Untitled Document

Mary J. Blige @ Wembley Arena, London - Saturday 17 June, 2006

Reviewed by Melisa Tang

The Queen of Hip Hop/Soul was in town for one night, and one night only. With a career spanning over 15 years, Mary J. Blige has sold millions of records and moved hundreds more fans with her emotional, heartfelt hip hop-tinged soul.

Her career has been a long journey, full of ups and downs, but throughout it all, Mary’s fans have stuck by her, for her troubles are their troubles too. Many would agree that it is her realness, the genuine pain or happiness in her songs, which they can relate to.

Her rare UK date was not missed by fans, who packed out Wembley Arena eager to see a true musical icon – and Mary J. did not disappoint. Coming onstage in a long white wraparound top and matching white knee-length shorts, Mary launched into ‘Real Love’, from her 1992 triple-platinum debut LP ‘What’s the 411?’, the first of several old school tracks of the night. The upbeat song was a great starter, and Mary continued to reminisce, performing snippets of tracks like ‘My Life’, ‘Seven Days’, ‘Changes I’ve Been Going Through’, and ‘I’m Going Down’ – one of many songs which got the whole audience singing along. Clearly impressed by the audience’s memory of the lyrics, Ms. Blige went on to thank her fans for being there for her when things haven’t always been going well.

Whilst her back catalogue is truly impressive, the focus of the night was on her latest album, ‘The Breakthrough’, and Mary showed fans exactly why she was the ‘Queen’. Performing over half the songs on the album, Mary got the crowd singing with her new single ‘Enough Crying’, and moved them all with her emotionally charged renditions of ‘Take Me As I Am’ and ‘Baggage’ – songs which were preceded by Mary asking the women in the crowd: “Why we got to almost kill ourselves to be thin for other people? Why we got to pull our hair out dying it, perming it?”

Mary J. continued the section of ballads with the heartfelt ‘Father In You’, where she explained to the men in the audience that whilst a woman can deal with being a single parent, it makes a child’s life so much more fulfilling when they have two parents to show them love and support. An amazingly moving performance of this song, you could tell that she was speaking from her own experience as a tear ran down her cheek when she cried out, “Look what you do to us Daddy, when you leave us, you mess us up!”

Her troubled life has seen so much heartache in the past, but now Mary J. Blige appears to be at her happiest, having married her partner of three years, producer Kendu Isaacs in December 2003. Her love for him was clearly on show when she belted out ‘Be Without You’ and ‘I Found My Everything’, with a picture of the happy couple appearing on the screens either side of the stage.

Mary sang her heart out once again on ‘No More Drama’, before performing her recent hit with U2, ‘One’. She lifted the mood of the show as it came to a close with ‘MJB Da MVP’, which uses the same backing track as The Game’s ‘Hate It Or Love It’, and bowed out with the Dr Dre-produced ‘Family Affair’. Ending the show on a high, Ms. Blige disappeared into the darkness, leaving fans in awe at her strong stage presence and incredible voice.

One of the biggest and best voices in the industry, Mary J. Blige is at the top of her game, and one can only hope that her success continues for years to come. A truly blessed and deserved individual for the title of ‘Queen of Hip Hop/Soul’.

Mary J. Blige's new single, 'Enough Crying' is out on June 26th, 2006, on Geffen Records.

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	Mary J. Blige @ Wembley Arena, London - Saturday 17 June, 2006 Reviewed by Melisa Tang The Queen of Hip Hop/Soul was in town for one night, and one night only. With a career spanning over 15 years, Mary J. Blige has sold millions of records and moved hundreds more fans with her emotional, heartfelt hip hop-tinged soul. Her career has been a long journey, full of ups and downs, but throughout it all, Mary’s fans have stuck by her, for her troubles are their troubles too. Many would agree that it is her realness, the genuine pain or happiness in her songs, which they can relate to. Her rare UK date was not missed by fans, who packed out Wembley Arena eager to see a true musical icon – and Mary J. did not disappoint. Coming onstage in a long white wraparound top and matching white knee-length shorts, Mary launched into ‘Real Love’, from her 1992 triple-platinum debut LP ‘What’s the 411?’, the first of several old school tracks of the night. The upbeat song was a great starter, and Mary continued to reminisce, performing snippets of tracks like ‘My Life’, ‘Seven Days’, ‘Changes I’ve Been Going Through’, and ‘I’m Going Down’ – one of many songs which got the whole audience singing along. Clearly impressed by the audience’s memory of the lyrics, Ms. Blige went on to thank her fans for being there for her when things haven’t always been going well. Whilst her back catalogue is truly impressive, the focus of the night was on her latest album, ‘The Breakthrough’, and Mary showed fans exactly why she was the ‘Queen’. Performing over half the songs on the album, Mary got the crowd singing with her new single ‘Enough Crying’, and moved them all with her emotionally charged renditions of ‘Take Me As I Am’ and ‘Baggage’ – songs which were preceded by Mary asking the women in the crowd: “Why we got to almost kill ourselves to be thin for other people? Why we got to pull our hair out dying it, perming it?” Mary J. continued the section of ballads with the heartfelt ‘Father In You’, where she explained to the men in the audience that whilst a woman can deal with being a single parent, it makes a child’s life so much more fulfilling when they have two parents to show them love and support. An amazingly moving performance of this song, you could tell that she was speaking from her own experience as a tear ran down her cheek when she cried out, “Look what you do to us Daddy, when you leave us, you mess us up!” Her troubled life has seen so much heartache in the past, but now Mary J. Blige appears to be at her happiest, having married her partner of three years, producer Kendu Isaacs in December 2003. Her love for him was clearly on show when she belted out ‘Be Without You’ and ‘I Found My Everything’, with a picture of the happy couple appearing on the screens either side of the stage. Mary sang her heart out once again on ‘No More Drama’, before performing her recent hit with U2, ‘One’. She lifted the mood of the show as it came to a close with ‘MJB Da MVP’, which uses the same backing track as The Game’s ‘Hate It Or Love It’, and bowed out with the Dr Dre-produced ‘Family Affair’. Ending the show on a high, Ms. Blige disappeared into the darkness, leaving fans in awe at her strong stage presence and incredible voice. One of the biggest and best voices in the industry, Mary J. Blige is at the top of her game, and one can only hope that her success continues for years to come. A truly blessed and deserved individual for the title of ‘Queen of Hip Hop/Soul’. Mary J. Blige's new single, 'Enough Crying' is out on June 26th, 2006, on Geffen Records. Return To Concert Review Archive
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