Reflections (A Retrospective)

Reflections (A Retrospective)
Greatest hits album by Mary J. Blige
Released	December 1, 2006 (2006-12-01) (see release history)
Recorded	July 1992–May 2006
Genre	R&B, soul, hip hop soul
Length	65:57
Label	Geffen
Producer	Bryan-Michael Cox, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Kendrick "WyldCard" Dean, Jerry Duplessis, Babyface, Kendu Isaacs, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Wyclef Jean, Mark Ledford, John Legend, Mark Morales, Chucky Thompson, Poke, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
Mary J. Blige chronology
The Breakthrough (2005) Reflections (A Retrospective) (2006) Growing Pains (2007)
Singles from Reflections (A Retrospective)
"We Ride (I See the Future)" Released: November, 2006 "MJB da MVP" Released: 18 December 2006 (UK only)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
musicOMH	[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]

Reflections (A Retrospective) is a greatest hits album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige, released in the United States on December 12, 2006 by Geffen Records. The album hasn't been certified by the RIAA but has sold 900,000 (according to the December 2009 Billboard magazine issue) copies in the United States. The album has also sold an estimated 140,000 in the United Kingdom despite only reaching a peak of number forty—this was due to consistent sales of 40k+ over the Christmas weeks. As of May 25, 2008 worldwide sales are 1,381,376.^{[citation needed]}

History

Reflections (A Retrospective) was originally scheduled for release in November 2005 with the title Reminisce... Until the Breakthrough before the decision was made by Blige and Geffen Records to delay the release in favor of the new studio album, The Breakthrough.^[4] New songs that were due to appear on Reminisce—"Be Without You", "One", "MJB da MVP", and "Can't Hide from Luv"—were all transferred to the new album and the release date for the greatest hits was rescheduled to the spring of 2006. However, due to the commercial success of The Breakthrough, the release of Reminisce never materialized. In October 2006, Geffen Records announced that the project would finally be released on December 4, 2006 in the UK and December 12, 2006 in the U.S., under the title of Reflections (A Retrospective).^[5]

New material

Although Reflections (A Retrospective) is a retrospective collection of songs, writer Bryan-Michael Cox, who co-wrote and produced Blige's record-breaking single "Be Without You", confirmed that the release would feature four new songs, which includes the single "We Ride (I See the Future)" as well as "Reflections (I Remember)", "You Know", and "King & Queen", a duet with John Legend. The new material was originally intended to be part of a repackaged version of The Breakthrough to be released towards late 2006, but was transferred to the greatest hits release instead.^[6]

Also, on the back cover of the album (UK/International editions), track #17: the hit single "One" with U2, although it says (Mary J. Blige and U2), it is actually a solo version with U2 singing the chorus. Blige also sings the first part of the song, originally sung by Bono. This solo version is exclusive to the album, the original version with U2 (Bono's vocals) is on The Breakthrough.

Track listing

1. "Reflections (I Remember)" – 4:06
2. "We Ride (I See the Future)" – 3:57
3. "You Know" – 3:37
4. "King & Queen" (with John Legend) – 3:46
5. "No More Drama (Radio Edit)" – 4:27
6. "Family Affair" – 4:26
7. "Real Love" – 4:27
8. "No One Will Do" – 4:47
9. "Be Without You" – 4:06
10. "I'm Going Down" – 3:42
11. "911" (Wyclef Jean featuring Mary J. Blige) – 4:19
12. "Not Gon' Cry" – 4:50
13. "My Life '06" – 5:07
14. "Be Happy" – 5:38
15. "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" (Razor Sharp Mix) (Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige) – 3:41

International edition

16. "As" (with George Michael) – 4:41
17. "One" (solo version) – 4:20 (mislabeled as version with U2)
18. "MJB da MVP" – 4:10

Charts

Release history

References