Mary J Blige
Give Me You(MCA)
The velvet lady returns, with the track from her fitfully rather decent 'Mary' LP that has the impertinence to feature Eric Clapton on guitar, a niggling reminder that - despite the encouraging rush of R&B lustre and soulful sass - we are dealing with an entity drastically less creatively potent than the genre's crown queen Lauryn Hill (who penned tracks for 'Mary'). So, to thumping dancefloor beat and Supremes-style refrain, Mary tells her man the way it is. She don't want no diamonds. She don't want no fancy clothes. She just wants "heart and soul". She wants every damn second of his time. That's all. And from the predatory, antelope-stalking throatiness with which she voices her demands, you get the feeling that denying her would be an extremely bad idea. Careful not to tell her she sounds like Tina Turner, or she'll eat you alive.
April Long
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