No More Drama

08/30/2001 7:44 PM, Yahoo! Music
Dan Leroy

On her last album, she tried to prove she was all grown up and turned in a boring, hook-free collection of mature R&B to prove it. But two years later, Mary J. Blige has learned that being an adult doesn't mean you have to give up great singles. So here she has her cake and eats it, offering sophistication and a levelheaded outlook--plus a batch of tunes tailor-made to bang in clubs and cars.

Just try to get the Police-sampling "Dance For Me" out of your skull; you'll have the same problem with "Steal Away," which brilliantly mixes old and new-school soul and shows the Neptunes still have a few surprises up their sleeves. And the Jam and Lewis-produced title track, which allows Mary J. to emote about settling down over the Young & the Restless theme, is an ironic masterstroke.

Other than "PMS," a misguided Lauryn Hill cop, the album also gets stronger as it plays, concluding with an impressive trio of songs that show off Blige's gospel roots. Backed by her own heartfelt harmonies on the final track, "Testimony," she reveals that God's plan "exceeded allàexpectations." So does No More Drama.