Album Review: Mary J. Blige - "Growing Pains"

On Mary J. Blige's eighth studio album, the reigning Queen of Hip-Hop Soul once again proves that she is indeed music royalty and has no intention of abdicating her throne anytime soon. Growing Pains is a well-produced, extremely well-sung album about both the joy and pain, the sunshine and rain that comes with living life. Mary J. may have sworn off drama, but on this album she finds out that it's much easier said than done. And although she may be music royalty, she makes it perfectly clear on the album that she still goes through some of the same tribulations that ordinary people do.

Nobody's perfect. That's the big, overreaching message on Mary J. Blige's eighth studio album, Growing Pains. Mary may have sworn off drama and turned over a new leaf, but it takes time to grow and mature as a person and this album's primarily about her continuing evolution. The album's first two singles, "Just Fine" and "Work That" focus on the sunny side of life, particularly the feel good dance song "Just Fine," where Mary - who's dealt with self-doubt and insecurity in the past - happily sings:
So I like what I see when I'm lookin' at me, when I'm walkin' past the mirror ... got my head on straight, got my vibe right, I ain't gonna let you kill it.
And on the uplifting "Work That," Mary spreads her self-love message to include the young girls who look up her:
I hear you been running from the beautiful queen that you could be becoming, You can look at my palm and see the storm coming, Read the book of my life and see I've overcome it."

Both songs, along with the sexy "Grown Woman," (featuring Ludacris) are rare for this album in that they don't contain any conflict, they're basically straightforward, joyful and uplifting songs with positive messages about the power of womanhood.

But despite her uplifting messages, elsewhere on Growing Pains, Mary makes it perfectly clear that although she's a strong, capable, self-confident woman, she's not without flaws. On "Work In Progress (Growing Pains)," Mary sings "Just like you sometimes I get down. Sometimes I just wanna cry, Sometimes I get depressed ... Just understand we're all just a work in progress.

And on other songs, such as the relationship songs "Stay Down," "Hurt Again" and "Roses," Mary sings about the ups and downs of relationships. Particularly good is "Roses," a song co-written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash and produced by Chris "Tricky" Stewart. "Roses" is an 'I don't wanna be bothered' song on which a fiery, determined Mary puts a man in check over a stark beat that she alternately sings and talks over. "It ain't all roses y'know," she says toward the end of the song. "Everybody asks me how good it is, it's great - love is great. But when you (are) just a mess yourself, it ain't gon' be all roses." "Roses" is Mary at her most emotionally fragile - she's alternately argumentative, loving, intimidating and vulnerable, all in the same song.

All in all, Growing Pains may not Mary's best album, but it's definitely one of the best R&B releases of 2007.