With her mix of hip-hop and soul, Mary J Blige paved the way for colleagues such as Ashanti and Alicia Keys in the early 1990s. In terms of success they surpassed their example, but in terms of status Mary is still on an untouchable level as the one and only 'queen of hip hop soul'. She does not always sing cleanly, but is always completely credible and that is something the slick R&B sometimes
… lacks. After the No More Drama (2001) mainly produced by Dr. Dre, the successor Love & Life was put together by producer P. Diddy from the very beginning. This does not mean that there have been significant changes in direction. She still stands for tight hip-hop beats and soulful vocals. Love & Life is above all a positive album, lyrically it tells of the spiritual growth that Mary went through. A highlight is the funk riff Love @ First Sight, where Method Man takes care of the raps. There are also guest appearances from Jay-Z, Eve and 50 Cent. (MS)more
