No More Drama

With No More Drama, Mary J Blige's enlisting of hip-hop's finest beat makers to create lush musical soundscapes is nothing short of genius. On the Dr Dre-produced "Family Affair", Blige implores the club set to "get crunk 'cause Mary's back" as she introduces some new slang to the hip-hop vernacular ("holleration"). "Steal Away " is a classic Neptunes-induced head-nodder in the "Love is All We Need" vein, as Pharrell Williams chimes in a Curtis Mayfield-like falsetto. Those who like their R&B straight might be offended by the acoustic guitar solo by Lenny Kravitz on "PMS" or the album's title track, which samples the theme from The Young and The Restless! soap opera. But listen to "Where I've Been" (a redemptive tale of Blige's not-so-rapid ascent from the 'hood featuring guest raps from Eve) and the Missy Elliott-assisted "Never Been" and misgivings vanish. Whereas past Mary J efforts were limited to tales of relationships gone awry, her outlook is more diverse and upbeat while her scratchy, bluesy vocals have become more expansive, too. She raps on "Love", scats on "Beautiful Day", chats on the a cappella "Forever No More", and caps No More Drama with a string of uplifting ballads ("2 U", "In the Meantime"), neatly polishing off a release that will stand as one of the best of 2001. --Dalton Higgins

The revised, UK only version of No More Drama includes two new tracks - "Rainy Dayz" featuring Ja Rule and "He Think I Don't Know". The original LP version of "No More Drama" is still included plus a new version with P Diddy and an alternate version of Dance For Me (featuring Common).

MCA, 112845, 18 Track