Love & Life (Mary J. Blige album)

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Love & Life
Studio album by
Mary J. Blige
ReleasedAugust 26, 2003
Length70:41
LabelGeffen
Producer
Mary J. Blige chronology
No More Drama
(2001) 		Love & Life
(2003) 		The Breakthrough
(2005)
Singles from Love & Life
  1. "Love @ 1st Sight"
    Released: June 24, 2003
  2. "Ooh!"
    Released: September 15, 2003
  3. "Not Today"
    Released: March 3, 2004
  4. "Whenever I Say Your Name"
    Released: August 6, 2004
  5. "It's a Wrap"
    Released: October 29, 2004

Love & Life is the sixth studio album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was released by Geffen Records on August 26, 2003. The album marked Blige's debut on the Geffen label, following the absorption of her former record company MCA Records. In addition, it saw her reuniting with Sean "Diddy" Combs, executive producer of her first two studio albums What's the 411? (1992) and My Life (1994), who wrote and executive produced most of Love & Life with his Bad Boy in-house production team The Hitmen, including Mario Winans, D-Dot, and Stevie J.[1]

Love & Life was released to positive reception from music critics, who applauded Blige's vocal performances and her collaboration with Combs on most of the songs. Commercially, it became her second album to debut at the top of the US Billboard 200 chart with 285,298 copies. Though less successful than its predecessor No More Drama (2001), the album was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA. Internationally, it entered the top ten in Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Love & Life also received numerous accolades, earning Blige her first nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 46th Grammy ceremony.

In support of the album, five singles from the album were released. Lead single "Love @ 1st Sight", a collaboration with rapper Method Man, and second single "Ooh!" both reached the top thirty of the US Billboard 100 chart and peaked within the top forty on most charts they appeared on. "Not Today" featuring rapper Eve, "Whenever I Say Your Name", a duet with singer Sting, and final single "It's a Wrap" were less successful. In April and May 2004, Blige promoted Love & Life in her Love & Life concert tour, which visited several cities throughout the United States.

Background[edit]

Citing creative differences, Blige and mentor Sean "Diddy" Combs parted ways after the release of her multi-platinum second album My Life (1994).[2] The pair reconnected in 2001, when Combs was consulted to produce a remix for Blige's single "No More Drama" from her album of the same name.[2] Following its release, they decided to join forces on Blige's No More Drama Tour, during which Blige and Combs performed a few of their hit singles from What's the 411? (1992) and 1994’s My Life (1994).[3] The warm reception from the tour led them to believe that Blige’s next project was the perfect opportunity to try and recapture the magic of previous collaborations.[3]

Combs, who declared Love & Life a continuation of My Life,[2] consulted The Hitmen, the in-house production team of his Bad Boy label, including Stevie J., D-Dot, and Mario Winans, to work with Blige and him on the album,[4] with Dr. Dre being the main outlier.[4] Additional producers include Theron Feemster, Kay Gee, Kipper, and Donald Lawrence, while guest appearances were provided by rappers Method Man, 50 Cent, Jay Z, and Eve, with singer Sting appearing on reissue bonus track "Whenever I Say Your Name," initially recorded with Blige for his 2003 album Sacred Love.[4]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Blender[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[9]
LAUNCH[10]
Los Angeles Times[11]
Q[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
Slant Magazine[14]
Vibe3.5/5[15]

Love & Life received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on 10 reviews.[5] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman wrote that while the positive attitude of Love & Life creates a "distance that holds the album back from being one of her best [...] at least half a dozen cuts will vie for slots on a future best-of."[6] Rolling Stone writer Ernest Hardy believed that with Love & Life, Blige "solidifies her standing as the hood Oprah, offering songs of faith and affirmation [...] Her lyrics are confessional, with scant use of metaphor or simile, and little of the creative risk-taking of poetry – the point with Blige is relating, not memorable tunes."[13]

