フォーマット |
CD |
---|---|
構成数 |
1 |
国内/輸入 |
輸入 (International Version) |
パッケージ仕様 |
- |
発売日 |
2017年04月28日 |
---|---|
規格品番 |
5726148 |
レーベル |
|
SKU |
602557261486 |
構成数 | 1枚
合計収録時間 | 00:57:42
Photographer: Dennis Leupold. On Strength of a Woman, Mary J. Blige covers a lot of lyrical ground familiar to anyone who has heard her 11 previous studio albums. A significant fraction of this set's sentiments are cliched. There are self-help platitudes such as "You gotta love yourself before you love someone else," along with timeworn redemptive declarations like "I was lost but now I'm found" and "Now I'm finally free to be me." In fairness, the stock phrases are delivered with conviction, understandably weighed with a sense of "Not this bull again." The alleged extramarital antics that dragged Blige back into this darkness, after all, are as cliched as it gets. Clearly the time wasn't right for Blige to record a bunch of feel-good jams, but in the listener's favor, the anguish has also inspired the singer and her co-writers and producers -- Brandon Hodge, Darhyl Camper, Jr., Prince Charlez, and Jazmine Sullivan, along with many others -- to illustrate these ballads of confrontation and perseverance with enough specifics to distinguish them from the past work. Take "Set Me Free," where a swanky, winding backdrop supports stinging "hmph" lines like "You musta lost it -- n*gga, you won't get a dime," followed by "There's a special place in hell for you" in dismissive high register. A clinking Kaytranada collaboration ("Telling the Truth"), a back-stabbed weeper that bares Sullivan's unmistakable touch ("Thank You"), and a machine-soul ballad worthy of an extended 12" mix ("U + Me [Love Lesson]") likewise could not have been made at any other point in Blige's career. A few songs do depart from expressing pain and the documentation of recovery. Brightest of all is "Find the Love," pure early-'80s boogie throwback. Just beneath that is the title track, a theatrical empowerment anthem that would likely close just about any other album. Instead, extra punctuation is provided by "Hello Father," another gem. It contains one of the hour's best grooves, provided by Hit-Boy, and is all devotional finesse. ~ Andy Kellman
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1.[CD]
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1.Love Yourself - (featuring Kanye West)
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2.Thick of It
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3.Set Me Free
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4.It's Me
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5.Glow Up - (featuring DJ Khaled/Quavo/Missy Elliott)
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6.U + Me (Love Lesson)
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7.Indestructible
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8.Thank You
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9.Survivor
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10.Find the Love
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11.Smile - (featuring Prince Charlez)
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12.Telling the Truth
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13.Strength of a Woman
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14.Hello Father
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クリスマス盤やサントラを出し、ロンドンでのセッションを経て主戦場に戻ってきた感のあるMJBの新作。不幸や不遇が原動力にもなってきた彼女にとっては夫との離婚も発奮材料となったか、DJキャンパーとB.A.M.をメイン・プロデューサーに迎えた本作では先行曲"Thick Of It"のようなアンビエントな音色を配したスロウを中心に、激しさも込めたブルージーなヴォーカルで抑揚をつけながら歌っていく。カニエ・ウェスト客演のドラマティックな"Love Yourself"をはじめ、DJキャレドの呼び込みでミッシー・エリオットとミーゴスのクエヴォが絡むトラップ調の"Glow Up"、バッドバッドノットグッドと制作を手掛けたケイトラナダを迎えてのサイバーな"Telling The Truth"など、ゲストの色に染まらない旬な共演も上々。EDMを仄かに匂わせるケイノン・ラムら制作の快活なブギー・ディスコ"Find The Love"は後半のハイライトだろう。現行モードに身を浸しながらR&Bの王道を行くソウル・クイーンの堂々たるアルバムだ。
bounce (C)林剛タワーレコード (vol.403(2017年5月25日発行号)掲載)
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