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The Breakthrough
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 20 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 38 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Geffen
Release Date: 20 December 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): R&B
Summary
The R&B singer's latest includes a cover of U2's "One." The all-star roster of contributors includes Bono, Jay-Z, Raphael Saadiq, Dr. Dre and will.i.am.
Also By This Artist: Growing Pains Love & Life No More Drama Stronger With Each Tear
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Stylus Magazine
The Breakthrough is easily Blige’s finest full-length since ‘99’s Mary.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
Thankfully returns some of the drama to her music. [23 Dec 2005, p.78]
Amazon.com
Blige, never far from the thoughts of the lovelorn, didn't need a breakthrough, but anybody with an ear for artful confession will be glad she's given us The Breakthrough anyway.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
Ms. Blige brings together hip-hop realism and soul's higher aspirations, hip-hop's digitized crispness and soul's slow-building testimonies. [19 Dec 2005]
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
What ultimately differentiates Blige's seventh studio album from previous discs is that its ballads truly matter.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
Where Love and Life limped from song to song, The Breakthrough zips confidently through its sixteen tracks.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express (NME)
Mary J draws on an eventful life to reach new levels of feeling. [7 Jan 2006, p.29]
Vibe
Even cameos by today's hottest rappers can't shake Blige's nostalgic flair. [Mar 2006, p.186]
Los Angeles Times
Blige self-indulgently lets many songs on "The Breakthrough" run too long but keeps her sound fresh... adeptly weaving beats and live instruments, vocals and rapping, melody and rhythm in configurations alternately stark and lush. [11 Dec 2005]
The Guardian
Blige may be celebrating no more drama in her life, but when she wants to, she can still sing like a drama queen. These are The Breakthrough's high points.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
It's another solid and undeniably enjoyable album. But from a woman as supremely talented as Blige, somehow enjoyable rates as a disappointment.
Read Full Review >Blender
Her ardent love songs ultimately come off not as love songs but standard ache-and-pain Mary tracks--making this album not quite the breakthrough it might have been. [Mar 2006, p.109]
Mojo
Reveals a still intense and enthralling grittiness to her performances. [Feb 2006, p.93]
Spin
Too often, Blige's voice doesn't get the space it needs to cut loose with emotion. [Feb 2006, p.85]
Slant Magazine
Whether or not her risks work, it's taking chances that pays dividends, not placing safe bets.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
Like a lot of her previous albums, The Breakthrough is overlong and spoilt by too many producers sticking their oar in.
Read Full Review >Urb
All in all, it seems like the diva needs a little drama to get it percolatin'. [Mar 2006, p.123]
Village Voice
The Breakthrough improves on 2003's Diddy-helmed misfire Love & Life but lacks the character of 1999's eclectic Mary.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 38 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mikey D gave it a9:
Some of the songs on this album are some of her best vocal perfomances of her career. She's definitely at the top of her game. So what if she's happy, she still has heart!
Tyler M gave it a10:
I loved the album. tons of great inspirational songs that touched me in the right way! haha! I love it! Go Mary!
Boris F gave it an8:
a great R&B album but missing the signature mary tracks like "No more Drama" but all in all she shows why she's the Queen of R&B soul with golden lungs and a writing style that many new artist admire
thandeka d gave it a7:
u go gaal let dem know.i lovrd ur album u really tell it lyk it is.love you xxx xxx (fan)
viggy r gave it a10:
MAry J. Blige is so good! Be without you is one of my three favorite songs and it probably will be for a long time. She is really the queen of soul.
MaShawnda G gave it an8:
excellent as usual
Bruce S gave it a10:
Great Album Every Song is great. A young Aretha in the making on a few songs. Truly the future Quuen of Soul and the already proclaimed Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.
