I imagine 'Stronger With Each Tear' is going to be an album that people either love or hate, leaving not much room for the middle ground. On the one hand, when placed in Blige's catalog, this album seems necessary or expected; it continues where the last album, 'Growing Pains', ended with Blige seeming more confident, secure and happier than ever. As a stand-alone album though, it doesn't seem to measure up to her past work. Upon the first listen, this was the first album of Blige's that I wasn't impressed with and moved by. It doesn't have the gut-wrenching angst, sadness and anger of her earlier albums or even that of 'Breakthrough' or 'Growing Pains'. The past albums all started off with a bang even with the first track. For this album though, it takes a few tracks for the album to find its legs. That being said, this is a good album but it certainly isn't Blige at her absolute best.

The Good: After two albums that felt somewhat similar style and sequencing wise, 'Stronger With Each Tear' feels like Blige's move in a new direction musically. There aren't as many ballads or deep, depressing tracks and instead, she seems more bent on finding her groove with hip-hop and dance tracks like "The One", featuring Blige's voice manipulated by auto-tune and a dancefloor-ready beat accompanied by hand-claps and an appearance by rapper Drake. A piano and string-backed "Hood Love" is catchy and soothing and has Blige singing of love and devotion rather than her usual theme of heartbreak and angst. "I Am" is this album's version of "Be Without You"; it's very mainstream, hip-hop but pop at the same time and (in my opinion) is Blige at her absolute best musically and vocal wise on the album. Blige also takes a few chances, deviating from her usual musical path by including a track that is rather fun with silly lyrics but again, features a more confident Blige who's giving a warning to a woman coming after her man. "Each Tear" may have a title that screams of ballad and makes you think of Blige's emotional singing but it's a stark turnaround; instead, it's an uplifting, inspiring song about learning from your heart ache. There's a wide range of music and styles featured on 'Stronger With Each Tear', probably the first album from Blige in a while where she's sticking to a theme but allows the music to vary and evolve for each track rather than fit into a specific sound and style for the entire album.

The Bad: What brings the album down is that no track really rises to the level of Blige's biggest hits or her vocal abilities. In some ways, this album felt a bit tame and reserved. I kept waiting for her to let go and really dive into a song with heart, soul and raw emotion as she did with "No More Drama", "We Ride", "As" or even the last album's "What Love Is." She doesn't really have a track like that on the album, though "In the Morning" and "I Can See In Color" come somewhat close. Some of the tracks are decent, but they seem a bit beneath her after all she's accomplished musically in the past few years. The collaborations seem a bit much; you have Trey Songz, T.I. and Drake somewhat taking over some of the songs they're featured on. It's fine, but unlike the past albums, this one is shorter so it felt as if the listener is being cheated out of a real Mary J Blige experience. There are more than a few tracks that just seem okay or average and felt like filler or skip-worthy after one listen including "I Love U", "Said And Done" and "Tonight." It took a few listens for me to pick up on the theme of the music and lyrics but the album sounds as if it was somewhat rushed for the sake of getting it out before the holiday season.

In all, the album is average, not Mary J Blige at her absolute best. Yes, style-wise it's different from her past few albums and she somewhat goes back to her roots with a few hip-hop tracks but still, even after a few listens I can't help but to feel like there's something missing. Something, by the end of the album, feels unfinished, or unrealized and leaves you as a listener with an unsatisfied feeling.

Listen To These: "Each Tear", "I Am", "Kitchen", "Hood Love"

Mary has accomplished so much as an artist and a woman, and I've watched her grow since What's the 411?. With each project she seems to grow, however after The Breakthrough something happened to the way she presented her music and for me it works. My Life will forever be my favorite Mary Album because it seems the most personal. This album reveals Mary in another new chapter, and I am right there with her. Its a happy album and it makes you wanna get close to the one you love and tell them how much you love them just in time for the holiday. Thanks for not letting me down Mary its grown folks music...check it out free,your mind and Enjoy.

is definitely another solid MJB album, if not as great as her exemplary, Grammy-winning

or it's equally fine follow-up, 2007's Grammy-winning

. Both albums garnered exceptional critical response as well as platinum certification (The Breakthrough went triple platinum). 'Stronger With Each Tear' is another great contribution, even if its status is diminished from the those two great MJB albums. The material isn't as spectacular, but still alluring and enjoyable nonetheless, with some tracks that would've been equally at home on previous MJB albums. The production is top-notch, much like the fine work on 'Growing Pains'. As always, MJB's voice is magnificent, even on material that is slightly less satisfactory than previous albums.

