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''My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)'' is the tenth studio album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige, released on November 21, 2011, by Geffen Records and Matriarch Records. Titled as the sequel and serving as a thematical extension to her 1994 breakthrough album ''My Life'', which portrayed a dark period in Blige's personal life, it talks about the themes of struggle, heartbreak, and strength while reflecting the growth and evolution she had experienced since the release of its predecessor. Production for the album took place during 2010 to 2011 at several recording studios in New York and Los Angeles and was handled by Danja, Eric Hudson, Rodney Jerkins, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love, Harmony Samuels, StarGate, Tricky Stewart, The Underdogs, and Jerry Wonda. Upon its release, ''My Life II'' received generally positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart with first weeks sales of 156,000 copies. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and became the best-selling R&B album of 2012. From the four singles that were released, only "Mr. Wrong" achieved chart success, reaching the top ten of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. ==Background== In December 2009, Blige's ninth studio album, ''Stronger with Each Tear'', was released, debuting at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 332,000 units in its first week of release. It became her ninth consecutive studio album to have debuted at the top of the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and won Blige the award for Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Album at the 41st NAACP Image Awards. By August 2010, Blige had already begun work on her tenth studio album with Swizz Beatz, Kanye West, The Underdogs, Jerry Wonda, Arden Altino, Lil Ronnie, Jay-Z, Timbaland, Salaam Remi, Maxwell, Alicia Keys, Raphael Saadiq, Ester Dean, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Johnta Austin, Eric Hudson, Q-Tip, Sean Garrett, DJ Premier, Gorilla Tek, Don Pooh, Ne-Yo, and Drumma Boy.〔http://theurbandaily.com/music/theurbandailystaff2/q-tip-working-on-tracks-for-beyonce-mary-j blige/〕 First reports claimed the album would be titled ''LovHer'' and was due for release in the first quarter of 2011, thought Blige later revealed during her Music Saved My Life Tour, that she was in no rush to release the album and she had not given it a title yet. A song called "Anything You Want" featuring Busta Rhymes and Gyptian leaked on line in August 2010. Backstage at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, when speaking of approach to the new album, Blige described crafting sonic heat similar to her first two studio albums but plan to update the vintage Blige sound, telling that “(will be ) more like a ''What's the 411?'' of 2012. It's headed () that direction but in a new (). Not what it used to be. Right now, it's going in the ''Mary'' direction, which is R&B and hip-hop and soul. If it goes into the club direction, it will probably be more soulful than futuristic." On June 21, 2011, a track titled "Feel Inside" apparently featuring Nicki Minaj leaked online. In an interview with MTV it was revealed that the track was in fact two separate songs that the duo were respectively working on, but that someone had put together. Blige revealed that despite the fake collaboration, Minaj and Blige would be collaborating on a song. "I was * * * *ed about the leaking of the Nicki Minaj and Mary J Blige record, because that's not fair and people shouldn't do that () But I'm over it. We move on. We're going to make more hot music." In terms of what she wanted to achieve musically with the album, Blige herself told Blues & Soul: "With so much techno and four-to-the floor and general loss of live instrumentation going on today, to me people are not doing real MUSIC any more. And so with this album I really wanted people to remember when music was about QUALITY instead of QUANTITY!... I basically wanted to separate myself and give everybody back what I feel music today is MISSING."〔(Mary J. Blige interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' November 2011 )〕 Finished in Los Angeles, New York City and Atlanta, ''My Life II'' sees Blige looking toward the future while acknowledging the past: "From me to you, My Life II… Our journey together continues in this life,”'' explained Mary. ''“It’s a gift to be able to relate and identify with my fans at all times. This album is a reflection of the times and lives of people all around me.” 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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