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Stronger with Each Tear

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Untitled

Stronger with Each Tear (often styled as Stronger withEach Tear) is the ninth studio album from American R&B and soul singer Mary J. Blige.[1] The album was released in the U.S. on December 21, 2009 under Blige's own imprint Matriarch Records[2], making it her third consecutive album to be released during the Christmas period following The Breakthrough (2005) and Growing Pains (2007).[3]

Internationally it was released December 18, 2009 in Australia and Germany, December 21 in France, December 23 in Japan and is scheduled for release in Italy on March 19 and in the UK on March 22, 2010.[4].

Background

Blige started working on her upcoming ninth album while she toured with Robin Thicke in 2008. In an interview with Rap-Up magazine she stated the following about the album:

The album represents who and what I am right now. I’m a stronger human being after all the growing pains. It’s about life, love, change, strength—mostly really knowing who you are and being confident in that[5]

The album was initially titled Stronger after the song, "Stronger" which Blige recorded and released as the lead single from the soundtrack Music Inspired by More Than a Game from the LeBron James' documentary More Than a Game.[6] However Rap-Up later revealed that the album had been retitled Stronger with Each Tear.[1] The reason for the renaming of the album is suspected that the lead single "Stronger" failing to make an impact on the charts. According to HMV Group's listing for the album, the song will not be included on the album. The song "Each Tear" replaced "Stronger" and the album was retitled Stronger with Each Tear.

However the album does feature productions and writing credits from the likes of Ryan Leslie, Darkchild and Johntá Austin. Also included are several features like Canadian rapper Drake who features on the first single "The One", rapper T.I. who features on "Good Love" which was initially planned as the second single[7] and Trey Songz himself revealed that he had recorded a duet called "Hood Love" with Blige for the album.[8] The song was previously recorded by Austin and Blige for Austin's debut solo album that never got released. The song has since been reworked and retitiled "We Got Hood Love". Following the album's release in the US the song charted at 82 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart due to strong digital downloads.[9] Album cut "I Feel Good" also charted on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart at number 71 due to strong digital downloads and radio airplay.[10]

Australian media outlets revealed that the album would be re-released internationally with an altered tracklisting. The new version of the album will have a duet version of the song "Each Tear" with Australian artist Vanessa Amorosi.[11]. There are also two other versions of the track performed by Italian singer Tiziano Ferro and UK singer Jay Sean. According to HMV, it will also feature the Led Zeppelin cover "Stairway to Heaven", the Red One produced track "Whole Lotta Love" and the song "Stronger" from the soundtrack More Than a Game.[12] [13]

Promotion and release

The album was originally slated for release on November 24, 2009[14] but this was pushed back to December 15, 2009[15] which would have put Blige's album in a chart battle with Alicia Keys' new album The Element of Freedom. The album was then pushed back once more to December 21, 2009.

After a number of appearances to promote the song "Stronger" for the soundtrack Music Inspired by More Than a Game, Blige formally began the album's promotion in America by premiering the new lead single "I Am" at the American Music Awards (2009). The following day she appeared on Lopez Tonight show for an interview and encore performance of "I Am".[16] Blige also appeared on Jay Leno Show, The Today Show, and was also on a special aired on BET named Words & Sounds With Mary J. Blige. She was on a taping of The View.[17]

Singles

  • "The One" was released as the album's first single on June 5, 2009 for airplay and was officially released on July 21, 2009. Featuring Drake, the song was co-written by Ester Dean and was produced by Rodney Jerkins, who is one of several producers working on the album. The song debuted & peaked at number sixty-three on the Billboard Hot 100.
  • "I Am" which was written by Blige,Johntá Austin and Ester Dean with music produced by Stargate was released as the second single.[7] It was sent to U.S. radio on November 24, 2009 and will be released as a Digital Download on December 8, 2009.[18] It debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart November 19, 2009 at No. 46 prior to its full release and peaked at number 5 upon release. It debuted on Japan's Hot 100 chart at No. 92 and peaked at No. 11 on that chart,[19] also debuting on the US hot 100 at 67 and peaking at No. 55.
  • On Blige's official website, fans were given the chance to vote for the next U.S. single. The choices were "Tonight", "Good Love" with T.I., "Each Tear", "I Love U (Yes I Du)", "We Got Hood Love" with Trey Songz and "In the Morning".[20]. The song "Each Tear" has been re-recorded as a duet with Australian singer Vanessa Amorosi.[21] A music video for the song was shot in Los Angeles by director Marcus Raboy.[22] The song will be released as the next single from the album (first international single, third overall).

