February 14–21, 2002
mix picks
Mary J. Blige
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With the op-to-hip-hop What’s The 411 and the angular moodswings of My Life, Mary J. Blige proved she was a roughneck R&B belter — a swaggeringly soulful, poetically poised (but still raw) precursor to India, Erykah and Jill. But on the grandiose, sleekly danceable No More Drama (MCA), Blige proves she’s even more than that, acting up in space-age diva fashion like a swooping Aretha Franklin riding her pink Cadillac into a Missy Elliot-esque ether even the Neptunes couldn’t get to. Tunes (not tracks) like "Family Affair," "Rainy Dayz," "Dance for Me" and the title tale itself offer Blige regal-red rhythm ’n’ cobalt-blue bliss most sanctified. Then she finishes up with the big, bold blasts of "Testimony" and "He Think I Don’t Know," bringing to the dance floor the sort of halleluiah balladry that makes you scream "Oh Mary" over and over again.
Mon., Feb. 19 and Tue., Feb. 20, 8 p.m., $45-$65, with Avant, Tower Theater, 69th & Ludlow, Upper Darby, 215-568-3222.
