No More Drama

No More Drama

The original release CD artwork for the album.
Studio album by Mary J. Blige
Released August 28, 2001 (2001-08-28)
Genre R&B
Length 71:50
Label MCA
Producer
Mary J. Blige chronology
Mary
(1999)		 No More Drama
(2001)		 Love & Life
(2003)
Singles from No More Drama
  1. "Family Affair"
    Released: June 12, 2001
  2. "Dance for Me"
    Released: August 7, 2001
  3. "No More Drama"
    Released: September 11, 2001
  4. "Rainy Dayz"
    Released: November 5, 2001

No More Drama is the fifth studio album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige. The album was released on August 28, 2001 by MCA Records in North America. The album was certified 3x Platinum. According to Billboard magazine, No More Drama has sold over 3,200,000 in the United States alone to date. Critically acclaimed, the album has received positive to favorable reviews from most music critics, debuting at number two on the US Billboard 200, and opening at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 324,000 copies in its first week.[1] It has spawned four singles that has attained Billboard chart success. The album received two Grammy nominations for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (for "Family Affair") at the 44th Grammy Awards. Blige would win her first in the latter category for the track "He Think I Don't Know" the following year.

Conception

The inspiration for No More Drama came largely from Bilge's own confused and hectic life. In a later interview she confessed to living a life of alcohol and drug abuse at the time, and as a result getting involved in a series of abusive relationships. The album was an attempt to break free from this vicious circle, which was a result of a deprived childhood.[2]

Stylistically, the album diverged from Blige's typically blues-soaked R&B into the hip-hop beats and influences that had made her debut, What's the 411?, a hit. This is especially evident in the first single, "Family Affair". Rapper Eve appears on the track "Where I've Been" as well, and urban influences can be heard throughout the album.

Early in its development, the album carried the full title Mary Jane - No More Drama and was to be a sequel to 1999's Mary. Blige's then-manager hinted that the album would be the second in a trilogy and be followed by an album titled Mary Jane Blige.[3] During this time, the first single was supposed to be a song called "Rock Steady" featuring a rap from Jay-Z and Lenny Kravitz on guitar. The song was leaked to mixtapes months before the album was scheduled to be released and subsequently did not make the final cut on the album.[4]

The original advance copy of No More Drama was slightly different from the later, official release. A vocal loop repeated throughout the whole of the version included with the intention of anti-piracy sings "Mary J. Blige, No More Drama!". The first publish of an AMG review printed in All Music Guide to Soul, a guide to R&B and soul, of No More Drama mistakenly pointed this out as if it were part of the actual album, calling it "as subtle and congruent as a consistent drum hit."[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Christgau's Consumer Guide[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
Entertainment WeeklyA[9]
Los Angeles Times[10]
NME7/10[11]
Q[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
Uncut[14]
USA Today[15]

No More Drama received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 77, based on 12 reviews.[16] AllMusic editor Liana Jonas complimented Blige's ability to write relatable lyrics, writing that she "has a killer instinct for creating gritty, thick, and soul-infused R&B fare. Her music is more than heard. It is felt, and audiences would be hard-pressed to not surrender to her groove."[6] Writing for The A.V. Club, Nathan Rabin believed "Blige sounds happier and more relaxed than ever. Boasting nearly as many producers as songs, No More Drama [is] a testament to Blige's force of personality and the authenticity of her vision that the disc feels as personal and intimate as the most heartfelt four-track demo."[17] Entertainment Weekly's David Browne felt that "from the Dre-produced theatricality of the single ”Family Affair” to refined funk and crisp quiet-storm R&B, the multi-producer arrangements are expansive yet warm, and Blige’s pushy rasp has never sounded better."[9] Robert Marriott from Rolling Stone said the record "presents Blige more in touch with her roots, more grounded and ready for her next set of challenges, musical and otherwise, an analog soul thriving in a digital age."[13] Barry Walters from The Village Voice called it "Blige's most rhythm album ever, and even the ballads that can drag r&b down here bristle with bumping beats."[18]

The newspaper's Robert Christgau was somewhat less enthusiastic, finding the record "front-loaded",[19] highlighting the songs "PMS" and "Steal Away" while writing "positive attitude's a bitch, not to mention a drag".[20] Ethan Brown was unimpressed by Blige's more optimistic songs, writing in New York magazine that, "miserable, Blige can be penetrating and profound; happy, she comes off generic and bland."[21]

Chart performance

In the United States, No More Drama opened to Blige's biggest first week sales up to then.[22]

No More Drama debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, the official albums chart in the United States, on September 6, 2001 – second only to Aaliyah's self-titled third album.[23] The album sold 294,351 units in its first week of release.[23] No More Drama was Blige's highest debut week album sales, until it was surpassed by The Breakthrough (2005), which sold 729,000 copies in its first week.[24] By the end of 2001, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and became the seventy-third best-selling album of that year in the United States. The album's commercial performance was reinforced by the subsequent release of a reissue. The release of the special edition helped No More Drama to re-enter the top ten in February 2002, gaining more than 200 percent in sales at a total of 61,000 copies.[22] The same month, No More Drama was certified double platinum by the RIAA. As of August 2003, the album has sold 1.9 million copies in the US, while the special edition moved an additional 1.1 million units.[25]

In Germany, the album was her most successful one in her career in this country, reaching #13 and staying in the German Albums Chart for 35 weeks [26] Estimated worldwide sales for the album are at 6,500,000.[27]

