beautiful.' Isn't She, Blackstar?

Mary J. Blige may be the "Queen of Hip Hop Soul," but many would agree that Mary is the undisputed "Queen of The Remix" as well. Take a moment and think about how many tracks Mary has blessed that resulted...

ill Mami  |  11/08/2009 at 5:00 PM  |  Comments (2)  |  Permalink

First Spin, Month of Mary

'See In Color' Through Mary's Eyes

The riveting drama Precious hit theaters this weekend and those who've seen it have proclaimed that it is not to be missed. Strong performances and Oscar talk for its stars aside, something else that has tongues wagging is the soundtrack...

Butta  |  11/08/2009 at 1:00 PM  |  Comments (7)  |  Permalink

Diggin' in the Crates, Month of Mary

If You 'Don't Love' Mary 'This Way,' Who Will?

The first week into the Month of Mary, you all have been hopefully dazzled with sounds from Mary J. Blige's classic My Life. But as any fan of Mary knows, there are a plethora of bonus cuts that somehow find...

ill Mami  |  11/07/2009 at 2:00 PM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

Diggin' in the Crates, Quiet Bounce

Quiet Bounce: I'm Almost Gone

This may not seem like the song you want to hear as the workweek ends and your weekend begins, but those are the breaks. Plus, how upset can you really be with a song that features two vocal powerhouses? Though...

ill Mami  |  11/06/2009 at 8:00 PM  |  Comments (9)  |  Permalink

A Soulful Noise, Month of Mary

Mary Speaks On Why Life Is 'Precious'

Today, the much buzzed-about film Precious debuts in select theaters across the country. The story, of course, is the story of 16 year-old Claireece 'Precious' Jones, whose life was downright hopeless, and, over time, transformed into not only hopeful, but...

Harlem  |  11/06/2009 at 2:00 PM  |  Comments (2)  |  Permalink

Month of Mary

'My Life' At 15: 'You Gotta Believe'

It's no secret that My Life was: (1) an open love letter from Mary J. Blige to K-Ci Hailey; and (2) a cornucopia of '90s R&B drenched in soul instrumentals from the '60s and '70s. Unlike the majority of the...

Fave  |  11/06/2009 at 12:00 PM  |  Leave a Comment  |  Permalink