PopMatters felt that with Love & Life, "Mary continues her trendsetting path, understanding that what works best for her is doing her, in whatever life stage she may be experiencing at the moment."[16] Michael Paoletta from Billboard found the album "spirited, if uneven," and noted that it was "home to funky sensations, hip-hop attitude, and loved-up lyrics."[17] Vibe editor Dimitri Ehrlich wrote that on Blige's "sixth studio album, it's the songs of sadness and anger that work best."[15] In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau argued that the album's "selling point is a reborn P. Diddy overseeing a catchy set husbanded by many co-producers. It peaks in the middle, and [...] ends stronger than No More Drama. Up against What's the 411? Mary sounds older yet still girlish, rounder and smoother and pitch-improved but praise Shirley Brown not perfect yet."[18]

Neil Drumming was more critical in Entertainment Weekly, focusing on the abundance of melancholy-heavy ballads and Combs' decision to rely on heavy sampling for most tracks, which he called "shallow, trebly echoes of their former selves." He noted that "despite her signature heartache-inducing voice," Blige could not "save Love & Life from her heavy-handed songwriting" and found that the lyrics to be "soggy with relationships" and lacking subtlety.[9] Jonah Weiner of Blender commented that "practically every song sounds as though we've heard it before – because, well, we have."[7] Q panned the record as mostly "a procession of syrupy ballads with added self-help litanies."[12]

Commercial performance[edit]

In the US, Love & Life became Blige's second number-one album.[19]

In the United States, Love & Life debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 285,298 copies in first week.[19] It became Blige's second number-one album on the chart, following 1997's Share My World.[19] The album also opened at the top spot on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, marking Blige's sixth consecutive album to top the latter chart.[19] MTV News noted that this feat lifted Blige "among music's most consistent artists on the albums chart," since from "her last four albums, three debuted in the top two slots, and the fourth took number nine. All of Blige's three most recent releases "each sold between 240,000 and 294,000 copies in the weeks they debuted".[20] In October 2003, Love & Life was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and as of 2009 the album has sold 1 million copies.[21]

In the United Kingdom, Love & Life became Blige's fourth consecutive album to reach the top ten of the UK Albums Chart, debuting at number eight.[22] In November 2003, it was certified silver by British Phonographic Industry (BPI), indicating sales of more than 60,000 units.[23] Elsewhere, the album reached the top twenty in Denmark, France, Norway, and the Wallonian region of Belgium,[24] and peaked at number six on the Canadian Albums Chart.[25] Love & Life also entered the top three in Sweden and Switzerland, where it ranks among Blige's highest-charting albums as of 2016.[24]

Accolades and impact[edit]

Love & Life and its singles earned Blige numerous awards and nominations. At the 46th Grammy Awards, the album received a nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album, losing to Beyoncé's Dangerously in Love.[26] Meanwhile, the album's second single, "Ooh!" received a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, also losing to "Dangerously in Love 2" by Beyoncé. The album's international fourth single, the Sting-featured "Whenever I Say Your Name" won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.[26] The same year, Love & Life received a Best Female R&B/Soul Album nod at the 2004 Soul Train Music Awards, though it again lost to Dangerously in Love.[27]

Despite its critical success, media journalists considered Love & Life a disappointment since it failed to duplicate the combined commercial success of previous album No More Drama (2001) and its parent singles such as "Family Affair" and "No More Drama".[28][29] Blige later expressed discontent with the success of the project, citing both Combs's dominant role and the large group of collaborators on the project as pivotal. In a 2006 interview with Billboard, the singer stated that she "knew that Love & Life was something that disappointed [the fans]. None us were in a good place. Too many cooks spoiled the soup. You had [Diddy] saying 'Do this, do that' and I wanted something else".[30] Blige also criticized record company executives for stepping in the recording process.[31] In 2013, while commenting on her musical catalogue, she further remarked: "Love & Life was confusion and we didn’t know what the heck we were doing."[32]

Track listing[edit]

