I apologize for the writing hiatus. I’ve spent the holiday season listening to Vince Guaraldi and Jose James Christmas albums while I can. Come December 26 I’ll put the holiday music away and get back to my list. I still took the time to squeeze in some new Top 100 listens and have a couple I can post between now and then. Happy Holidays!
Apple Music Rank: 86
Album: My Life
Artist: Mary J. Blige
Year: 1994
Genre: Pop
Was I familiar with Mary J. Blige? Of course. I saw her at Summerfest when I went to school in Milwaukee. I had her first album back in the day.
Had I heard My Life before? Somehow, no. I’ve heard singles, but this album is new to me.
Thoughts on My Life: Man…I’ve been missing out. This is a dope record. First off, it’s samples 101. The list of artists sampled on this album is a who’s who of great 70s soul and funk. Every song was a new treat. Isaac Hayes, Roy Ayers, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Teddy Pendergrass, O’Jays…it even samples a Guy song that was only five years old at the time. Just great sample after great sample. The other thing that jumped out at me that I’ve never paid much attention to on a Mary J. Blige album is the harmony. Mary is singing some wild harmonies on these tracks. Her voice adapts to every situation on this album. When she needs to blow, she can with the best of them. When she needs to lay back on a slow jam she’s as smooth as any vocalist I’ve ever heard. Not that I didn’t already respect the hell out of Mary J. Blige, but this is somehow the one album in her 90s discography that slipped past me and it’s easily the best.
I want to examine for a moment exactly why I missed this one. I don’t want to say sexism is the reason, but it has something to do with it. Maybe sexism is the wrong word, but it’s the best I can do. I was an 18-year-old knucklehead suburban white boy when this came out (as opposed to a 48-year-old knuckleheaded suburban white boy 30 years later). My R&B rotation at the time consisted of Jodeci, R. Kelly, Boyz II Men, etc. Mary J. Blige – more than any artist I can think of in my lifetime – is singing songs that black women relate to first. During my brief stint as a motorcycle insurance salesperson in Milwaukee in early-2000 I tried to sell some of my black female co-workers on D’Angelo’s album Voodoo. They listened politely and all agreed enthusiastically that they enjoyed the “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” video. One of them finally shut my sales pitch down when she said, “There’s only one person whose CD I’ll buy without hearing it first, and that’s Mary.” The way she said “Mary” let me know that even though they likely didn’t know each other personally she was still on a first name basis with her. That’s how much she felt Mary J. Blige and how much love she had. I assume that’s how many black women of my generation feel about Mary J. Blige.
As for me, the music is great, but Mary wasn’t singing to me. When you’re a sophomoric teenage boy it’s cooler and funnier to listen to a Jodeci track singing “Every time I close my eyes I wake up feeling so horny” or R. Kelly singing “You remind me of my Jeep, I wanna ride it” than Mary J. Blige singing about real black girl pain regardless of which artist flipped better samples. None of them are singing anything I personally relate to, which is why I find all of it appealing. I prefer music I can’t relate to. A luxury of being a straight white dude. As a young man it was just a lot more fun to bump Jodeci in the Mothership than Mary J. Blige. That’s my attempt at an explanation for why a self-proclaimed 90s R&B connoisseur like myself isn’t more familiar with a classic from the genre.
Favorite track: This is a loaded category with a lot of strong contenders, but in the end I’m going with the one song on the album that I have loved since I first heard it in ’95. “I’m Goin’ Down” blew my mind the moment I saw the video on MTV in my dorm room. Much of the track is essentially an acapella with Mary belting over a series of beeps a wailing strings with no drums. Then the chorus kicks in and it turns into a big band. One of the most unique songs in the 90s R&B catalog and a fantastic showcase for Mary’s voice.
Will I listen to My Life again? Absolutely. Added it to the library the moment I finished listening.
Would I buy it on vinyl? It’s on the wish list now. If I get the annual Christmas gift card to my favorite record store (Strictly Discs in Madison, WI) this will be one that I dig for.
To access more expert analysis of the Apple 100 Best Albums list click here.
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