The album opens up with the somewhat clunky "Tonight". It doesn't quite allure like better starts such as 'The Breakthrough's' "No One But You" or 'Growing Pains' thrilling "Work That", but it works and sets the tone of the album. It isn't bad, mind you, but it took a couple of listens for me to truly get into the song. Follow-up track "The One", featuring rap up-start Drake is better, making a few more concessions to hip-hop than Blige has made in the past. Sure, that sounds crazy, considering that Blige is the queen of hip-hop soul, but with a plethora of production effects there is a more outright, hip-hop oriented sound here. It doesn't trump "Grown Woman" from 'Growing Pains', but it is enjoyable. Did Blige need auto-tune? No, she's MJB, the queen!!!

"Said And Done" is the first track that truly captivates me personally, as it could've easily fit on any of Blige's previous albums, even dating back to 2002's

. The production is cutting edge and Blige sounds her most inspired on 'Stronger' than she did on either of the first two cuts. "Said and Done" showcases a track of which Blige exemplifies. It makes enough concessions to hip-hop without compromising the queen's prodigious pipes.

"Good Love", featuring recently freed T.I., is another fine track that just feels good. Sure, it's nothing revolutionary, but it finds MJB in her zone. T.I. is fine, but he doesn't even come close to overshadowing Blige. "I Feel Good" is typical Blige, much like tracks "Hurt Again" or "Stay Down" from 'Growing Pains'. "I Am" is nearly synonymous with Blige's #3 Mega-hit "Be Without You", though not as quite as classic as that number. However, Blige sounds phenomenal and that is key.

On "Each Tear", Blige has a 4-beat pattern supporting her, making for sound production work. Different from previous numbers, "Each Tear" shows more of a forward-thinking song that showcases Blige's vocal strengths. The songwriting is on-point as is Blige. "I Love You (Yes I Du)" cleverly lifts from Billy Paul's "Let The Dollar Circulate" (Young Jeezy's own "Circulate" also utilizes this sample), providing another enthralling performance from the queen. The exceptional duet between her and burgeoning R&B star Trey Songz, "Hood Love" proves to be one of the album's valedictory moments - a personal favorite of mine. "Kitchen" finds MJB exploring sounds beyond her traditional scope, much like Alicia Keys does on her recently released

. While it isn't my favorite track, "Kitchen" certainly showcases what types of songs MJB's next album could include.

On the exceptional closing tracks "In The Morning" and "I Can See in Color", Blige revisits classical soul influences, producing two of the strongest tracks on the entire album. "In The Morning" is an impassioned and sexy grown-folks love song while "I Can See in Color" is soulful and inescapably brilliant. Even where 'Stronger' falls short of better MJB albums, it showcases strongpoints with an array of great production work, taut songwriting, and captivating vocal performance by none other than the queen of hip-hop soul. 4 stars.

i don't know how she does it, but mary's albums get better with each release. there are those who stand by her '90s albums as her best, but i disagree--i think her '00s albums are better, and more accessible to a wider audience. mary grows and changes with the times. her music may sound more current now, but her voice has never changed. if anything, it's stronger, deeper and richer. this album is slammin' from beginning to end! work, mary!

I was really looking forward to this album, as I have been an MJB fan FOREVER! Yes, since she sang back-up for Father MC but no one knew who she was! As someone who appreciates music (I can do without the flashy costumes, superweaves, and alter-egos), I can listen to each album and tell that something different/new was going on, as your sound grew/improved as you dealt with life's challenges. While I have my favorites (411 & Share My World), I will always make room for more Mary!

One love!