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Mary J. Blige had a productive 2014. Early in the year, she linked with Disclosure for an alternate version of the U.K. duo's "F for You" and performed with them in New York. A few months later, there was the release of the all-Blige soundtrack for the comedy Think Like a Man Too, which consisted of new material but was neither presented nor promoted like one of her standard releases. At some point, Blige signed to Capitol, and she took longtime collaborator Rodney Jerkins to England to work more with Disclosure, as well as with other emerging songwriters and producers, including Vibe cover star Sam Smith, Naughty Boy, and Emeli Sandé. The move was evidently significant enough to warrant the album's title and the placement of the collaborators' names on the cover. It's not that the changeup revitalized Blige. The London Sessions just happens to have her best round of songs, productions, and performances since The Breakthrough, the 2005 album Smith references in one of several unnecessary testimonials and interview snippets placed throughout the sequence of songs. A couple moments are stilted and there's some substandard songwriting, such as the woeful "I'll keep gettin' up, 'cause that's what I'm goin' to do/Gonna be the best me, I'm sorry if it kills you," from the otherwise fine "Doubt." The London Sessions nonetheless offers a sharp mix of duly aching ballads and substantive, highly detailed club tracks that are in the soul-rooted lineage of classics she has referenced, covered, and emulated throughout her career. Blige sounds as comfortable as ever over the scuffing percussion, prodding synthesizers, and even the noodling clarinet heard, at various points, in the likes of "Right Now," "My Loving," "Pick Me Up," and "Follow." The songs explore themes familiar to Blige's listeners, yet little is less than fresh. Among the ballads, the Sandé collaboration "Whole Damn Year" is the most striking, disarming in its depiction of recovering from emotional and physical abuse, while "Therapy," one of four songs made with Smith, is surprisingly understated, seemingly inspired more by Anthony Hamilton's Southern gospel-soul.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Producer, Additional Producer - Eg White, Producer, Drums, Guitar, Organ, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Tom Elmhirst, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Fitzmaurice, Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Ben Jones, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Trehy Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sam Smith, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jimmy Napes, Producer - Jodi Milliner, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Visciano, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Alex Robinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sylvester Earl Harvin, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Kieran McIntosh, Piano, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
Rodney Jerkins, Producer, Additional Producer - Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Simon Hale, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jonathan Allen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Everton Nelson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Isobel Griffiths, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Romans, Producer, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Trehy Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sam Roman, ComposerLyricist - Lucy Whalley, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Ryan Kaul, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Ben Rhodes, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Matt Champlin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Maddox Chhim, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
James Napier, Piano, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Tom Elmhirst, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Fitzmaurice, Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist - Darren Heelis, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ben Jones, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Sam Smith, ComposerLyricist - Jimmy Napes, Producer - Jodi Milliner, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Joe Visciano, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Sylvester Earl Harvin, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
Rodney Jerkins, Producer, Additional Producer - Michael Herring, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Hale, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jonathan Allen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Everton Nelson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Isobel Griffiths, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - James Napier, ComposerLyricist - Eg White, ComposerLyricist - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Trehy Harris, Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lucy Whalley, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Ben Rhodes, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Matt Champlin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Producer, Additional Producer - James Napier, ComposerLyricist - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Disclosure, Producer, Mixer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Trehy Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sam Smith, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Howard Lawrence, ComposerLyricist - Guy Lawrence, ComposerLyricist - Jimmy Napes, Engineer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Gus Pirelli, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alex Robinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
Rodney Jerkins, Producer, Mixer, Keyboards, Additional Producer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Marc Kinchen, Producer, Keyboards, Co-Producer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Trehy Harris, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sam Roman, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Fitzmaurice, Producer, Additional Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ben Harrison, ComposerLyricist - James Murray, ComposerLyricist - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist - Darren Heelis, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Harry Craze, ComposerLyricist - Hugo Chegwin, ComposerLyricist - Craze & Hoax, Producer - Romans, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Sam Roman, ComposerLyricist - Mustafa Omar, ComposerLyricist - Ryan Kaul, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Maddox Chhim, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
Rodney Jerkins, Producer, Additional Producer - Emeli Sande, ComposerLyricist - Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Trehy Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ryan Kaul, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Knox Brown, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Matt Champlin, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Maddox Chhim, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Alex Robinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - MJ Cole, Producer - James Napier, ComposerLyricist - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - M. Coleman, ComposerLyricist - Trehy Harris, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sam Smith, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jimmy Napes, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ryan Kaul, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Gus Pirelli, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Maddox Chhim, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Alex Robinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
Emeli Sande, ComposerLyricist - Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Producer, Additional Producer - Jaycen Joshua, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Naughty Boy, Producer - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Shahid Khan, ComposerLyricist - Trehy Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ryan Kaul, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Shakil Ashraf, ComposerLyricist - Maddox Chhim, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Alex Robinson, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shakaveli, Producer, Co-Producer
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
James Napier, ComposerLyricist - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Disclosure, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel - Howard Lawrence, ComposerLyricist - Guy Lawrence, ComposerLyricist - Jimmy Napes, Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Gus Pirelli, Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
Simon Hale, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jonathan Allen, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Everton Nelson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Isobel Griffiths, Strings Contractor, AssociatedPerformer - James Napier, ComposerLyricist - Tom Elmhirst, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Fitzmaurice, Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Mary J. Blige, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Ben Jones, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Napes, Producer, Engineer, Piano, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Lucy Whalley, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Jodi Milliner, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Visciano, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Gus Pirelli, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Kieran McIntosh, Hammond Organ, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
Album review
Mary J. Blige had a productive 2014. Early in the year, she linked with Disclosure for an alternate version of the U.K. duo's "F for You" and performed with them in New York. A few months later, there was the release of the all-Blige soundtrack for the comedy Think Like a Man Too, which consisted of new material but was neither presented nor promoted like one of her standard releases. At some point, Blige signed to Capitol, and she took longtime collaborator Rodney Jerkins to England to work more with Disclosure, as well as with other emerging songwriters and producers, including Vibe cover star Sam Smith, Naughty Boy, and Emeli Sandé. The move was evidently significant enough to warrant the album's title and the placement of the collaborators' names on the cover. It's not that the changeup revitalized Blige. The London Sessions just happens to have her best round of songs, productions, and performances since The Breakthrough, the 2005 album Smith references in one of several unnecessary testimonials and interview snippets placed throughout the sequence of songs. A couple moments are stilted and there's some substandard songwriting, such as the woeful "I'll keep gettin' up, 'cause that's what I'm goin' to do/Gonna be the best me, I'm sorry if it kills you," from the otherwise fine "Doubt." The London Sessions nonetheless offers a sharp mix of duly aching ballads and substantive, highly detailed club tracks that are in the soul-rooted lineage of classics she has referenced, covered, and emulated throughout her career. Blige sounds as comfortable as ever over the scuffing percussion, prodding synthesizers, and even the noodling clarinet heard, at various points, in the likes of "Right Now," "My Loving," "Pick Me Up," and "Follow." The songs explore themes familiar to Blige's listeners, yet little is less than fresh. Among the ballads, the Sandé collaboration "Whole Damn Year" is the most striking, disarming in its depiction of recovering from emotional and physical abuse, while "Therapy," one of four songs made with Smith, is surprisingly understated, seemingly inspired more by Anthony Hamilton's Southern gospel-soul.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:45:33
- Main artists: Mary J. Blige
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Capitol Records (CAP)
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
© 2014 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 2014 Capitol Records, LLC
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