Singer, songwriter, actress and patron saint of women going through it, Mary J. Blige has been doing "Just Fine" for quite a while now, and she is working hard to keep it that way. The “Not Gon’ Cry” singer not only celebrated her 47th birthday yesterday, but she also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This all happened after the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul rocked the red carpet at this past Sunday's Golden Globes where she was nominated for her role in Mudbound with her eyes squarely on the prize of getting an Oscar nomination soon. It's only the second week in January, and MJB is already owning 2018.
To keep the momentum going musically, Mary has dropped a new single, “Bounce Back 2.0,” via SoundCloud. First teased over the holidays, Mary finally released the full track with the caption, “#TimesUp. Its Time to Bounce Back.” Mary is giving the Time's Up movement and women an empowering, motivational and inspiring anthem.
"Bounce Back 2.0” is a mid-tempo thumper perfect for giving you a little pep for stepping over your fears, worries, concerns and all the bulls**t that comes your way. Composed of bouncing synths, drums and a little guitar, the track is classic Mary and the perfect backdrop to deliver her message of hope. "Ladies, let me tell you something / We've come too far to lose," she sings directly to women, before reminding everyone, “What I’ve been through / All the suffering and fighting, but still I pull through." However, just because Mary has a positive outlook doesn’t mean she’s wearing rose-colored glasses. Instead, she gives us the real “I’m ain’t gonna lie / It really hurts a thousand times / Gotta tell myself it’s gon’ be alright,” letting us know you have to hope against hope to make it.
“Bounce Back 2.0” is the first new song we’ve heard from Ms. Blige since the release of her 13th album, Strength Of A Woman, last year, and it speaks to the overall theme of the project. Could we be getting another Mary album this year, or possibly an expanded edition of SOAW? All signs point to…maybe. She was recently seen in the studio with Kehlani, and “Bounce Back 2.0” is a strong single and meaningful song for the times we're in. While we wait and see what the deal is, we’ll go ahead and put “Bounce Back 2.0” on our 2018 bangers playlists and continue to watch Mary J. Blige's unstoppable glow up.
