Does Mary J. Blige have one of the strongest, if not THE strongest, catalog around?

Question Authority
Question Authority Members Posts: 494
edited January 2010 in R&B & Alternatives
1992 -2010 = 18 years in the game.

Nine albums - What's the 411?, My Life, Share My World, Mary, No More Drama, Love & Life, The Breakthrough, Growing Pains, and Stronger withEach Tear.

What's the 411?, My Life, and Mary are certified classics, no doubt.

Share My World, No More Drama, The Breakthrough, and Growing Pains are all near classics, something like 4/5.

Stronger withEach Tear was a good album...something like 3-3.5/5.

In my opinion, Mary has really only had one true slip up and that was '03's Love & Life. But even that wasn't a poor album. It just wasn't very good, compared to Mary standards.

What do you guys think? Is Mary one of the most consistent artists currently making music?

Comments

  • wondercousins
    wondercousins Members Posts: 3
    edited January 2010
    R Kelly. If you go you back on billboard.com and look at the top 5 R&B/Hip-Hop singles and albums for the past 40 years. Crazy as it sounds, the R dominates all. More entries than Aretha, Stevie, Temptations, and Mary J.
  • real_hh_rep
    real_hh_rep Members Posts: 1,868 ✭✭✭
    edited January 2010
    I think Mary's catalogue is much better than R Kelly's. "Stronger witch each tear" is first mediocre album of her, the rest is excellent or classic. She can switch styles from hip-hop on "What's the 411?" to classical soul on "Mary". I don't see anyone with such a strong and diverse catalogue in game right now.
  • Question Authority
    Question Authority Members Posts: 494
    edited January 2010
    Yea. R. Kelly doesn't have Mary's consistency, IMO.

    He's been successful. But I don't think he has a full on classic album. He has classic songs, though.

    Mary is an album's artist. So she's known for her classic or near classic albums.
  • usmarin3
    usmarin3 Members Posts: 38,013 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2010
    12 Play is a classic album, Maxwell catalog is pretty strong too.
  • Question Authority
    Question Authority Members Posts: 494
    edited January 2010
    12 Play has too much filler, IMO. It wasn't even that critically acclaimed when it was released. Reviews were mixed.

    Maxwell has a nice catalog but the fact that he releases albums so rarely kinda hurts him, I think.
  • blackrain
    blackrain Members, Moderators Posts: 27,269 Regulator
    edited January 2010
    if we are talking catalouges then that includes everything the artist have worked on so you can't say Mary J has a better one than R. Kelly...look at the amount of people he's worked with and written for...I mean the same dude who made Feelin On Yo ? had a #1 duet w/ ? Celine Dion...that's versatility right there...wrote songs for Michael Jackson and plenty other legends...Mary J Blige just got control over her voice in like 2005
  • Question Authority
    Question Authority Members Posts: 494
    edited January 2010
    blackrain wrote: »
    if we are talking catalouges then that includes everything the artist have worked on so you can't say Mary J has a better one than R. Kelly...look at the amount of people he's worked with and written for...I mean the same dude who made Feelin On Yo ? had a #1 duet w/ ? Celine Dion...that's versatility right there...wrote songs for Michael Jackson and plenty other legends...Mary J Blige just got control over her voice in like 2005

    Mary has also worked and recorded with some very high industry vets.