This Cd Came to a Surprize, she speakin of Love and Relationships with partners, good vibe up beat and she showing thats better to be in a healthy relationship with your mate! People Sleep on MJB but later in the time you can find your self sitting back listen to atleast one of her Cds My Kids and I play her Cds! My Son love this Cd. I love it too! But the My LifeThis Cd still Get me Threw the drama we go threw with anyone. One of her cds can take you to a place of Comfort because she been there and Moving Forward!

This is Mary's best album, it brings something new and exciting with every song. Work That is a feel-good song definitely. Grown Woman has Ludacris rapping in it, and Mary toughens up for this song. Just Fine is where you can tell that Mary is feeling more than "Just Fine". Feel Like A Woman has a nice beat, and it sounds like a slowed-down club song. Stay Down has yet another great new beat, and an amazing chorus. Hurt is a more somber song off of this album. Mary and Usher are awesome together in Shake Down. Till The Morning is my favorite, and it has an amazing beat to back up her amazing voice. Roses has a very clever chorus. Fade Away has nice piano instrumentation in the background. What Love Is has a soft beat to back up Mary's peaceful singing. Work In Progress (Growing Pains) reminds me of Love by Keyshia Cole, and is another one of my favorites. Talk to Me has a super-catchy chorus. If You Love Me? has a pretty beat. Smoke sounds like a song Mary would have done years ago. Come To Me (Peace) is a very chilled-out song. Overall this album is amazing! Very satisfied.

This was another good cd. The breakthrough was the best, but this was a job well done.

i dont know, it is just not what i expected, i dont love this CD. maybe i was expecting something along the lines of "be without you" but this does not measure up. i feel like no songs are memorable.

Definitely something to listen to on a slow day where you are just relaxing, or if you are in the mood to sing in the car/shower. I actually heard a few of these songs at my Zumba class, so they are good for working out too.

Mary J. Blige - Growing Pains (Geffen, 2007)

Whenever you release a big album (be it classic, certified platinum or both), expectations are always gonna be high for your follow-up. How do you exactly follow an album like Mary J. Blige's 2005 hit, The Breakthrough? Well, she must not have worried about it, as Growing Pains is another great album.

Although her first single, "Just Fine", wasn't exactly the smash that "Be Without You" was, it showed her on a more fun and upbeat track than usual. But for everyone who says that she sounds best on tracks about drama, "Hurt Again" and "Talk to Me" are right up your alley. The only problem is that after 16 years of albums, some of these topics can start to sound redundant. That's why that tracks like the NE-YO/StarGate-produced "Fade Away" and "Come to Me (Peace)" are a nice change of pace. Even the duet with Usher, "Shake Down", while only a fair song, adds a little bit of love into the mix.

You can still rely on Mary J. Blige to deliver that great R&B in a time where R&B is losing the battle with hip-hop and country music as the leading genres. The only question is how Mary will follow up this album. -EJR

Mary J. Blige took me to another place on her last album, The Breakthrough. I saw her, both musically and image-wise, in the bloom of her womanhood. She returned after releasing the greatest hits package, "Reflections...", with the unexpected bass-driven "Just Fine". That track was a jewel, in my opinion eclipsing her feel good songs of earlier because she had a lot of fun singing the song. However, it is not a full representation of the album "Growing Pains".

"Growing Pains" is what the title says, a buffet of different emotions, and whether or purpose or not, the sequence of the songs feels a bit spontaneous. Never the less, Mary croons, screams, cries and does all of the things a woman does. Really taking this into account will help people understand the unconventional feel of the album flow.

The album opens with a womanly pride anthem, "Work That" making it alright for every woman to love her body and essence regardless of what society says. For the most part, the winners on the disc helps you to forgive the small missteps made here. It is in the middle of the disc that the jewels exist. "Hurt Again" is a beautiful plee with falling in love after heart break; "If You Love Me?" proves that actions speak louder than words; "Fade Away" calls to the need we all have to want to run away from problems; "Roses" is a firey demand for understanding playing to the tough time in love(almost scary how serious Mary sounds on this song); "Till The Morning" is fun and sassy and "Work In Progress" is one of the greatest and most sincere songs Mary has ever recorded, stripping her of celebrity and going to her human vulnerabilities. "Work In Progress" clearly should have been the last song to close this album out. However, most listeners will have gripes about the sequence of songs.

There aren't any terrible songs on the collection, but there are a couple of guest appearances that should have been shelved. "Shake Down" feat Usher is a misnomer, full of almost laughable analogies ("We gonna work this out like fitness") and the chemistry for that track just isn't there. Also, the Ludacris donned opening of "Grown Woman" and his overall presence on the track is unecessary and is evidence that this track should have been reworked or just been pulled altogether.

