Love and life

Continually growing as an artist and a person, Mary J.Blige’s eighth full-length album, “Love and Life”is slated for Aug. 26 release.

For this album, Blige rejoined P. Diddy, the producer who madeher a star with her debut album, “What’s the411?” This release also features production by Dr. Dre, andjudging from the sampler disc hosted by Funkmaster Flex, Blige isgetting back to the hip hop roots that made her popular back in1992.

The debut single, “Love @ 1st Sight,” samples ATribe Called Quest’s “Hot Sex,” and featuresMethod Man of the Wu Tang Clan. Blige and Meth won a Grammy fortheir 1994 duet, “All I Need.”

The Mary J. camp pulled out all of the stops for her promotion.In July, she stayed in Dallas for two days doing interviews andhosting a private party at the trendy club Blue. They zigzaggedacross the country on her tour bus wrapped in the baby blue coverart of the album.

“Love and Life” is meant to represent a benchmark inBlige’s life. As she’s done over the years, Bligeworked to make this album personal for her listeners. There aresongs about love, finding inner strength and just having a goodtime.

Blige has also undergone a deep spiritual change which shecredits to her fiancé. Regular prayer, healthy eating andexercise helped her be at peace with herself. She says that whenshe learned to love herself, true love found her, and she hopesthat her listeners can learn that lesson as well.

Considering how her music has matured over the years, it shouldbe interesting to hear how more of the hip hop-influencedproduction blends with her evolved sound.