Album Review: Mary J. Blige, 'Good Morning Gorgeous'
A few months ago Mary J. Blige headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem. Concluding with a show-stealing aerial shot, Mary performed a pair of songs that top two of the main pillars of her catalog — funky uptempo dance numbers ("Family Affair") and rousing soul-baring ballads ("No More Drama"). Those two pillars remain firmly in place on Good Morning Gorgeous, the Grammy-winner's fourteenth studio album, which finds her continuing to rebuild following her divorce. A tender and healed evolution from the fiery heartbreak of 2017's Strength of a Woman, Good Morning Gorgeous leads Mary back to herself. From sonic histories of her hometown of New York City to effortless cross-generational collaborations, Good Morning Gorgeous is also a testament to the richness of Mary's artistry and longevity.
Good Morning Gorgeous's primary concern is love. So much so that the word appears in exactly four of the album's song titles. No form of love is more pertinent to the album than that of self-love, as told through the stunning title track. It is only through self-love that Mary can reflect on and reassess her relationship with other forms of love from a wiser point of view. The album begins with "No Idea," a Bongo ByTheWay-produced ode to the thick basslines and heavy drums of classic New York hip-hop. The track serves as a reminder that Mary's musical DNA permeates throughout the entire genre of R&B; the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul's effortless transition between rap-sung cadences and gritty crooning help lay the framework for the guiding principles of the album: "I ain't never been the type to / Talk about some shit I never really been through." Mary's commitment to her truth grounds her entire discography. On Good Morning Gorgeous, her honesty with herself allows her to put the pieces back together post-divorce and impart her wisdom to all of us.
Good Morning Gorgeous spends a significant amount of time charting the evolution of Mary's perception of love. "Love Will Never" finds her lamenting that "love won't feel the same again," while "Love Without the Heartbreak" stews on all the harsh parts of love that bring nothing but pain and hurt. The chugging Anderson .Paak-helmed production perfectly encapsulates the weariness of Mary's experiences and the exasperation in her tone. Anderson, who won 4 Grammys for "Leave The Door Open" as one half of Silk Sonic a few weeks ago, lends her some backing vocals on this track. On "Here With Me," however, he and Mary treat us to a proper duet that blends the ruggedness of New York with the breeziness of L.A. It's one of many smart collaborations on Good Morning Gorgeous alongside Usher's pristine vocal performance on "Need Love" and Dave East's appearance on "Rent Money." As much as Good Morning Gorgeous digs for something deeper than typical romantic love ("Give me more than sex, yeah, I need to connect"), it is also a celebration of growth and healing.
The album's dual lead singles, "Amazing (feat. DJ Khaled)" and the title track, are placed at the center of the record and separated by a dialogue-driven interlude. "When I was going through all this bad shit in my life, I started waking up and saying, 'Good morning, gorgeous,'" Mary tells "Good Morning Gorgeous" co-writer and guitarist H.E.R. Easily the best song on the album, "Good Morning Gorgeous" blends infectious guitar licks, swelling strings, and a second verse testimonial that morphs into a minute of lyric-less riffing, bridging the traditions of gospel, soul, rap, and R&B. With credits that include recent Grammy winners D'Mile, Lucky Daye, H.E.R., and Tiara Thomas, "Good Morning Gorgeous" is evidence of both Mary's timelessness and D'Mile's ability to craft adaptable soundscapes that always feel unique to him. On the other hand, DJ Khaled butchers a sample of Dawn Penn's "You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)," and turns a conceptually sound song into one that never quite coalesces into a meaningful singular entity. There are echoes of the carefree exuberance of "Just Fine" here, but the only thing "Amazing" gets right is its offering of a change of pace from the midtempos that populate the beginning of the album. The Fivio Foreign-featuring "On Top" is actually the better self-empowering victory lap song. This will be a divisive track, but there's something incredibly poetic about Mary J. Blige tearing through a drill track with such ease. They don't call her the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul for nothing.
Good Morning Gorgeous is a strong effort. In an industry where it feels like artists burn out of creative and original ideas by their second or third project, Mary is still offering us music that is fresh and stories that are meaningful fourteen albums in.
Key Tracks: "Good Morning Gorgeous" | "On Top" | "Need Love" | "No Idea"
Score: 68
