Reflections (A Retrospective)

Reflections (A Retrospective)
Greatest hits album by Mary J. Blige
Released December 1, 2006 (2006-12-01)
Recorded July 1992–May 2006
Genre
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)The Breakthrough2005		 Reflections (A Retrospective)
(2006)		 Growing Pains
(2007)Growing Pains2007
Singles from Reflections (A Retrospective)
  1. "We Ride (I See the Future)"
    Released: November, 2006
  2. "MJB da MVP"
    Released: 18 December 2006 (UK only)

Reflections (A Retrospective) is the first 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.

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.[1] 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).[2]

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.[3]

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
musicOMH[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
Slant Magazine[7]

Robert Sandall, writing for The Telegraph, felt that the "18-track résumé of the career of the 21st century's first lady of soul intends to deviate from the greatest-hits formula is clear from the start. The first four tracks are brand new and as strong as any of the more familiar stuff to come."[8] musicOMH editor Neil Jones found that "Blige is undoubtedly one of the fascinating figures of modern pop culture, so even though there’s more than a suspicion of Christmas cash-in here, and omissions are made, Reflections (A Retrospective) amply represents every extreme of her ouvre. It’s a mixed bag that more than anything else highlights the differences between commercial and artistic creation, and as hip hop continues to veer towards the former, provides a pretty relevant story."[5]

AllMusic's senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album a "remains a completely enjoyable (if not completely satisfying) listen", writing that "Unfortunately, Reflections (A Retrospective) is nowhere close to being that straightforward. A mere handful of the top ten hits are included; while obvious picks [...} are present, a casual fan could rattle off just as many well-known songs that are not."[4] Similarly, Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine noted that "the tracks previously unavailable on a Mary album make this a valuable purchase for diehard collectors, but it will be useless to more casual fans. The fact that Reflections might be one of the worst excuses for a greatest hits collection ever is a testament to the longevity and consistency of Mary’s career."[7]

Commercial performance

Reflections (A Retrospective) debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, selling about 171,000 units in its first week. In addition, it peaked at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[9] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted and peaked at number forty only, but was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for shipments of 60,000 copies.[10]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
1."Reflections (I Remember)"
Previously unreleased4:06
2."We Ride (I See the Future)"
  • Blige
  • Cox
  • Dean
  • Austin
Previously unreleased3:57
3."You Know"
Previously unreleased3:37
4."King & Queen" (duet with John Legend)
Once Again3:46
5."No More Drama"
No More Drama4:27
6."Family Affair"
No More Drama4:26
7."Real Love"
What's the 411?4:27
8."No One Will Do"
The Breakthrough4:47
9."Be Without You"
The Breakthrough4:06
10."I'm Going Down"
My Life3:42
11."911" (duet with Wyclef Jean)
The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book4:19
12."Not Gon' Cry"
Waiting to Exhale OST and Share My World4:50
13."My Life 06"
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Roy Ayers
  • Thompson
  • Arlene DelValle
My Life5:07
14."Be Happy"
  • Blige
  • Arlene DeValle
  • Combs
  • Jean C. Olivier
My Life5:38
15."I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" (Razor Sharp Mix featuring Method Man)
Tical3:41
International edition
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
16."As" (with George Michael)
  • Wonder
Mary4:41
17."One" (with U2)
The Breakthrough4:20
18."MJB da MVP" (with 50 Cent)
The Breakthrough4:10

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[10] Silver 60,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Label
Europe December 1, 2006 Geffen
Australia December 2, 2006
United Kingdom December 4, 2006
United States December 12, 2006
Canada
Japan December 13, 2006
Brazil January 31, 2007

References

  1. ↑ "Mary J. Blige's Breakthrough Is Coming Out This Year After All". VH1. November 8, 2005. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  2. ↑ "Billboard Bits: Mary J. Blige, Saliva, iTunes Latino". Billboard. November 1, 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  3. ↑ "Austin Eyeing Blige Duet For 'Ocean Drive'". Billboard. July 28, 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  4. 1 2 Allmusic review
  5. 1 2 Jones, Neil (2006-12-04). "Mary J Blige – Reflections: A Retrospective". musicOMH. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  6. ↑ Rolling Stone Album Guide
  7. 1 2 Cinquemani, Sal (2006-12-15). "Reflections (A Retrospective) — Music Review — Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  8. ↑ Sandall, Robert (2006-12-09). "Pop CDs of the week: Mary J Blige, Oasis, Dizzy Gillespie and more...". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  9. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (2006-12-21). "Young Jeezy, Hicks debut atop Billboard 200". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  10. 1 2 "British album certifications – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2017-03-31. Enter Reflections (A Retrospective) in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  11. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  12. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  13. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  14. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  15. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  16. ↑ "Mary J Blige | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  17. ↑ "Mary J. Blige – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Mary J. Blige. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  18. ↑ "Mary J. Blige – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Mary J. Blige. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  19. ↑ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.