The new one is more finger-popping and less experimental than the original, which was influenced by other musical traditions including jazz and soul. So how do the two “My Life” albums compare? The newest one lacks the grit and the soul-baring vulnerability of the first album. The album has a marquee cast of collaborators-Nas, Busta Ryhmes, her alter-ego Brook Lynn, Rick Ross, Drake, Beyoncé that give what is supposed to be an intimate work a crowded block-party feel. Though the jingle of songs like “Midnight Drive,” her disco-mixed cover of Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody” and “25/8” are sure to inspire a riot on the dance floor, the content suggests an emotional throwback to a tumultuous moment in the singer’s life that produced bluesy self-effacing songs found on the original My Life album.įor die-hard Mary fans, the implications of Blige’s new songs- troubled, one-sided pleas for love- are disappointing. The singer-songwriter has a similar struggle. Judging from the content of the new album, it’s the latter. On the gorgeous new album, her profile can be read as the singer looking forward or backward. The singer’s face that was hidden with an oversized black leather hat is now exposed in a regal coif befitting a Queen. The blue tint that set a somber tone on the original My Life album is replaced with the vibrant colors of a sunset. One need only compare the album covers of the first My Life (1994) album to the new one to see how far the artist has come. Blige performs at the 2011 American Music Awards in Los Angeles November 20, 2011.