The title of Mary J Blige's eighth album is a bit odd. After all, she made her breakthrough years ago, establishing herself as the queen of hip-hop soul (her description). Following a couple of lacklustre efforts, however, she needed a strong record to keep her reputation intact - this is very definitely it. The difference between Blige and other divas is that you always feel her songs are rooted in real experiences, and there are plenty of fine examples here of her gripping confessional style. There's some raw gospel, taut R'nB, a host of guest stars (The Game, Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z) and even a duet with Bono on U2's 'One' that shouldn't really work but does. Pretenders to the throne can consider the ante officially upped - Mary J is back in form.
