The ‘real’ Mary J. Blige returns to Columbia

“This album is the real Mary J. Blige.”

That’s how the Queen of Hip Hop Soul describes her newest work, “Strength Of A Woman.”

The album is full of personal songs of a woman scorned. Blige has never shied away from using her own life as musical inspiration. She is currently embroiled in a messy divorce from her longtime husband and manager Kendu Isaacs.

In the documentary “The Making Of: Strength Of A Woman,” Blige says of her divorce, “It’s not something I wanted to do, but I had no choice.

“I’m not writing an album preaching to anyone about what they should do,” she adds. “I’m literally trying to heal myself through writing, through singing, through some kind of way getting it out of my system.”

Blige, who has won nine Grammy Awards and is credited with integrating R&B, soul and hip-hop, performs at Colonial Life Arena on Thursday, May 11. Her last concert in town was in 2013.

Reviews of “Strength Of A Woman” have so far been positive. The New York Times called it “ruthless, wide-ranging, blunt,” while Pitchfork described it as “classic soul with slow-jam sensibilities.”

The album features guest spots from Kanye West, DJ Khaled and Kaytranada. The tactic is nothing new for Blige, who started the trend by featuring rappers on her tracks back in the early ’90s.

Here are five songs featuring rap verses or samples that have helped define her reign.

1. “What’s the 411?:” Blige and the rapper Grand Puba trade verses, rapping and singing. The song samples Ohio Players’ “Pride and Vanity,” as well as “Very Special” by Debra Lewis.

2. “All I Need:” Blige adds strength to Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man’s song praising his woman for standing by him. What became a Grammy-winning duet is an interpolation of “You’re All I Need to Get By,” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. (She also assisted Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah’s sobering “All that I Got Is You.”)

3. “Sweet Thing:” Blige added a gritty texture to Rufus’ ’70s hit that featured Chaka Khan. (Blige also expertly covered Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and Rose Royce’s “I’m Goin’ Down.”).

4. “Be Happy:” All Blige wanted was to be happy, and to achieve contentment, she used the bass line loop of “You’re so Good to Me” by Curtis Mayfield and part of “I Want You” by Marvin Gaye.

5. “Can’t Knock the Hustle:” In 1996, Jay-Z was a relatively unknown rapper. Blige’s guest vocals on this song from his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” gave him a much-needed boost.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 2:37 PM with the headline "The ‘real’ Mary J. Blige returns to Columbia."