Love & Life – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Love & Life Intro" (featuring P. Diddy and Jay-Z)
2:48
2."Don't Go"
4:28
3."When We"
  • Combs
  • Andy C.
  • Jamison
3:36
4."Not Today" (featuring Eve)
4:13
5."Finally Made It (Interlude)"
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Angelettie
  • Richard Holland
  • Combs
  • D-Dot
1:39
6."Ooh!"
  • Combs
  • D-Nat
4:07
7."Let Me Be the 1" (featuring 50 Cent)
  • Combs
  • Crosby
  • Sanchez
4:40
8."Love @ 1st Sight" (featuring Method Man)
  • Combs
  • Winans
  • Stevie J
5:18
9."Willing & Waiting"
  • Combs
  • Andy C.
  • Jamison
4:19
10."Free (Interlude)"
  • Blige
  • Winans
  • Combs
  • Winans
2:04
11."Friends"
  • Combs
  • Foote
  • Hasan
  • Winans[A]
4:02
12."Press On"
4:17
13."Feel Like Makin' Love"
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Jamison
  • Jordan
  • Combs
  • Stevie J
4:42
14."It's a Wrap"
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Winans
  • Combs
  • Winans
4:20
15."Message in Our Music (Interlude)"
  • Combs
  • Blige
2:14
16."All My Love"
  • Combs
  • D-Nat
4:16
17."Special Part of Me"
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Winans
  • Combs
  • Winans
4:33
18."Ultimate Relationship (A.M.)"
  • Combs
  • Lawrence
5:05
Total length:1:10:41
Love & Life – International bonus track[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
19."Didn't Mean"
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Winans
  • Fareed
  • Taylor
  • Muhammad
  • J. Yancey
  • Combs
  • D-Nat
3:43
Total length:1:14:24
Love & Life – Japanese bonus tracks[41]
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
19."Happy Endings"
  • Blige
  • Herb Middleton
  • Middleton
5:13
20."If I Don't Love You This Way" (Jackson 5 cover)
  • Blige
4:01
Total length:1:19:55
Love & Life – UK bonus tracks[41]
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
19."Didn't Mean"
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Winans
  • Fareed
  • Taylor
  • Muhammad
  • J. Yancey
  • Combs
  • D-Nat
3:43
20."If I Don't Love You This Way" (Jackson 5 cover)
  • Ware
  • Sawyer
  • Blige
4:01
Total length:1:18:25
Love & Life – UK Reissue and Japanese Tour Edition bonus tracks[42][43]
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
19."Didn't Mean"
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Winans
  • Fareed
  • Taylor
  • Muhammad
  • J. Yancey
  • Combs
  • D-Nat
3:43
20."Whenever I Say Your Name" (featuring Sting)Sting
5:25
Total length:1:19:49
Love & Life – North American Limited Edition Bonus DVD[44]
No.TitleLength
1."Love & Life" (Behind the Scenes Documentary)42:05
Love & Life – Japanese Tour Edition Bonus DVD[43]
No.TitleLength
1."Love @ First Sight" (music video)4:14
2."Not Today" (music video)4:31
3."It's a Wrap" (music video)5:19
Notes

^[A] denotes co-producer.

