8 nominations
Including Record of the Year

"The Breakthrough" earned it.
I wonder If it's going to be Mary's year...

any thoughts?




through edit
[Edited 2/3/07 11:10am]

I love her & wish her the best

DirtyChris said:

I know...
"Be With You" is up against "Black Sweat"

tony23k said:

oh wow...

"Be Without You" is easily
the Record Of The Year

I don't know one person
who can't sing a portion of the song

Funny, I just finished listening to "Reflections" and was thinking about how I'd make my own.

I loved the Breakthrough album from front to back, loved Be Without You, and I'm hoping that she recieves some Grammys especially the Grammy for Best R&B Album because she definitely deserves them. This is going to be her best year because she has already made her big comeback and she proved it with this album that turns out to be her best since the incredible Mary album from 1999!
[Edited 2/2/07 22:11pm]

silverchild said:

Love that one.

LOVED THAT ALBUM from top to bottom, only 2-4 somewhat weak tracks on it

GangstaFam said:

That album doesn't even pretend to be a hits album.

At this point, she probably needs a 2-CD set, but I'll try to stick to one.

Reminisce: The Best of Mary J. Blige

1. You Remind Me (Remix) [video version]
2. Real Love
3. Reminisce (Remix)
4. Love No Limit
5. Be Happy
6. My Life (could be replaced by the remix of "I'm Goin' Down")
7. I Can Love You
8. Everything
9. All That I Can Say
10. Deep Inside
11. Family Affair
12. No More Drama
13. Love @ First Sight
14. Not Today
15. Be Without You
16. Enough Cryin'

There were a lot of good singles that wouldn't fit ("You Bring Me Joy," "Love Is All We Need," "Your Child," etc.). Maybe the second disc could include all of the hard to find remixes (like the aforementioned "I'm Goin' Down"). I'll think about it some more...

Oops! I totally forgot "Not Gon' Cry," which obviously has to be included. I guess I'd drop "Not Today."

Anyway, I did a little more research. Here are Mary's Top 10 R&B hits:

1. You Remind Me (#1)
2. Real Love (#1)
3. Reminisce (#6)
4. Love No Limit (#5)
5. Be Happy (#6)
6. Not Gon' Cry (#1)
7. I Can Love You (#2)
8. Everything (#5)
9. All That I Can Say (#6)
10. Deep Inside (#9)
11. Family Affair (#1)
12. Rainy Dayz (#8)
13. Love @ 1st Sight (#10)
14. Be Without You (#1)
15. Enough Cryin' (#2)
16. Take Me As I Am (#3)

Top 20:
1. Sweet Thing (#11)
2. You Don't Have to Worry (#11)
3. I'm Goin' Down (#13)
4. No More Drama (#16)
5. Ooh! (#14)
6. MJB da MVP (#19)

GangstaFam said:

I just saw the video for "We Ride"
"Reflections" is all over the place.
It could have been a more cohesive compilation,if it had'nt come out so soon.

AlexdeParis said:

MARY J BLIGE

"Be Without You"

I wanna be with you, gotta be with you, need to be with you
(Oh, oh, oh, oh)
I wanna be with you, gotta be with you, need to be with you
(Oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oooo (oh, oh, oh, oh) oooo

Chemistry was crazy from the get-go
Neither one of us knew why
We didn't build nothing overnight
Cuz a love like this takes some time
People swore it off as a phase
Said we can’t see that
Now from top to bottom
They see that we did that
It’s so true that
We’ve been through it
We got real sh**
See baby we been...

Too strong for too long (and I can’t be without you baby)
And I’ll be waiting up until you get home (cuz I can’t sleep without you baby)
Anybody who’s ever loved, ya know just what I feel
Too hard to fake it, nothing can replace it
Call the radio if you just can’t be without your baby

I got a question for ya
See I already know the answer
But still I wanna ask you
Would you lie? (no)
Make me cry? (no)
Do somethin’ behind my back and then try to cover it up?
Well, neither would I, baby
My love is only your love
I’ll be faithful
I’m for real
And with us you’ll always know the deal
We’ve been...

Too strong for too long (and I can’t be without you baby)
And I’ll be waiting up until you get home (cuz I can’t sleep without you baby)
Anybody who’s ever loved, ya know just what I feel
Too hard to fake it, nothing can replace it
Call the radio if you just can’t be without your baby

See this is real talk
I’m always stay (no matter what)
Good or bad (thick and thin)
Right or wrong (all day everyday)
Now if you’re down on love or don’t believe
This ain’t for you (no, this ain’t for you)
And if you got it deep in your heart
And deep down you know that it’s true (come on, come on, come on)
Well, let me see you put your hands up (hands up)
Fellas tell your lady she’s the one (fellas tell your lady she’s the one, oh)
Put your hands up (hands up)
Ladies let him know he's got your love
Look him right in his eyes and tell him
We’ve been...