At the close of the album after several songs that flowed in mood, the muscial landscape of the album completely shifts to a rather odd alternative style with "Come To Me (Peace)" and "Smoke" At this point in the album, neither of these songs was necessary. Now while "Come to Me" is a decent song, it belonged somewhere earlier in the album and "Smoke" truthfully doesn't fit at all.

Aside from the odd sequence and pointless guest apperances, "Growing Pains" is an album worthy of sitting aside the works that we love Mary for to this day.

My favorite songs in order:

1. Just Fine
2. Work In Progress
3. Hurt Again
4. Fade Away
5. If You Love Me?
6. Till The Morning
7. Work That
8. Roses
9. What Love Is
10. Stay Down

I am really enjoying this cd. It is Mary J Bliges' best cd. I listen to it everyday. My coworkers have it too. It is well worth the money.

I am a huge Mary fan and this is the best one yet. Mary has definitely kept up with the times and her listening audience has expanded. I am digging her diverse style, and the musical arrangement and beats are a hit!

I think this CD was pretty goood, the music flowed from one song to another.

The song What Love Is describes this cd perfectfly. From What's the 411? to the Breakthrough MJB shared her world with a graphic description of her life, how her love became her way of life, and leaving all the drama behind. The Growing Pains of her life is What Love Is. I bought it, played it, and didn't take it out for three months. It describes over great melodies why we live...we live to LOVE. You won't regret this purchase!

O.k. so I am a Mary Fan since What's the 411. Share My World was the gospel but this album barely makes it. The first three tracks, I skip automatically and the rest just kind of repeats the same story and emotion. Are you a Mary fan, then cop this one but only because you are a fan. Everyone else will be disappointed!

The album was great! It was a light-hearted experience, which is different from the sadness that we have gotten over the years. Mary has conquered and taken control of this reality that we call "living", and she's "Just Fine." I was amazed with the Breakthrough album, and I'm still proud of the level of artistry and commitment that Mary brings 15 years into her music career.

Mary scores a home run once again! Loved it and recommend for all MJ fans.

I'm a Soul Skater and love rolling to many of these cuts. MJB has evolved as a person and an artist. I know she was more raw in the early days, but I do like the new happy MJB. My absolute favorite is #10 Fade Away. I do believe that she has more Pop producers on the album, but everyone wants to work with MJB now and she shows what a true range she is capable of.

This is by far the best track on the album and my favorite song by her ever. The piano is so pretty and the lyrics are so real! This is a great album and is up there with the break through! I have never been so impressed with Mary until What love is came out! It needs to be released as a single not Stay down which is one of the wackest songs on the album!

I love this WHOLE cd...without skipping a song. My favorite song on the whole cd is "Work In Progress." When she breaks this song down it practically brings me to tears. I can definitely relate to every word she sings. My son is almost 15 years old and he loves this whole cd. When he gets in the car he's ready to pop it in too and hit the repeat on several of the songs. Great job Mary and keep 'em coming!!!

This has to be the worst album Mary has ever made. I listened to it 1 time then gave it away. What a waste of money

if music is about the collaboration of the soul and the beat, mary j. blige's " Growing Pains" is a prime example. on her eighth album, mary blends the rawness of hip hop, smooth r and b, and even ventures to soft rock to emphasize different emotions. for example, "smoke" a song about the insecurities one has in a relationship, is midtempo soft rock ballad that compliments her hesistant but strong voice. " just fine", the lead single from the album, is a one on one therapy session with a life coach that makes you feel good because she's good...fine. with a micheal jaxckson's off the wall feel, you cant help but to get up and celebrate life for what it is. on the other hand, when mary is pissed, we know to run for the boarder with tracks like "roses". however, the track that stands out is " till the morning" which i personally think should be the next single with its tribe called quest inspired beat. overall, " Growing Pains" is the standard for r and b albums for 2008 because it blends , expresses every emotion of love, tries different genres of music and is the truth. beyonce take note!

Mary J. Blige said on VH1's Storytellers that most people were saying they don't like her music now that she's happy. My friends and me have been having this discussion since after "No More Drama" was released and news of Mary's happiness and marriage and salvation had made news all over.
I am the rare person who loves to see another person rise, even an artist. I know artists are supposed to suffer to create good art, but Mary did that in the early to mid-90s -- now she's grown up. I love "Grown Woman" with Missy Elliott and Ludacris, it's a great summer single; "Roses" answers those who think that a happy life is unfettered by drama; "Stay Down" is inspirational love music for those who are not sure whether they're going to stick with that relationship. There's something for everyone on this album, if you can stand Mary's maturity.

