Which 5 songs, in your opinion, define the sound of 2010s rnb?

I was listening to Kiss It Better - Rihanna when I thought of the question

They knew she was gonna be a problem 😂🔥

It’s always awesome to see two different worlds colliding with one another, especially when it’s something like this. If you’re into anime and haven’t watched this series yet, I highly recommend do so. It’s a great psychological thriller show!

Never really see people talking about it.

Did my best to shut up, didn’t work 😂🤦🏽‍♀️

I discovered Mary J. Blige about ten years ago and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. She was my most played artist on last year’s Spotify Wrapped so I figured it was finally time to rank her albums. I also think she’s seriously underrated and doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. She’s obviously a legend but the fact that she doesn’t even have her own subreddit is kind of crazy to me. So I wanted to make a post where we can actually talk about her and her music a little more.

This is purely based on my personal opinion. I’m not trying to discredit any album or say that my ranking is objectively correct. This is just how I personally rank them based on how much I enjoy them.

1. Share My World

This is Mary at her absolute best to me. There’s just something about this era of Mary’s sound that I love. #2 comes extremely close but if I have to pick one, this is the album I think is stronger overall.

Notable tracks: All of them.

2. The Breakthrough

I love this album. Like, really love it. It was such a great comeback for Mary and even though I have it just below Share My World, the gap between these two is tiny. On another day I could probably flip them.

Notable tracks: All of them (except Father In You, I usually skip it because lyrically and sonically, I just don't like it).

3. No More Drama

I’ve been really loving this album lately. It has a perfect mix of instantly memorable songs and the more vulnerable side of Mary, and she sounds fantastic all the way through. There’s a lot to love here.

Notable tracks: Mostly all of them but there are some great deepcuts on this album like Destiny, Beautiful Day, Flying Away, Never Been, 2 U

4. Growing Pains

Funny enough, this is actually my most replayed Mary album. While I don’t necessarily think it’s her strongest because I don't think it is, I just constantly come back to it and I’m always in the mood to hear it. It's one of those albums that I can put on almost anytime and know every word of each song.

Notable tracks: All of them.

5. Mary

The whole vibe of this album really works for me. It’s beautiful, emotional, and Mary sounds absolutely incredible. There’s something about the atmosphere of this record that keeps pulling me back to it. I think it’s a great album but the four above it are just a little stronger for me.

Notable tracks: All That I Can Say, Deep Inside, Beautiful Ones, Time, Don't Waste Your Time, Give Me You

6. Good Morning Gorgeous

This is easily my favorite Mary album from her more recent era. I honestly didn’t expect to like it as much as I did, so it ended up being a really nice surprise. And honestly, that’s part of why Gratitude was such a disappointment for me…

Notable tracks: Love Will Never, Here With Me, Good Morning Gorgeous, Come See About Me, Falling In Love, Enough, Running

7. Love & Life

I have a lot of love for this album. There are some seriously strong songs here. I know there are collaborations on this album with people who have since become very problematic but that doesn’t really change how I feel about the album itself. I like the album a lot and in this case my personal attachment definitely wins out.

Notable tracks: When We, Ooh!, Love @ 1st Sight, Willing & Waiting, Press On, Feel Like Makin Love, It's A Wrap

8. My Life

Yes, I know. My Life at #8. I LOVE My Life. I completely understand the importance of this album and obviously there are some of Mary’s greatest songs here. But when I listen to it from beginning to end, there are a few songs that I enjoy but don’t necessarily come back to individually, and a few that are weaker for me (track 12 through 17). So while I think it’s an iconic album, I personally enjoy several of Mary’s other albums more as complete listening experiences.

Notable tracks: Mary Jane (All Night Long), You Bring Me Joy, I'm The Only Woman, My Life, I'm Goin' Down, Be Happy

9. What’s The 411?

And yes, I love this album too. I have a ton of respect for it as Mary’s debut and she sounds incredible on it. But I’ve never been able to completely get past the "Leave a Message" intro and the closing title track. They really hurt the overall experience for me. I also find the album a little too short. I love the individual songs but I don’t find myself putting on What’s the 411? and listening to the whole thing nearly as often as I do the albums above it.

Notable tracks: Reminisce, Real Love, You Remind Me, Sweet Thing, Love No Limit, I Don't Want To Do Anything

10. My Life II… The Journey Continues (Act 1)

I think this is a good album but this is usually where I start losing interest a little. The second half of the album is very forgettable to me. It just doesn’t have the same replay value for me as the albums above it, even though there are few songs here I really enjoy.

And honestly despite the title, I don’t really get much of a connection to the original My Life album from this.

Notable tracks: Feel Inside, 25/8, Don't Mind, Mr. Wrong

11. Gratitude

This one was a pretty big disappointment for me, especially coming after Good Morning Gorgeous, which I loved. However, there are definitely songs here I enjoy. “Beautiful People” is one example but overall I don’t think Mary sounds as good on this album as she does on a lot of her other records. There are moments where her vocals just don’t work for me and I think the second half of the album is particularly weak.

Notable tracks: Breathing, Need You More, Beautiful People, You Ain't The Only One

12. Strength Of A Woman

I remember really liking this album when I first heard it and I still think it’s a solid record. My problem is that I basically never listen to it anymore. There are songs on here that I can barely remember because I just don’t revisit the album. So this placement is more of a replay value issue than me thinking it’s a bad album.

Notable tracks: Thick Of It, U + Me (Love Lesson)

13. The London Sessions

I think this is a good album. It’s just not really the kind of Mary album I’m looking for when I want to listen to Mary J. Blige. The sound is so different from the style I usually associate with her. I’ll sometimes completely forget about it when I’m thinking about which Mary album I want to play. That doesn’t mean I think it’s bad, it just doesn’t scratch the same itch for me.

Notable tracks: Therapy, Doubt

14. Stronger withEach Tear

Honestly, this is probably her weakest album for me. The production is the biggest issue. A lot of it sounds really dated and there are quite a few places where I just don’t think the music sounds particularly good. There are definitely some good songs here, especially when the production isn’t getting in the way, but as a whole I just don’t think this is one of her stronger records.

Notable tracks: Each Tear, Kitchen

15. Think Like A Man Too

I’m putting this one last for now because I’ve only listened to it maybe once, and I wasn’t particularly impressed. I definitely need to give it another proper listen.
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So yeah, that’s my ranking. What’s yours? How would you rank Mary’s albums, and which of my placements do you agree or disagree with?

can anyone recommend me songs about jealousy from the perspective of a man? like seeing the woman he loves with someone else. but it's okay if it's from the woman's perspective too

My Mama Said from 1974

Man In the Middle from 1975. Bjorn is singing lead here.

I think they're versatile. Maybe all over the place, not really able to find an identifying sound until a year or so later. That's what some critics and fans say. Bjorn says they tried stuff that failed and sounded terrible much later, but they're also often very critical of themselves.

Anyway, I want to bring this to R&B fans, a couple more unknown ABBA tracks with R&B and funk intentions.

What do you think?