| | Mary J Blige Breakthrough CD Mary J Blige Discography of CDs
 (79 Customer Reviews)
After her somewhat lukewarm 2003 release LOVE & LIFE, Mary J. Blige returns to her rightful place as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul with 2005's THE BREAKTHROUGH. Blige enlisted a host of guest producers to contribute tracks to THE BREAKTHROUGH, and the result is one of her strongest and most varied albums. As usual, the sound is a mixture of smooth, urban contemporary and hip-hop edge, but Blige nails it with tracks like the pulsing "Enough Cryin'" (with its rich, multi-layered vocals) and the breezy "Can't Hide From Luv" featuring a guest spot by Jay-Z.
The album's lead-off single, "Be Without You," a bittersweet slow jam, is representative of the album's themes, which focus on feelings of strength and weakness in love. But whether waxing romantic ("Can't Get Enough") or detailing the travails of the heart ("Baggage"), Blige lays down elastic R&B vocal lines that are second to none. Even a seemingly unlikely duet with Bono and U2 on "One" comes across beautifully, adding a new dimension to that familiar tune.
Personnel include: Mary J. Blige (vocals); Dave Young, Will.I.Am, Brook (vocals); Jay-Z (rap vocals); Bryan Michael Cox (various instruments); Raphael Saadiq (guitar, bass guitar); Craig Brockman (keyboards); U2.
Recording information: Conway Studios, Los Angeles, California.
Entertainment Weekly (p.78) - "[The albums'] sprawl of conflicted emotions feels true to her fierce, prickly personality." -- Grade: B+
Mojo (Publisher) (p.93) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his new album reveals a still intense and enthralling grittiness to her performances..." Mary J Blige Breakthrough Songs Breakthrough Music Review Purchase Breakthrough CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Keyshia Cole Way It Is CD (2005)
Breakthrough
 $10.99  
Far from the usual fizzy pop practiced by contemporaries like Beyonce and Kelis, the debut album from Oakland-born singer/songwriter Keyshia Cole is full of sophisticated, adult R&B that bridges the gap between the neo-soul likes of Alicia Keys and the inspired, kinetic hip-hop of Kanye West. Keys and West both guest here, on the singles "(I Just Want It) To Be Over" and "I Changed My Mind," respectively, but Cole is a compelling enough performer that she's not overshadowed. Similarly, guest spots by John Legend (on "I Changed My Mind") and Eve (on Cole's 2004 debut single, "Never," reprised here) never take the focus from Cole's warm and soulful vocals. Comparable ...
| | Kanye West Late Registration CD (2005)
Breakthrough
$11.89  
Rapper/producer Kanye West's second album, LATE REGISTRATION, incredibly lives up to expectations following his universally acclaimed debut, THE COLLEGE DROPOUT, which took the art of sampling to a new plateau. Here, for example, "Gold Digger" features a sample of the legendary Ray Charles alongside actor Jamie Foxx in Oscar-reprising character as Charles. "Addiction" pairs a frenetic African beat with a stuttering, singular use of a snippet of Etta James crooning "My Funny Valentine," while "Diamonds From the Sierra Leone" teams the majestic Bond glory of Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever" with perfectly subtle Miami bass to explosive effect. All the while, West pulls lyrics out of his rhyme bag at a fever pitch, tackling hefty topics like civil war in Africa and the impact of drugs on leading Black minds.
Throughout the album, West merely continues to perfect his craft, slowing tracks down and speeding them up into an awe-inspiring mosaic. While his MC style is often discounted as being of secondary importance, he shines when put up against the best in the game, as with Common on the bluesy "My Way Home" or Nas on the lush "We Major." And in the spirit of Bob Dylan, West knows how to make the most of ...
| | Chamillionaire Sound Of Revenge CD (2005) Parental Advisory
Breakthrough
$13.35
With THE SOUND OF REVENGE, Chamillionaire's 2005 Universal debut, the Houston-based rapper makes the most of his major-label deal, which includes his own Chamillitary imprint. On SOR, Paul Wall's former collaborator amps up that duo's signature chopped-and-screwed mixtape sound with heavy-duty arrangements that expertly showcase Chamillionaire's deep, husky voice. The introductory title track ...
| | Jamie Foxx Unpredictable CD (2005) Parental Advisory, DualDisc
Breakthrough
$16.69
This is a DualDisc, which contains a CD on one side of the disc and a DVD on the other.
Jamie Foxx's second release as a solo artist is his first since his Oscar-winning portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 film RAY. It is natural, then, that UNPREDICTABLE would be a much higher-profile affair than 1994's PEEP THIS. The production credits include top-currency names like Timbaland and Sean Garrett. And guest stars? Forget about it. Common, Ludacris, Twista, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige, just to name a few, make appearances and help boost Foxx's credibility as one of the most popular kids on the block.
Foxx's music falls firmly into the category of sultry, hip-hop-inflected R&B a la R. Kelly. And like Kels, Foxx too has a penchant for bedroom themes, as UNPREDICTABLE pulses with the rhythm of sex. His study of Ray Charles's bluesy, elastic vocal style holds him in good stead, ...
| | Anthony Hamilton Ain't Nobody Worrying CD (2005)
Breakthrough
$9.89
After the success of his 2003 album, COMIN' FROM WHERE I'M FROM, R&B/soul singer Anthony Hamilton followed up in earnest during 2005, first with a collection of previously unreleased tunes, SOULIFE, and then with another new studio record, ...
| | Ne-Yo In My Own Words CD (2005)
Breakthrough
$11.11 
By the time of his Def Jam solo debut in 2006, Ne-Yo had already been a high-profile behind-the-scenes figure in contemporary R&B, penning hits for the likes of Faith Evans and Mary J. Blige. Like those artists, Ne-Yo's music is influenced by hip-hop beats and production values, but falls squarely under the rubric of modern soul, and the talent he displayed writing for others is abundant here.
The grooves on IN MY OWN WORDS are mostly down- to mid-tempo, with plenty of room to showcase Ne-Yo's way with a lyric and melody. The ...
| | Tower Of Power Bump City CD (1972)
Breakthrough
$7.99 
Funk masters Tower Of Power's tight, funky sound is in high gear on BUMP CITY, one of the group's strongest efforts. Containing several TOP hits, including concert favorite "You Got To Funkifize" and the classic "Down To The Nightclub," this is one of the best examples of Oakland's favorite sons in their stride. Other cuts, like the down-and-dirty "You Strike My Main Nerve" and the bluesy shuffle "Flash In The Pan," couple the funky power of the original Prestia-Garibaldi rhythm team with those signature TOP horns.
Singer Rick Stevens also shines on such ballads ...
| | Fleetwood Mac Boston Blues CDs (2005) (Import) France
Breakthrough
$11.29
| | Patrice Rushen Patrice CD (1979)
Breakthrough
$9.69
| | Luv City Dream On CD (2004) (Import) Germany
Breakthrough
$16.09
| | Cirque Du Soleil Mystere CD (2006) (Import)
Breakthrough
$15.75
| | Marianne Rosenberg I'm A Woman CD (2008) (Import) Import
Breakthrough
$44.15
| | Trancemaster 6003 CD (2009) (Import) Import
Breakthrough
$48.59
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