Good morning gorgeous

"The sheer strength and breadth of Mary J. Blige's voice is like comfort food. Her 14th studio album mixes soaring, soulful affirmations with some confusing collaborations".

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"[Blige] has said the title is based on a positive affirmation she tells herself since her well-documented divorce. That puts her new album in line with the inspirational, self-help tenets that have guided her work ever since 2001's No More Drama. Still, the album flips through moods and styles ... Longtime fans may miss the laser-sharp focus of Blige's best albums. Yet her attempts to lighten the mood and bring some joy to her life on Good Morning Gorgeous is a worthy trade-off. At the album's end, she offers a special treat: a sumptuous duet with Usher in the form of "Need Love." The baby-maker ballad feels like a welcome flashback to the glory days of contemporary R&B, back when Blige and Usher dominated the pop-music landscape. She's moved on from those golden years, but she hasn't forgotten them".

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"All the self-doubt, romantic aggravation, and self-healing might seem overdone in a catalog chock-full of it across three decades. Few have covered the subjects with such detail and conviction as Blige, and the bottom line is that this 14th proper album of hers combines nuanced performances and succinct writing like none other".

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"Refulgent in tone, gorgeous in execution, the new album lingers on matters of the heart - a full four different songs have 'love' in the title. Still, nobody does it better".

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