Mary J. Blige’s Reflections- A Retrospective Reviewed by Angelique Velez

If you have not purchased the newest CD from Mary J. Blige, Reflections- A Retrospective, what are you waiting for? This highly anticipated album, featuring a collection of her greatest hits plus four new tracks, is well worth every penny. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a die-hard Blige fan but just enjoy listening to Mary’s tracks on the radio, this is the perfect CD for you.

Reflections includes her more recent tracks such as “Be Without You” and “No More Drama,” but also takes it back to the early 90’s with “Real Love” and “I’m Goin’ Down.” Her four new songs are no disappointment. One of my favorites, called “King & Queen,” features John Legend. It is a beautiful duet; the two artists mesh together perfectly. The song “Reflections” is an “autobiography” and tells the story of how Mary J. has come to be who she is (hence the title of the CD). It tells about where she comes from, how naïve she was and that in the beginning of her career the only thing she had was faith to get her through obstacles. It also explains how she thought she needed a man to complete her life, but she came to realize that she needed to respect herself to become who she wanted to be. “We Ride” is about her current relationship and how she finally found the man she could spend her life with. “You Know” is a song with a seventies beat that also tells about her relationship with her husband and what Mary is most known for singing about, love. These new songs mixed with her classics give us the perfect blend of Mary, with a taste of what we can look forward to hear from her in the future. This should be a permanent addition to your CD collection.