Too strong for too long (and I can’t be without you baby)
And I’ll be waiting up until you get home (cuz I can’t sleep without you baby)
Anybody who’s ever loved, ya know just what I feel
Too hard to fake it, nothing can replace it
Call the radio if you just can’t be without your baby

Heeeeey Ohhhhh
Heeeeey Ohhhhh

I wanna be with you, gotta be with you, need to be with you
I wanna be with you, gotta be with you, need to be with you
I wanna be with you, gotta be with you, need to be with you
I wanna be with you, gotta be with you, need to be with you
I wanna be with you, gotta be with you, need to be with you

tony23k said:

I hate this song.
Mary J. Blige

AlexdeParis said:

If anything, there may need to be a box set of Mary J. Blige's music collection. You definitely will need a two-disc set that could include some memorable album tracks (like her duet with K-Ci -- "I Don't Want To Do Anything" -- on "What's the 411?")

Najee said:

As much as I love that song, I wouldn't say it belongs on a Mary compilation. She's had at least 3 albums that people would consider her best (her first two and Mary). Any compilation would merely be a sampler. With so many hits and such limited space, that song probably shouldn't go ahead any of her debut's more successful singles. Of course, there's also the issue with the identity of the duet partner

AlexdeParis said:

I'm not saying "I Don't Want To Do Anything" would go ahead of the essential Mary J. Blige stuff, but if you were creating a box set (something as expansive as Marvin Gaye's "The Master" or EWF's "The Eternal Dance"), then it definitely should be listed.

AlexdeParis said:

Ironically, that also would be another reason to put it on such an expansive set.
[Edited 2/3/07 17:36pm]

AlexdeParis said:

I agree with that! A song like I Don't Want To Do Anything is indeed a fan favorite and one of my personal favorites from her debut album, What's The 411, but I don't think it needs to be present on a two disc anthology of Mary J Blige's hit-filled career. I think songs like As featuring George Michael, Sincerity, Seven Days, Everything, Love No Limit, or even It's A Wrap should be on there. Her newest compilation IS missing a lot, but I guess this was a way for her to write off such a wonderful time she has had since The Breakthrough was released. I would consider the Reflections compilation to be her own #1's compilation--just like Mariah considered hers not to be a "greatest hits" thing back in 1998, Mary's is sort of like that to me!

Najee said:

Agreed again.

silverchild said:

I wouldn't compare this album to #1's. At the very least, that one gave an excellent overview of Carey's career to date. This one all but skips 3 of Mary's albums completely.

I love the "As" cover, but it shouldn't go on there because it's her fault (well, her record company's) that it wasn't originally on the U.S. version of Ladies & Gentlemen.

This must be some sort of prince.org record - only one negative response in a Mary J. Blige thread? I don't often allow myself to participate in them, because they tend to get downright vicious toward her.

RipHer2Shreds said:

It seems like this site is vicious to a lot of acts ... and some are sacred cows.

AlexdeParis said:

i disagree about your praise to the #1's compilation. #1's was very incomplete, because even though it included the biggest hits of Mariah's career, it didn't go into the depth of her range and artistry. The 2001 long-awaited compilation of her Columbia period, Greatest Hits was probably the excellent overview of that period, even though it seems padded sometimes because it displays the range of material she recorded during that time. I'm not saying Mary's new compilation is better or worse than Mariah's #1's, but it seems that way because it's missing some of best songs and it indeed skips the major highlights of her career including the whole Mary-era from 1999-2000 and the Share My World-era from 1996-1998. It is disappointing, but I hope a 2-disc collection will be released soon.
[Edited 2/3/07 18:17pm]

silverchild said:

Seriously? It seems like you're contradicting yourself. The problems with Reflections that you mention were not seen on #1's. It contained all of Mariah's #1 hits. OTOH, Mary's disc ignores her first #1 and, despite not being hampered by the #1 criteria, doesn't even include her #2 hits and only has 5 of her 16 total top-10 hits. Mariah's disc includes at least one song from every album she recorded by that time (including the Unplugged album) while Mary's ignores Mary, Share My World, and Love & Life -- almost half of her 7 studio albums. All that, but you can't say whether Reflections is better or worse? As far as I can see, one compilation makes good on its claim to give an overview of the artist's career while the other doesn't.

AlexdeParis said:

I'm workin' on a 2 disc version.

Record of the year choices:

James Blunt-"You're Beautiful"
Dixie Chicks-"Not Ready To Make Nice"
Mary J. Blige-"Be Without You"
Gnarls Barkley-"Crazy"
Corrine Bailey Rae-"Put Your Records On"

These are all great songs...

tony23k said:

tony23k said:

James Blunt makes my ears bleed. I'd be happy with a Gnarls win, but I'm backing Mary.

I love her!

She's the ONLY sincere and genuine mainstream star right now IMO.

Her '[b]Mary[b]' is my FAVE album from her. It was her proof that she's not a product like many accused her to be.

Unfortunately, most of Mary's BETTER body of work is unreleased and whats worse is, this "Reflection" album didn't do her justice. Its not even.

Her hardcore fans even complain about that.

Harlepolis said:

What do you mean by that?