Mary J. Blige

Strength of a Woman

The R&B legend returns with a soulful, deeply personal album that luxuriates in the classic sounds of wronged-woman blues.

She is a resilient yet restrained force. But the LP is missing a killer cut or two; the empowering title track is the closest thing to a classic MJB anthem.

For the 46-year-old powerhouse ... it’s clear music is her catharsis and Strength of a Woman will inadvertently not only help her muster up the courage to carry on but will also inspire her fans to do the same.

The best tracks on ‘Strength Of A Woman’ seem destined to be poached for streaming service playlists and radio play, while the album as a whole potentially goes unnoticed, dragged down by its own weight and fated to settle comfortably only in the back catalogue.

On Strength of a Woman, Mary J. Blige covers a lot of lyrical ground familiar to anyone who has heard her 11 previous studio albums. A significant fraction of this set's sentiments are clichéd.

Here she finds a (mostly) sweet spot between contemporary production and her classic sombre-sassy style.

Strength Of A Woman ... finds the Queen Of R&B Reproach once again embattled by amorous treachery – presumably triggered by her recent split with her husband/manager. It’s R&B’s most familiar theme, but few do it this well.