I'm very late on this review, but I love the newest installment. It's great. Don't hesitate to purchase it. Every song on the CD is excellent, and representative of Mary's versatility. She is a true songstress.

I'm a huge fan of Mary J. Blige. I've been a fan more or less from the moment What's the 411? dropped back in '92. I've bought every single album she released since, including the live and remix albums but excluding 2003's Love & Life, right up to The Breakthrough. I didn't get Reflections - A Retrospective but that was because I just didn't see the point (I had practically everything on it already) and not because I didn't like it.

But I seem to be the only one on the planet who just can't get into this one. I simply don't get it. Mary has been selling millions of albums across the world for 16 years now and that could explain why, to these ears, she's beginning to sound a bit weary. She's been telling us all how she's incredibly happy now, how her life is exactly where she wants it to be and how, whilst going through all the pain in her recent past, one thing she's always strived to do is keep things real with her fans. This might all well be true but I'm yet to see Mary actually LOOKING happy in an interview or a video. (Jill Scott always looks happy for instance, even these days - and she's just been through a divorce!).

But maybe that's just Mary's way. Maybe it's the 'street' or 'ghetto fabulous' thing to; to never smile even if feeling blissful. Her continuous banging on about said bliss is starting to grate on the nerves a tad though. She's a strong woman, no doubt, and a trooper. She does "keep on going", as one reviewer said but at what cost? Like I said, the poor woman is probably just really tired.

When she burst onto the scene back in 1992 with songs like "Real Love", "Reminisce" and "Love No Limit", she showed energy, versatility and raw emotion that have long since dissipated. The bittersweet "Be Happy" and the poignant "I'm Goin' Down from her sophomore album My Life proved she was no one-hit wonder. And let's not forget her star turns on hip-hop classics like "Can't Knock The Hustle" with Jay-Z (1996) and "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" with Method Man (1995). I for one thought the title "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" was absolutely well deserved.

But every subsequent album has been less satisfying, and more geared towards what was playing on the radio than the one that preceded it. By the time "The Breakthrough" came out, I was starting to lose interest. It was clear to any objective listener that Mary was just treading water and I've barely played the CD three times since I got it. This one I simply couldn't bear and had to take right back to the store and ask for something else.

As soon as I saw the video to her single "Just Fine", I had my doubts. The Michael Jackson homage-paying intro (and the video itself) was probably well intentioned but to me, they just fell flat. It just doesn't sound or look like she really means it. She's singing about being uplifted but she sounds (and looks) anything but. Jackson looked ecstatic in the video to "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" but to me, Mary looks like she'd rather be somewhere else, doing something else. It's not so much in her moves, it's in her eyes and her facial expressions.

The female empowerment of "Grown Woman" and "Feel Like A Woman" sound like the kind of thing that would play well to Oprah's studio audience but this listener just couldn't find the groove - and I'm no chauvinist. It would take too long to list the female empowerment tunes I've grooved to in my time.

Pharrell's multi-tempoed "'Til The Morning" and Ne-Yo's interestingly winding "Smoke" are probably the only two songs on here that break away from the made-for-radio formula that dominates the album and Mary is probably singing the best she's ever sung - much more control, much less excess - but somehow for me, that just makes her less interesting to listen to. A perfect example of what I mean is the solemn "Fade Away". Forget all the almost spiritual wailing and chest beating of the good old days, Mary sounds like she's barely breaking a sweat.

Maybe that's how music is now in the 21st century and I need to either get with the program or leave it alone. Or maybe, just maybe, as listeners, we've allowed our standards to drop to basement level and as a result, anything even slightly passable is lauded as the next best thing. Mary is undoubtedly one of the legends of our time and I'll never even try to take that away from her but I do wonder if the way many of us fans are almost deifying the woman these days, is blinding us to the fact that her music is simply not as good as it used to be. I realise that we're living in an age where creativity and individuality are not rewarded and where studio executives and radio programmers are now telling artistes what kind of music to make so it's entirely possible that Mary's heart isn't really in the music she's putting out, despite all her talk of the contrary. Whatever. In the end, we'll only get the quality of music that we as consumers demand.

Maybe Mary's new life is indeed the happy and peaceful one she says it is. All I know is that while it must be a good thing (especially for her) that all the pain is behind her and all the angst gone, her supposedly newly-found joy is not coming through in the music quite yet. To me, singing songs of empowerment and bliss while looking and sounding utterly miserable just makes Mary painful to watch - and to listen to.

The album will probably still sell truckloads and earn her all kinds of awards, so I know my view is the minority one. I also know that my review is very likely to be unpopular here but I had to say my piece. I didn't want to post the review but a good Amazon buddy of mine (who will remain nameless) encouraged me to do so, so here it is. Let the hissing, booing and clicking on the "no" button begin.

