On her third album, Mary J. Blige steers away from much of the gritty hip hop soul of her first two CDs in favor of slightly polished r&b. In the case of "Share My World," that's not necessarily a bad thing. Here, she hooks up with a handful of the most popular producers in the business (R.Kelly, Jam and Lewis, Rodney Jerkins, and Babyface) and the results make up a pretty strong release. The Queen of Hip Hop Soul teams up with Queen Bee Lil' Kim on the infectious "I Can Love You," with production from Rodney Jerkins. Jam and Lewis, who are known for their work with Janet, give the sample-heavy but effective numbers "Love Is All We Need," and the excellent "Everything," which samples "You Are Everything" by the Stylistics. R. Kelly's one-groove-fits-all approach to production compliments Blige nicely in the duet "It's On," and we're also treated to the ballad "Missing You," which is unmistakably Babyface. And speaking of Babyface, he's also represented on the disc's closer, "Not Gon' Cry," which already appeared on the soundtrack to "Waiting to Exhale." "Share My World" proves that you can polish your sound without sounding like you're desperate for crossover appeal. Whether she does gritty hip hop or radio-friendly r&b, she's still the Queen of Hip Hop Soul.

Before, this album, I honestly admit I had tried to reduce Mary J to a better than average singer who had a LOT of work to do on her public personna. Well, time, and this album completely changed my mind. As a matter of fact, she was CHEATED out of a Grammy for best R&B album. Even the album after this one, "Mary" does not compare to "Share My World." This is where Mary shines! Maturity is quite evident in everything and having gotten adjusted to the fact that she can and will cover any tune she feels like it with her own bravado, I heartily cheer Mary on this project. Standout cuts include, "I Can Love You", the glorious title track, "Everything", "Missing You", "Not Gon Cry", "Searching",...get the picture? While the project immediately after this one is really good, this project will forever stand out as a milestone for Ms Blige. It is because of this project, that I decided to include EVERYTHING this woman has recorded into my collection as well. Go Mary J!

With "Share My World", Mary J continues her reign as the undisputed Queen of Hip Hop. The absence of Puff Daddy is recognizable, as the samples on this album are toned down. With new producers like Babyface, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Rodney Jerkins, Malik Pendleton, and not to mention the tracks that she herself cowrote, Mary conquers the hip hop world once again. As on "My Life" the pain is still there, but what makes this one differen't is that Mary sings more maturely on this album. Stand out cuts are the title track, "I Can Love You", "Seven Days", "Everything"... Although it doesn't live up to her previous efforts (at times it sounds like its overproduced), the best of Mary J. Blige is DEFINITELY on this album.

Peace El-715

This could've been Mary J.'s best if she just cut off a few songs. The first ten or so tracks are absolutely flawless. The hits just keep on coming and you are just like... 'man, this one is a classic." Then as the album winds down, there are quite a few trite, extremely repetitive filler songs. This is proven with lyrics like "keep your head to the sky/ I don't need to tell you why." (That's the chorus). The Lox make an unappreciated appearance. Luckily, the album ends with the great "Not Gon' Cry." It's a shame that the executive producers of this album just couldn't have cut off a few tracks. Either way, I still highly recommend this album because it only has three or four filler songs and ten or more amazing ones.

This was a good Mary J album, but it was not a Mary J Blige album: Only two songs really rocked: it's on and seven days, everything else was okay. I say down load to the two songs and keep rolling.