by John Zenoni
What a great documentary I watched tonight on singer-songwriter, Mary J Blige, called ‘Mary J Blige’s My Life’, an intimate look into the creation of the album of the same name. I will admit up front that I have not followed her entire career but remember listening a lot to the song ‘Real Love’ from the album, ‘What’s the 411?’ and then I didn't catch up on her again until her ‘No More Drama’ album and that amazing song, ‘Family Affair.’ That's a brilliant song in itself. But apparently I skipped over the most revered and loved album she did, ‘My Life.’ Needless to say, after watching this doc I'm going to have to listen to that album.
This is such a well-made documentary and one of the things that stands out for me is how it flows. Meaning, you catch a clip of a live interview with Mary J. or her family members and then you see these animated clips acting out what Mary J is talking about or how she's feeling. The other, and probably obvious, good thing are the clips from her live shows. Not ever having seen her perform live, I still could feel the energy you get from her on stage and her audience input and interaction - and obvious love for her - is just amazing.
I also felt like I was really getting the inside details of her life during this documentary. She told you things about herself; her family; why she didn't smile as a teenager; what it was like living in the projects; her dreams; getting into the music industry with her at-home music audition; her connection with Puffy Combs and his impact on her career; and her relationship with K-Ci Hailey. But I have to say that what I admire about her most is her love of being a woman and wanting to help others. She's someone who just comes across as honest and real and willing to share her good and bad times but fighting to make it.
This documentary is a definite recommend!
Available for streaming on Amazon on June 25.
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