Mary J. Blige dropped this album a few hours before her performance at the Super Bowl.

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TOP 5

Honorable Mention. Amazing

I like this song’s purpose more than its sound.

“Amazing” is not amazing. I don’t really care for the song’s beat, melodies, or cliche lyrics. What I do like about the song is its spirit. It will put a smile on your face, remind you that Mary is a legend, and turn a Monday into a Friday. I also like Khaled’s adlibs in the background.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Beyoncé wrote this song.

5. Love Without Heartbreak

Love without heartbreak? That’s wishful thinking, Mary.

I think the lyrics on “Love Without Heartbreak” are the best on this album. Throughout the song, Mary does a brilliant job of singing about searching for that happy place in a relationship. What I think makes the song excellent is that every word that comes out of her mouth sounds honest and authentic. I also like the fact that the song boasts these vibes that get more and more intense as the song plays on.

4. On Top

Holy s**t, Mary J. Blige sounds good as hell over a drill beat.

Even though Mary J. Blige is considered an R&B artist, her impact on the hip-hop game should not be ignored. With that being said, listening to her drop bars over a drill beat in “On Top” was entertaining as hell! As for featured guest Fivio Foreign, he kills s**t by coming across as Mary’s violent nephew that is down to shoot shots at anyone that tries to test his family.

3. Good Morning Gorgeous

Mary was once the queen of drama. Ever since she released “No Drama,” she has been mostly positive in her music. In “Good Morning Gorgeous,” Mary explains why she has a new outlook on life.

“Good Morning Gorgeous” is a a very beautiful and uplifting song. Throughout it, Mary sings about the many ways that she motivates herself to be the best version that she can be. Though the song has these bluesy vibes to it, it’s something that I guarantee will uplift you.

2. Here With Me

Anderson .Paak assists Mary in “Here With Me.”

I just love how pure, soothing, and slick “Here With Me” sounds. Over an instrumental that feels completely organic, Mary J. Blige and Anderson .Paak calls their own shots, letting their sweethearts know exactly what they want from them. Once Anderson gets things started with some sly vocals, Mary takes things over, eventually plugging in a level of tenderness and demand into the song.

1. Rent Money

I hope they make Mary and Dave East sit on a stoop for the music video to this song.

More than any other song on this album, I feel like Mary sounds like a natural in “Rent Money.” Over an instrumental that features this pleasant/jazzy instrumental that never fully gets unleashed, Mary hits us with these melodies that are pure as hell, vocals with just the right amount of passion and gentleness, and lyrics that indicate that she is done spending her time and money on someone that isn’t moving the needle for her.

Though you would think that Dave East is not supposed to fit this song based on the instrumental, in my opinion, he fits it like OJ’s glove before his maid decided to dry it 15 times in a row. Dave’s gritty delivery and honest lyrics about hustling and making sure his girl is just as fly as him is definitely touching.

SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. No Idea (2/5)

2. Love Will Never (3/5)

3. Here With Me (4/5)

4. Rent Money (4/5)

5. Amazing (3/5)

6. GMG Interlude (N/A)

7. Good Morning Gorgeous (4/5)

8. Come See About Me (4/5)

9. On Top (4/5)

10. Love With Without Heartbreak (4/5)

11. Falling In Love (3/5)

12. Enough (4/5)

13. Need Love (3/5)

RGM RATING

(C+)

Mary J. Blige did not need to release this album to make the hall-of-fame — she’s already in there. She’s also covered just about every relationship topic on this planet in her music. I think Mary knows this. The reason I say that is because this Good Morning Gorgeous project definitely feels like a celebration of the New York singer’s career.

In my eyes, Mary has been good at these two things these last couple of years: Dropping really passionate R&B music, and dropping music that the skreets love. In Good Morning Gorgeous, you get both kinds of music out of Mary. While her vocals aren’t quite as sharp as they used to be, she still has tons of force in her voice. While Mary may not have the same swag as the youngins that you hear on the radio today, she does still sound pretty hard. Aside from the two kinds of tracks that I mentioned, there are also these cheerful tracks in which Mary absolutely glows. While I am sure Mary doesn’t think that this is a classic album, if I were to guess, she had a lot of fun making it.

Quincy

Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.