This is by far one of MJB's best albums. Her work during the nineties was at its best and thats what put her on the map. As she entered the millennium however her work faltered. This album shows her strong while at the same time being current and relevant.

I have never been a big R & B fan ... but something took me to this album and whoaaaaaaaaaa .... Mary is my new hero ! Every song lifts you up, moves you and motivates you ... So GREAT I would get it twice !!! Every single track !!!!

Mary is a music legend... the woman is consistently putting it down... the beauty of EVERYTHING she puts out is that it's REAL and it has HEART... "Work In Progress" is just beautiful. Mary has such a genuine heart and I can say that without knowing her because it's virtually impossible to - Year after Year after Year after Year - and - Project after Project after Project after Project - reach people in the depth that she does. I can't possibly imagine anyone sincerely disliking this woman OR her music... it's really, in my opinion, as real as it gets... I hope she keeps it coming for years to come.

This really is a great collection of songs. MJB has done it once again. Please feel good about buying this effort. I have had it since the release date and still listen to it regularly esp tracks 4/5

I really don't know where to start. Mary J. Blige is just simply amazing. Her lyrics capture me and her style keeps me. She's great and this album is no different. You can feel the realness in every song. She takes us through a journey of love, womanhood, and life in general. No artist can do it better than the legendary Mary J. Blige.

Favorites:
Fade Away
Stay Down
Shake Down
Feel Like A Woman
Roses
Work That

The album is truly great...but what else could you expect from Mary J. Blige?

I must confess straight away, I love MJB, she is bar none the most fun to dance to and I think this CD flows with her fibe. I loved, Just Fine, by far the best song on here and the video is pure MJB, she dances her hot bod off. The rest of CD is good as well, but this song is her, Be Without You, on this CD. I look forward to seeing how it gets mixed at the clubs, I didnt think they could improve Be Without You, but the Blanco version would wake up the dead, so im hoping he does a mix of this as well. Ms. Blige puts so much of herself into her music, you feel her power and the feeling that yeah, I may be rich now, but i didnt forget where I came from, and im still a work in progress; I love that about her, she is no sale out. If you love MJB or you just like to groove then I cant imagine you not being jazzed by this album...Mary, you make this tan white boy soar on the dance floor.

MJB provides a showcase of her talent on this album,Growing Pains. MJB is so passionate about the issues that everyone faces in life; whether it's heartbreak, joy, or self-denial. On the first single,"Just Fine", Mary sings: "I'm gonna still wear a smile if its raining." "Just Fine" is the perfect dance song. "Hurt Again" showcases Mary's classic style. On "Work That", Mary boosts the self-confidence of so many listeners. "Come to me" is my ultimate favorite song on this particular MJB album. "Come To Me" is such a refreshing song. I've never heard Mary sing like this. I loved this whole album. I'd recommend it to anyone; especially if they have ever gone through "Growing Pains".

MARY J HAS IT GOING ON!!!! THIS CD IS OFF THE CHAIN. EVERY SINGLE SONG IS THE BOMB!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a huge Marj J Fan since What's the 411. I have every CD except Love at First Site...I wasn't feeling that one at the time. Mary just keeps growing and getting better and better with each album. So if you love Mary you will like it. My favorite songs are What Love Is, Feel Like a Woman, Just Fine (when I'm in a good mood I turn it up....just a feel good song) and Growing Pains.....

What else can I say but I LOVE this album!

I've been listening to Mary ever since "What's the 411?" so I've loved her through all of her ups and downs. On this album she has created such a postive flow. I adore the message of "Just Fine" and the frustration of "Roses". She is truly my generation's soul queen.

MJB is one of my favorite female artist. If you don't have it you must go out and buy it. A little bit everyhting on this CD.

I've been a MJB fan since 411 and saw Mary at an outdoor concert once and really like the many songs on Growing Pains. There are a lot of great upbeat and empowering songs on this album. I decided to listen to Growing Pains during a recent workout and nearly killed myself...especially when Roses came on. That song really fired me up!!!LOL! I love Mary and I really, really love the song "Smoke". It is so different than what I'm used to hearing from Mary. It also segues nicely into Come to Me (Peace), which is also a bit different than her music production styles of the past. In fact, Smoke is reminiscent of 60 eras style music, almost reminds me of theme music for a tv show, but it really works, despite the song's subject. Although, I really love this album, I still rank "Share My World" as number 1 in my MJB collection. Thank you Mary for the beautiful music! I really enjoy you and the music you share. God Bless You.

The cd is very nice, one of marys best, she has come full circle.Love her will recommend it.