Mary J Blige began recording music as just a teenager, but she never really seemed all that young. Her voice was always a powerful instrument and early ballads like ‘I’m Going Down’ and ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ carried an emotional punch one would imagine only achievable by someone with far more years on the clock. Not even out of her twenties and she was crowned the undisputed Queen of Hip-Hop Soul and elevated by her peers to a stature usually enjoyed by those who have been in the industry for far longer than she.

Now 40, Blige’s age actually reflects the seniority in contemporary R&B she’s enjoyed for many years. But rather than winding down as she enters middle age, Mary J instead revisits her roots on My Life II… The Journey Continues (Act 1), a sequel to her 1994 album My Life, a hugely successful, highly personalised effort that exorcised many of Blige’s demons including troubles with drugs, alcohol and an abusive relationship.

The reasons she decided to link this album to her earlier release are unclear as it bears no more of a resemblance to My Life than any other record she’s recorded since and actually feels less autobiographical than, say, No More Drama or Stronger With Each Tear. Still, My Life II is another fine Mary J Blige release to add to the pile. For the most part she ignores recent inventiveness in R&B, sticking with a formula of mixing soulful grooves to hip-hop beats (‘Feel Inside’, ‘Midnight Drive’) along with dropping the occasional power ballad ‘(25-8)’ along the way.

There are guests aplenty, with Drake lending a verse and a huge chunk of his sound on highlight ‘Mr. Wrong’, but there’s a missed opportunity when Blige teams up with Beyoncé on the rather lightweight ‘Love a Woman’. In fact, the album would have benefitted by cutting a few limp ballads that clutter its second half, but for the most part this is a refreshing reminder of why Blige is fully deserving of the esteem she’s held in. Dean Van Nguyen

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KEY TRACKS: ’25-8’, ‘MR WRONG’, ‘WHY’.
FOR FANS OF: FAITH EVANS, BEYONCÉ, EN VOGUE.