Mary J Blige - No More Drama

Anyone who's purchased one of Mary J. Blige's albums understands that the "queen of hip-hop soul" would much rather push artistic envelopes than lick 'em. With No More Drama, her enlisting of hip-hop's finest beat-makers to create lush musical soundscapes is nothing short of genius. On the Dr. Dre-produced "Family Affair," Blige implores the club set to "get crunk 'cause Mary's back" as she introduces some new slang to the hip-hop vernacular ("holleration"). "Steal Away" is a classic Neptunes-induced head-nodder in the "Love Is All We Need" vein, as Pharrell Williams chimes in a Curtis Mayfield-like falsetto. Those who like their R&B straight might be offended by the acoustic guitar solo by Lenny Kravitz on "PMS," or the album's title track, which samples the theme from The Young and the Restless soap opera. But listen to "Where I've Been" (a redemptive tale of Blige's not-so-rapid ascent from the 'hood, featuring guest raps from Eve) and the Missy Elliott-assisted "Never Been," and misgivings vanish. Whereas past Mary J. efforts were limited to tales of relationships gone awry, her outlook is more diverse and upbeat, while her scratchy, bluesy vocals have become more expansive, too. She raps on "Love," scats on "Beautiful Day," chats on the a cappella "Forever No More," and caps No More Drama with a string of uplifting ballads ("2 U," "In the Meantime"), neatly polishing off a release that will stand as one of the best of 2001. --Dalton Higgins Amazon.com\'s Best of 2001

3.5 stars: Mixed Bag on this joint.........

Got some good joints on here, but not a great album overall.

Top Joints:
Family Affair (Dr Dre smash)
No More Drama
Rainy Dayz (w/ Ja Rule)
Beautiful Day
Dance For Me (Remix w/ Common)
No More Drama (Remix w/ P. Diddy)
Flying Away (My Personal Favorite)
Never Been (A Missy Banger)
February 13, 2007

Mary J. Blige

This is a great album! It's like Mary's "My Life" album where you can relate to the songs. February 7, 2007

..beautiful!

I hadn't listened to this CD for a while for some reason. Boy was I missing out! This is one of, if not my absolute, favorite Mary J. albums. It is truly beatiful. Her vocals on here are wonderful, the production is great. Every single song is great!

I actually like the original version a little bit better. I would recommend finding the original and buying it along with this one. This re-release is still great and the new songs keep the quality and integrity of the album. (That is very rare with re-issues.)

I definitely recommend this, along with the original if you can find it. This is one of my all time favorite albums. December 29, 2006

One of her greatest

I have several albums by Mary J Blije and have to say that this is by far one of her best. I am completely satisfied and happy with my purchase and would reccomend it to anyone, whether they are already a fan of hers or not. Even my father loves it. July 17, 2006

Bringing Realism Back Into The R&B World

After reviewing THE BREAKTHROUGH, which besides WHAT'S THE 411? is in my opinion Mrs. Blige's true tour de force, I thought I'd give here critically acclaimed NO MORE DRAMA some love. NO MORE DRAMA prior to THE BREAKTHROUGH was her last truly great album. LOVE & LIFE was good, but it wasn't quite as good as the album before it (NO MORE DRAMA). Once again on this album, Mary J. Blige sings of heartaches and working through life's struggles. While with other R&B artists this subject matter or topic might become tired and boring, Mary always makes for a good album, even on her weaker releases, which are very few.

NO MORE DRAMA opens up bombastically with the hit though too short in duration "Love" in which Mary J. Blige asserts her role as the queen of hip-hop soul. Perhaps what the draw is here is the catchy chorus in which the background vocals say each letter in the word "LOVE" using it as an irregular acronym in a sense. Following the opening anthem is perhaps Blige's best known universal hit and her only #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Family Affair". It is what it is, just an exceptional track with exceptional productions and seering vocals. "He Think I Don't Know" has the queen talking about a man thinking his women is stupid of what he is doing and stupid in general. While the song is long and drawn out, it is an irresistable listen. One of the real treats comes with "PMS" which uses a sample of the Al Green Soul classic "Simply Beautiful". Blige is at her most soulful. Later on, the Soap Opera theme sampled "No More Drama" is great with a hip-hop beat and painful-soul renching vocals from MJB. Finally, "Testimony" is a great, uplifting track and shows a more cheerful Blige.

Overall, this album is a production masterpiece with a number of samples and soulful hip-hop backdrops for Blige to paint with her incredibly soulful voice. Overall, it isn't the masterpiece of THE BREAKTHROUGH, but it is an incredibly strong album, period. 4 stars. June 14, 2006

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