Go There:

http://www.mjbligeonline.com/lafs/

And then give me the feedback!

I caught it last night. I didn't really care for the song when I first heard it, but it's starting to grow on me. I like how she took it back to "What's The 411?," but I have just one little complaint: When will Mary realize that she is not a soprano?! She needs to stick with her range as an alto.

Harlepolis, help me out if you remember this. When they were airing VH1's Diva Duets for the first time there was a "Save The Music" commerical that featured Mary playing notes alongside a piano. Anyway, she was trying to go higher and higher...and higher...and higher...and it sounded a damn mess!!!

I love me some Mary and all, but honestly, someone needs to tell her when it comes to singing like that. I'm not trying to be funny or anything, but her voice was higher before she got heavily into the drugs (although she claims otherwise).

Nevertheless, I can't wait until the new album drops!

okaypimpn said:

I like you my brotha but you should be lucky that you ain't standing NEXT to me right now 4 saying that :p

But seriously tho, I mean personaly I noticed a positive change in her voice after she got clean. The soprano was still going on since the get-go but it got kinda weak when she was "messy" if you know what I mean. I saw another commercial where she actualy hit the high notes which is very uncommon from MJB but it was a good suprice. I don't mind that at all, hell If I can't complain about her singing off-key then I sho as hell won't complain about this cuz the thang that I'm sure off is she can deliever with much depth and soul more than most of the chickenheads 2day(Yes! including the neo-soul mess too).

My ONLY fear tho is how will the LP sound like now that she hooked up with Puffy again? Now you know the nigga is all about SAMPLING and stuff like that, he was the shit back in the day(when he wasn't mainstream) but right now he's not good at all. Anyway, my fear is will the LP be based on SAMPLES? The woman was going "more musical" and "more sohpisticated" when she was alone and I liked that, I just hope she mentian the Musical/Sophisticated Mary if she wants 2 dig deep into that hip-hop thang.

The BIGGEST let-down so far is,,,Terry Lewis & Jimmy Jam won't be in that album

Yes she can!!!



That's true.

I'm still longing for the day she lets my boy Raphael do a track for her!!!

okaypimpn said:

You're sooo in love with that man, ain't ya? I noticed that about you. Well who am I to blame? I love the brotha myself, I just hope he releases more SOLID solo stuff than his previous work.

On his work with Mary, Will be there any? Damn, that would be the voom boom diggity if it happend. Imagine Mary doing her thang while Ray play his basslines to heaven with Benjamen Wright/Charles Veal's orchestra & the rest of the band backing her up,,,whew! makes me trip when I imagine that

okaypimpn said:

Love me some Raphael!

As for Poofy- poo-poo, don't know if the sample thing will happen, for sure, though. Maybe that could be one of the reasons the reconciliation could take place after all this time- you know, because poofy-poo wouldn't try to produce her like she was 12 years old...don't know, but you can be sure that I WILL find out.


I love me some Mary, too, but, I don't know if it's fair to say that she's a better singer than some of the neo-sisters out there. Along with Mary, I've seen nearly ALL of these sisters in concert many times times over from the USA to smaller venues in Europe, and I don't think any of them are better than each other, rather than they each bring something different to the table, musically speaking. Also, I can tell you as a hobby musician ( who, though trained, does not preform profesionally full-time cause I have a career), it takes about 20 years for a FULL-TIME artist to adaquately "learn" their instrument, vocalists included. Then you spend the rest of your life getting your "play" on. That being said, Mary definitely has a big jump on some of the other girls out there in the game, because she's had TIME to develope vocally. I wouldn't however, count the rest of the girls out, only because they need a little more time, just as she had, then I have a feeling that they'll be alright too. Although, the concert stage historically, has been where a black singer proves her might, and frankly, when I've gone to see ALL these girls in settings small or large- RARELY am I disappointed...

Harlepolis said:

I'm telling you, Ray is a muthafuckin' genius. The nigga can play his ass off...damn near every instrument. What I like about him is that he has incorporated his sound from the likes of all the soul pioneers (string arrangments from the Gamble & Huff team out of Philly, basslines from the Sly Stone/Larry Graham movement, blues guitars from the likes of B.B. King, horn arrangments from Willie Mitchel and Al Green's Memphis productions). The man is just phenomenal...don't sleep on what's to come from him!

ReeseStrongnight said:

Very well said.