Happy Monday everyone! Yesterday marked the 15-year anniversary of the release of Mary J.’s My Life CD. If you love anything music, you treasure this CD for it’s sincerity and raw emotion, and for Mary once again identifying herself as a voice of a generation. She was us, and we were her. We felt every single drop of pain and heartache that she poured into this music, and the result is a classic assortment of songs that will forever live on with us.
To honor Mary, this Music Monday is dedicated to my Top 5 favorite Mary J. songs. It was hard to break it down, and I kept changing my mind, and it just may change after this post…but it’s done nonetheless.
Agree or disagree…it’s all good!
Let’s start with Reminisce from the What’s the 411? CD. From that first note, you know that Mary is here, and she’s not going anywhere. The CD was released on July 28, 1991, and ended up going 3x Platinum. Reminisce is my favorite mostly because of the introduction that leads into the funky beat that grooves through the remainder of the cut.
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From the No More Drama CD, my next choice is 2 U. It is a love letter set to music. When you can’t quite find the right words to say, write them down. When you can’t write them down, this song is perfect to play in someone’s ear to get the message across. No More Drama was released on August 28, 2001, and was a testament to Mary trying to break free from the abusive relationships and drugs that had a hold on her at the time.¹
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Work That appears on the Growing Pains CD, released on December 18, 2007. This CD is like an evolution; it is a picture of a stronger, wiser Mary, but a Mary that realizes that she still needs to grow. Work That is an anthem targeted to women to love ourselves, no matter what. Let them say what they are going to say…find something about yourself and embrace it!
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Did you know that Enough Cryin’ was originally supposed to feature Foxy Brown? During the promo tour for the CD, Mary was on 106 and Park and told the audience that Jay-Z wrote the lyrics for Foxy, but this was about the time that Foxy lost her hearing and it didn’t sound right. Then came the idea for Mary to do the rap herself. There was a lot of backlash from that video, the least being confirmation of the fact that Foxy doesn’t write her own rhymes. Enough Cryin’ is on The Breakthrough CD, which was released on December 20, 2005.
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Lastly, the creme de la creme, is My Life (from the CD of the same name, released November 29, 1994). Full of pain and emotion, this is the album that solidified Mary as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. Ask anyone which Mary CD they would take with them on a deserted island, and I would bet money that this would be the one. It is full of treasures, and My Life is the ultimate.
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What are your favorite Mary J. tunes? Let me know in the comments…
There is are some excellent write ups over at SoulBounce in homage to Mary…check them out.
Blessings…
source: ¹Wikipedia
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