Other Songs

  • "We Got Hood Love" debuted at number 82 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart following the albums release due to strong digital downloads and radio airplay.[23]
  • The song "I Feel Good" entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 83 and on the issue date February 13, 2010, it reached a peak of number 68.[24]
  • On the issue dated February 20, 2010, the song "Good Love" entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 59.[25]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [26]
The Boston Globe(favorable)[27]
Chicago Tribune[28]
Entertainment Weekly(B)[29]
Los Angeles Times[30]
The New York Times(favorable)[31]
Rolling Stone[32]
Slant[33]
Spin[34]
USA Today[35]

Reviewers' response to the album was mostly positive, currently holding a score of 75 (out of 100) on music review aggregation website Metacritic.[36] Andy Kellman from AllMusic said "Stronger with Each Tear is a very good Blige album, if not quite a classic. One of her briefest sets, it is tremendously (almost studiously) balanced between all the ground she has covered so well before. That’s no criticism, though, since most of the songs are easily memorable and display so much range. Those who detest “The One” on principle, for its use of Auto-Tune, need only to forward to the album’s final song, a quiet and sparse throwback (to 40-plus years ago) production from Raphael Saadiq in which Blige professes new love to chilling effect."[26] Mike Wood from Spin magazine also liked the album saying "Mary J. Blige has spent the past decade effecting a slow transformation from R&B's queen of pain to the closest thing the genre counts to Oprah Winfrey. Judging by the titles on Blige's latest, that transformation is almost complete: "Good Love," "I Feel Good," "I Love U (Yes I Du)." It's hard to believe this is the same woman who once felt the need to announce she was done with drama. Yet despite the conviction that those track names suggest—and despite solid writing and production contributions from A-listers [...] it feels less vital than 2005's terrific The Breakthrough or 2007's Growing Pains [...] The result is minor Mary—strong by many standards, a bit tepid by hers." [34]


Track listing

Standard listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Tonight"Mary J. Blige, Aliaune Thiam, Edwin Birdsong, A. Harr, J. Jackson, Kevin CossomThe Runners, Konvict Muzik4:00
2."The One" (featuring Drake)Blige, Aubrey Graham, Ester Dean, Rodney JerkinsDarkchild3:14
3."Said and Done"Blige, Ryan LeslieRyan Leslie3:23
4."Good Love" (featuring T.I.)Shaffer Smith, J. Reeves, R. Romulus, J. YipStereotypes, Ne-Yo4:01
5."I Feel Good"Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel EriksenStarGate, Ne-Yo3:47
6."I Am"Blige, Johntá Austin, Dean, Hermansen, EriksenStarGate3:23
7."Each Tear"Blige, Mitchum Chin, Dwayne Chin-QueeSupa Dups4:15
8."I Love U (Yes I Du)"Blige, Jamal Jones, Dean, D. Reed, D. Level, B. WilliamsPolow Da Don3:23
9."We Got Hood Love" (featuring Trey Songz)Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox, Kendrick Dean, AustinBryan-Michael Cox, WyldCard4:15
10."Kitchen"Blige, Terius NashTricky Stewart, The-Dream4:31
11."In the Morning"Blige, Anesha Birchett, Antea BirchettD'Mile, Ron Fair4:36
12."Color" (from the motion picture Precious)Blige, Raphael Saadiq, LaNeah MenziesRaphael Saadiq5:31
U.S. Amazon MP3 download bonus tracks[37]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Stay"DeanAnthony M.Jones3:49
14."Gonna Make It" (featuring Jazmine Sullivan)Blige, Jazmine SullivanSalaam Remi3:36
U.S. iTunes bonus tracks[38]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Closer"Blige, LaNeah MenziesRyan Leslie4:11
14."Brand New" (pre-order only)Blige,E. Ortiz, K. Crowe, C. Brown III, D. Young, B. SiglerJ.U.S.T.I.C.E. League3:39

Chart and sales performance

Debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, Stronger with Each Tear sold 332,000 copies in its first week. It also went to No. 1 on the R&B chart. It has now sold 632,721 copies in the US alone.[39][40][41][42] On February 2, 2010 it had sold a further 29,047 copies which was a 2% increase on last week.[43]

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Canadian Albums Chart[44] 42
Dutch Albums Chart[45] 89
Greek Albums Chart[46][47] 21
Swedish Albums Chart[47] 38
Swiss Albums Chart[47] 66
U.S. Billboard Top 200[48] 2
U.S. Billboard R&B[49] 1
World Albums Chart[50] 7


Region Provider Certification Sales/Shipments
United States RIAA Gold 632,721

Awards

Year Region Award Category Result
2010 United States NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Album[51] Won
2010 United States NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Female Artist[52] Won

Personnel

Release history

Country Date Label Catalogue
Australia[53] December 18, 2009 Universal Music 2725654
Germany[54] 0602527256542
France[55] December 21, 2009 Barclay Records
United States Matriarch Records 602527256542
Japan[56] December 23, 2009 Universal Music Japan UICF9065
United Kingdom[4] March 22, 2010 Polydor Records 2725654