Track listing

No More Drama – Standard edition
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Love"  
 2:46
2. "Family Affair"  
 4:28
3. "Steal Away" (featuring Pharrell & Boo Bonic)
 4:27
4. "Crazy Games"  
  • Blige
  • Kenny Dickerson
  • Blige
  • Kenny Lav
 3:23
5. "PMS"  
  • Thompson
 5:33
6. "No More Drama"  
 5:26
7. "Keep It Moving"  
  • Blige
  • Bruce Miller
 4:15
8. "Destiny"  
  • Blige
  • Benny Benjamin
  • Gloria Caldwell
  • Sol Marcus
  • Brian Reeves
  • Kiyamma Griffin
 4:14
9. "Where I've Been" (featuring Eve)
 5:11
10. "Beautiful Day"  
  • Miller
  • Kenny Flaw
 3:33
11. "Dance for Me"  
  • Blige
  • Miller
  • Lonnie Lynn
  • Sting
 4:47
12. "Flying Away"  
  • Griffin
 5:00
13. "Never Been"  
  • Missy Elliott
  • Charlemagne
 4:03
14. "2U"  
  • Blige
  • Griffin
 4:45
15. "In the Meantime"  
  • Blige
  • Robinson
 4:14
16. "Forever No More" (Poem)
  • Blige
  • Blige
 1:41
17. "Testimony"  
  • Flav
 5:00
Sample credits

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2001–02) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 36
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29] 17
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] 32
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] 24
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32] 5
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[33] 10
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[34] 9
French Albums (SNEP)[35] 8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] 13
Italian Albums (FIMI)[37] 18
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[38] 31
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[39] 19
Scottish Albums (OCC)[40] 8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 7
UK Albums (OCC)[43] 4
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[44] 1
US Billboard 200[45] 2
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[46] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2001) Position
Dutch Albums (Hitlisten)[47] 71
French Albums (SNEP)[48] 62
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[49] 43
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] 62
UK Albums (OCC)[51] 101
US Billboard 200[52] 85
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[53] 32
Chart (2002) Position
Dutch Albums (Hitlisten)[47] 49
French Albums (SNEP)[54] 115
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] 74
UK Albums (OCC)[55] 49
US Billboard 200[56] 73
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[57] 32

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[58] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[59] Gold 100,000*
Sweden (GLF)[60] Gold 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[61] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[62] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ HITS Daily Double: Previous Album Sales Chart
  2. ↑ Brown, Helen (2008-07-02). "Mary J Blige: Proud to shout it out without selling out on 'Growing Pains'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  3. ↑ Reid, Shaheem (2001-04-03). "Mary J. Blige Wants 'No More Drama' On Fifth LP". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
  4. ↑ "Blige May Cut Leaked Jay-Z/Kravitz Track From Album". MTV News.
  5. ↑ "All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul". Google Books.
  6. 1 2 Jonas, Liana. "No More Drama". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  7. ↑ Christgau, Robert (n.d.). "Consumer Guide Album: No More Drama". Robert Christgau. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  8. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Mary J. Blige". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0857125958.
  9. 1 2 Browne, David (2001-09-07). "No More Drama (2001)". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  10. ↑ "Choices From the Charts". Los Angeles Times. Tronc, Inc. 2001-11-22. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  11. ↑ Ward, Christian. "Blige, Mary J: No More Drama". NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  12. ↑ "Reviews". Q. October 2001. p. 117.
  13. 1 2 Marriott, Robert (2001-08-20). "No More Drama". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  14. ↑ "Reviews". Uncut. November 2001. p. 102.
  15. ↑ Jones, Steve (2001-08-28). "Pick and choose from Blige, Scruggs and friends". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  16. ↑ "Critic Reviews for No More Drama". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  17. ↑ Rabin, Nathan (2001-08-28). "Mary J. Blige: No More Drama". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
  18. ↑ Walters, Barry (2001-09-04). "Marked Woman". The Village Voice. The Village Voice LLC. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  19. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2003-09-23). "The Commoner Queen". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  20. ↑ Christgau, Robert (September 18, 2001). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  21. ↑ Brown, Ethan (August 27, 2001). "Ladies Sing the Blues". New York. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  22. 1 2 D'Angelo, Joe (2002-02-06). "Mary J.'s Reissue The Only 'Drama' In Stagnant Billboard Top 10". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  23. 1 2 Farber, Jim (2001-09-06). "Aaliyah Surges To No. 1 Album". New York Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  24. ↑ D'Angelo, Joe (2003-09-03). "Mary J. Blige, Hilary Duff Take Over Top Slots On Albums Chart". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  25. ↑ "Mary J. Blige: Love & Life". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2003-08-09. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  26. ↑ Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche - musicline.de
  27. ↑ "Mary J. Blige". Fan of Music. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  28. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  29. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  32. ↑ "Mary J. Blige – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Mary J. Blige. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  33. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  34. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  35. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  36. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  37. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  38. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  39. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  40. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  41. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  42. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  43. ↑ "Mary J. Blige | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  44. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  45. ↑ "Mary J. Blige – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Mary J. Blige. Retrieved accessdate=2016-08-19.
  46. ↑ "Mary J. Blige – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Mary J. Blige. Retrieved accessdate=2016-08-19.
  47. 1 2 "Jaaroverzichten 2001". MegaCharts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  48. ↑ "Classement Albums – année 2001" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  49. ↑ "Årslista Album – År 2001". Swedish Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  50. 1 2 "Jahrescharts 2001". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
  51. ↑ "2001 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
  52. ↑ "2001 Year-End Chart – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  53. ↑ "2001 Year-End Chart – Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  54. ↑ "Classement Albums – année 2002" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  55. ↑ "2002 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
  56. ↑ "2002 Year-End Chart – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  57. ↑ "2002 Year-End Chart – Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  58. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Music Canada. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  59. ↑ "French album certifications – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  60. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2001" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  61. ↑ "British album certifications – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2016-08-19. Enter No More Drama in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  62. ↑ "American album certifications – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2016-08-19. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.