Sample credits

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for Love & Life
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[65] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[66] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Pride, Felicia (September 12, 2003). "Mary J. Blige: Love & Life". PopMatters. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Mary J. Blige: Love & Life". Billboard. August 9, 2003. p. 13. Retrieved August 22, 2016. blige LOVE & LIFE.
  3. ^ a b Folk, Antwane (August 27, 2018). "15 years later, Mary J. Blige 'Love & Life' deserves more homage from critics and the singer herself". Revolt.tv. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Christopher, Renaldo (August 25, 2023). "Revisiting Mary J. Blige's 'Love & Life': A 20-Year Retrospective". BET.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Love & Life by Mary J. Blige Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. August 26, 2003. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Love & Life". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Weiner, Jonah (September 2003). "Review: Love & Life". Blender: 138.
  8. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Mary J. Blige". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  9. ^ a b Drumming, Neil (September 5, 2003). "Love & Life (2003)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  10. ^ O'Connell, Sharon (September 8, 2003). "Mary J Blige - 'Love & Life'". LAUNCH. Archived from the original on June 19, 2004. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  11. ^ Nichols, Natalie (August 24, 2003). "A little too much of a good thing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Review". Q. November 2003. p. 113.
  13. ^ a b Hardy, Ernest (August 25, 2003). "Mary J. Blige: Love & Life". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  14. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (September 3, 2003). "Mary J. Blige: Love & Life". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  15. ^ a b Ehrlich, Dimitri (January 10, 2003). "Revolutions". Vibe. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  16. ^ "Mary J. Blige: Love & Life". Slant Magazine. September 11, 2003. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  17. ^ Paoletta, Michael (2003-09-06). "Essential Reviews". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  18. ^ Christgau, Robert (September 23, 2003). "The Commoner Queen". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  19. ^ a b c d Hilburn, Robert (2003-09-04). "Blige, blissfully in love, goes straight to the top". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  20. ^ D'Angelo, Joe (2003-09-03). "Mary J. Blige, Hilary Duff Take Over Top Slots On Albums Chart". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  21. ^ Mitchell, Gail (December 12, 2009). "Strength of Character". Billboard. Vol. 121, no. 49. p. 19. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 26, 2023 – via Google Books.
  22. ^ a b "Mary J. Blige | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  23. ^ a b "British album certifications – Mary J. Blige – Love & Life". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  24. ^ a b c "Swisscharts.com – Mary J Blige – Love & life". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  25. ^ a b "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  26. ^ a b "46th Annual GRAMMY Awards". The Recording Academy . Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  27. ^ Hall, Sarah (20 February 2004). "Beyoncé Tops Soul Train Noms". E!. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  28. ^ "Mary J Blige, Rose Hall, New York 16 October". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  29. ^ Browne, David (December 23, 2005). "The Breakthrough Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2011-04-16.
  30. ^ Newman, Melinda (7 January 2006). "New Mary J. Album A Sales Breakthrough". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  31. ^ Reid, Shaheem. "Mary J. Blige's Breakthrough Is Coming Out This Year After All". MTV News. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  32. ^ Penrice, Ronda Racha. "Mary J. Blige on Black Nativity, Mary and Forgiveness". Uptown. Archived from the original on 2016-08-13. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  33. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (European CD)". discogs.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  34. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (2xLP European Pressing)". discogs.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  35. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (Argentina CD)". discogs.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  36. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (Thailand CD)". discogs.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  37. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (South Africa CD)". discogs.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  38. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (Indonesia CD)". discogs.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  39. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (Poland Cassette)". discogs.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  40. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (Ukraine Cassette)". discogs.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  41. ^ a b "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (Japan CD)". discogs.com. 22 August 2003. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  42. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (UK Reissue CD)". discogs.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  43. ^ a b "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (Japan Tour Edition CD+DVD)". discogs.com. 21 May 2004. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  44. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Love & Life (US Limited Edition CD+DVD)". discogs.com. 26 August 2003. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  45. ^ "Chartifacts! – Week Commencing 23rd January 2006" (PDF). The ARIA Report (829). January 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  46. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Mary J Blige – Love & life" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  47. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mary J Blige – Love & life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  48. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mary J Blige – Love & life" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  49. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. November 30, 2003. Archived from the original on December 9, 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
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  51. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mary J Blige – Love & life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  52. ^ "Lescharts.com – Mary J Blige – Love & life". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  53. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Mary J Blige – Love & life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  54. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Mary J Blige – Love & life". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  55. ^ "ラヴ&ライフ" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  56. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Mary J Blige – Love & life". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  57. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  58. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Mary J Blige – Love & life". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  59. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  60. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  61. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  62. ^ "Jahrescharts 2003". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  63. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  64. ^ "2003 Year-End Chart – Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  65. ^ "Japanese album certifications – MAry J. Blige – Share My World" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2003年9月 on the drop-down menu
  66. ^ "American album certifications – Mary J. Blige – Love & Life". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 19, 2016.

External links[edit]

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