Chart procession and succession

Preceded by Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums number-one album
January 2, 2010 – 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ a b "Mary J. Blige Renames New Album". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  2. ^ "Mary J. Blige's 'Stronger' Pushed to Christmas Week". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  3. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/news/susan-boyle-likely-to-beat-mary-j-blige-1004055400.story
  4. ^ a b http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/13346165/Stronger-With-Each-Tear/Product.html
  5. ^ "Mary J. Blige "stronger" than ever on new album". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  6. ^ "Video: Mary J. Blige – 'Stronger'". Rap-Up.com. 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  7. ^ a b "Mary J. Blige Enlists T.I. for New Single". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2009-12-20. Cite error: The named reference "rapup2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Trey Songz Lines Up Mary J. Blige, Plies Collabos". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  9. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/mary-j-blige/chart-history/43746?f=367&g=Singles
  10. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/mary-j-blige/chart-history/43746?f=367&g=Singles
  11. ^ http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/aussie-duo-vanessa-amorosi-and-orianthi-oblige-soul-queen-mary-j-blige/story-e6frfmqr-1225828022527?from=public_rss
  12. ^ http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3779907
  13. ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1631297/20100204/blige_mary_j.jhtml
  14. ^ "Video: Mary J. Blige f/ Drake – 'The One'". Rap-Up.com. 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  15. ^ "Mary J. Blige's 'Stronger' Coming This Year". Rap-Up.com. 2009-10-23. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  16. ^ "Video: Mary J. Blige Visits 'Lopez Tonight'". Rap-Up.com. 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  17. ^ "Album Cover: Mary J. Blige – 'Stronger withEach Tear'". Rap-Up.com. 2009-11-30. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  18. ^ "Mary J. Blige : Single : I Am". Mjblige.com. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  19. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs#/artist/mary-j-blige/chart-history/43746?f=848&g=Singles
  20. ^ http://www.mjblige.com/blog/default.aspx?nid=24226&cmnt=1#s_comments_anchor
  21. ^ http://undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=10273_Try_Out_The_Vanessa_Amorosi_Hazardous_Valentines_Day_Test
  22. ^ http://www.videostatic.com/vs/2010/02/shot-mary-j-blige-marcus-raboy-director.html
  23. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts?tag=nav#/artist/mary-j-blige/chart-history/43746?f=367&g=Singles
  24. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts?tag=nav#/artist/mary-j-blige/chart-history/43746?f=367&g=Singles
  25. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts?tag=nav#/artist/mary-j-blige/chart-history/43746?f=367&g=Singles
  26. ^ a b Kellman, Andy (2009-12-01). "( Stronger with Each Tear > Overview )". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  27. ^ "Mary J. Blige, at full strength - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  28. ^ Kot, Greg. Review: Stronger with Each Tear. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2010-01-12.
  29. ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20334277,00.html
  30. ^ December 21, 2009 . "Album review: Mary J. Blige's 'Stronger With Each Tear' | Pop & Hiss | Los Angeles Times". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. Retrieved 2009-12-22. {{cite web}}: Text "  6:57 pm" ignored (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/arts/music/21choice.html?_r=1
  32. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/31348713/stronger_witheach_tear
  33. ^ "Mary J. Blige: Stronger with Each Tear | Music Review". Slant Magazine. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  34. ^ a b Login or Register to post comments. "Mary J. Blige, 'Stronger with Each Tear' (Matriarch/Geffen) | Spin Magazine Online". Spin.com. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  35. ^ Jones, Steve. Review: Stronger with Each Tear. USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-01-12.
  36. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/bligemaryj/strongerwitheachtear
  37. ^ "Stronger withEach Tear (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version): Mary J. Blige: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  38. ^ "iTunes Store". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  39. ^ http://www.sohh.com/2010/02/lil_wayne_rocks_rolls_to_no_2_black_eyed.html
  40. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/news/ke-ha-ends-boyle-s-dream-with-no-1-debut-1004058983.story
  41. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/news/susan-boyle-spends-fifth-week-at-no-1-on-1004055812.story
  42. ^ http://www.sohh.com/2010/01/hope_for_haiti_dominates_all_alicia_keys.html
  43. ^ http://www.webcitation.org/5nLezjcAB
  44. ^ http://www.webcitation.org/5nAnzd96w
  45. ^ http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Mary+J+Blige&titel=Stronger+With+Each+Tear&cat=a
  46. ^ http://www.webcitation.org/5nAoAXvwZ
  47. ^ a b c http://www.swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Mary+J+Blige&titel=Stronger+With+Each+Tear&cat=a
  48. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/album/mary-j-blige/stronger-witheach-tear/1298698
  49. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/album/mary-j-blige/stronger-with-each-tear/1298698
  50. ^ http://acharts.us/album/52713
  51. ^ http://www.celebrity-mania.com/news/view/00011971.html
  52. ^ http://www.celebrity-mania.com/news/view/00011971.html
  53. ^ "Buy Stronger With Each Tear Mary J Blige, R&B, CD". Sanity. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  54. ^ "Mary J. Blige - Produkt - Stronger With Each Tear - (CD)". Mary-j-blige.de. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  55. ^ "Stronger WithEach Tear: Mary J. Blige: Amazon.fr: Téléchargements MP3". Amazon.fr. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  56. ^ "Stronger(Limited (First Edition))【CD】-Mary J Blige｜Dance｜Dance & Soul｜Music｜HMV ONLINE Online Shopping & Information Site". Hmv.co.jp. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
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