Mary J. Blige
Good Morning Gorgeous
300 Entertainment/Mary Jane Productions
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“I'mma glow up, glow up … I had to take back my love,” Ms. Mary J. Blige fiercely asserted in her previous album Strength Of A Woman (2017), a soulful masterwork chronicling the end of her marriage to producer Kendu Isaacs.
Five years later, Blige has reemerged on the other side, realer and stronger than ever, proving that she still holds the crown as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.
If Blige’s outstanding performance at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show has reminded us of her timeless classics, “Family Affair” and “No More Drama,” her new album Good Morning Gorgeous finds the artist exploring new aural landscapes, melding R&B beats, hip-hop, and soul tunes with her stunning vocals and clever songwriting.
Across Good Morning Gorgeous, Blige’s vocal delivery is brimming with authenticity, grit, and soul while through the gorgeous lyrics, she lets her listener catch a glimpse of her life experiences, evolution, and wisdom.
Beaming with elegance and grace, infused with the artist’s signature realness (as she claims on the “Amazing,” reflecting “It's so hard to fake when everything I do is real”), Good Morning Gorgeous is a journey through the aftermath of a breakup, where the singer dives deep into her life as a single woman, ruminates on the remaining bittersweet memories of her past relationship, and newfound self-love. “I ain't never been the type to / Talk about some shit I never really been through,” she chants in the autobiographical opening track “No Idea,” as she displays the hardships that shaped her as an artist and woman.
The whirling “Love Will Never” follows the lead of Strength Of A Woman, delving into a love story with the same old issues, whereas “Here With Me,” a collaboration with Anderson .Paak, yearns for a deeper connection rather than a casual rendezvous and morning-after regrets: “Give me more than sex / I need to connect / Don’t wanna wake up in the morning feeling sad and regretful.”
After the turmoil and frustration of “Rent Money” featuring rapper Dave East, the mood lights up in the following track “Amazing,” filled with blasting air horns, kicking out the party jam as Blige repeats “Bring the cake in.”
The lavish, anthemic R&B title track, “Good Morning Gorgeous” —which includes background vocals courtesy of the acclaimed H.E.R.—is an open self-dedicated love letter Blige wrote to remind herself of her inner and outer beauty, as she explains in the song’s interlude:
“I finally got a chance to say I'm amazing. I never said that in my life about myself ever, I never thought it. But just recently in my life, I was like I'm amazing. 'Cause God said I'm amazing. I'm amazing. So, what I started doing, along with that. Like, when I was going through all this bad shit in my life. I started waking up and saying, ‘Good morning, gorgeous.’ … No matter what I was doing. No matter what I was going through. I look in the mirror, hungover, not hungover, mad, not mad, whatever. Always going through something. And because of the thing playing in my head. About, you know, the way the person was chipping at me. And tearing me down, tearing me down. And making me look at myself like I wasn't enough. And I just woke up in the morning and say, ‘Good morning, gorgeous.’
Built on prominent swinging beats, classy twirling piano chords, and gorgeous vocals, "Come See About Me" is an open, private invitation, while “On Top” finds Blige reclaiming her power as a self-assured, independent woman.
The mood gets serious again with the jazzy ballad “Love Without The Heartbreak,” where the singer expresses her affliction, “I’m so goddam sick of the pain,” brooding over each time she was mistreated and harmed by her ex-partner.
Like the previous track, “Failing In Love”—an obvious nod to Michael Jackson’s “Butterflies” and “Break of Dawn”—finds the artist grieving her past mistakes and regrets. On the same note, “Enough” exudes “the grass is always greener” energy, as the singer laments her former husband's inability to “see what he got home” and fight for their relationship.
“Need Love” closes the album, bringing hope for a brighter future and a new serene, healthy relationship.
Good Morning Gorgeous stands out for its authenticity, stunning lyrics, and Mary J. Blige’s blueprint, powerful, unapologetic R&B flowing like a written journal. The album works as a cathartic voyage, showing another side of the artist who is now finally settled into her character, allowing her the freedom to love herself, heal, live by her own rules, and demand the respect and love she deserves.
Notable Tracks: “Falling In Love” | “Good Morning Gorgeous” | “Love Will Never” | “Love Without The Heartbreak”
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