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Reflections (A Retrospective)

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Reflections (A Retrospective)
Greatest hits album by
Mary J. Blige
ReleasedDecember 12, 2006 (2006-12-12)
RecordedJuly 1992 – May 2006
Genre
Length65:57
LabelGeffen
ProducerBryan-Michael Cox, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Kendrick "WyldCard" Dean, Jerry Duplessis, Babyface, Kendu Isaacs, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Wyclef Jean, Mark Ledford, John Legend, Mark Morales, Chucky Thompson, Poke, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
Mary J. Blige chronology
The Breakthrough
(2005) 		Reflections (A Retrospective)
(2006) 		Growing Pains
(2007)
Singles from Reflections (A Retrospective)
  1. "We Ride (I See the Future)"
    Released: November 2006
  2. "MJB da MVP"
    Released: 18 December 2006 (UK only)

Reflections (A Retrospective) is the first greatest hits album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige, released in Europe on December 1, 2006, and in the United States on December 12 by Geffen Records. The album hasn't been certified by the RIAA but has sold 900,000 (according to the December 2009 Billboard magazine issue) copies in the United States. The album has also sold an estimated 140,000 in the United Kingdom despite only reaching a peak of number forty—this was due to consistent sales of 40k+ over the Christmas weeks. As of May 25, 2008 worldwide sales are 1,381,376.[citation needed]

History

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Reflections (A Retrospective) was originally scheduled for release in November 2005 with the title Reminisce... Until the Breakthrough before the decision was made by Blige and Geffen Records to delay the release in favor of the new studio album, The Breakthrough.[1] New songs that were due to appear on Reminisce—"Be Without You", "One", "MJB da MVP", and "Can't Hide from Luv"—were all transferred to the new album and the release date for the greatest hits was rescheduled to the spring of 2006. However, due to the commercial success of The Breakthrough, the release of Reminisce never materialized. In October 2006, Geffen Records announced that the project would finally be released on December 4, 2006 in the UK and December 12, 2006 in the U.S., under the title of Reflections (A Retrospective).[2]

New material

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Although Reflections (A Retrospective) is a retrospective collection of songs, writer Bryan-Michael Cox, who co-wrote and produced Blige's record-breaking single "Be Without You", confirmed that the release would feature four new songs, which includes the single "We Ride (I See the Future)" as well as "Reflections (I Remember)", "You Know", and "King & Queen", a duet with John Legend. The new material was originally intended to be part of a repackaged version of The Breakthrough to be released towards late 2006, but was transferred to the greatest hits release instead.[3]

Also, on the back cover of the album (UK/International editions), track #17: the hit single "One" with U2, although it says (Mary J. Blige and U2), it is actually a solo version with U2 singing the chorus. Blige also sings the first part of the song, originally sung by Bono. This solo version is exclusive to the album, the original version with U2 (Bono's vocals) is on The Breakthrough.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
musicOMH[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
Slant Magazine[7]

Robert Sandall, writing for The Telegraph, felt that the "18-track résumé of the career of the 21st century's first lady of soul intends to deviate from the greatest-hits formula is clear from the start. The first four tracks are brand new and as strong as any of the more familiar stuff to come."[8] musicOMH editor Neil Jones found that "Blige is undoubtedly one of the fascinating figures of modern pop culture, so even though there's more than a suspicion of Christmas cash-in here, and omissions are made, Reflections (A Retrospective) amply represents every extreme of her ouvre. It's a mixed bag that more than anything else highlights the differences between commercial and artistic creation, and as hip hop continues to veer towards the former, provides a pretty relevant story."[5]

AllMusic's senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the album "remains a completely enjoyable (if not completely satisfying) listen", going on to say that "Unfortunately, Reflections (A Retrospective) is nowhere close to being that straightforward. A mere handful of the top ten hits are included; while obvious picks [...] are present, a casual fan could rattle off just as many well-known songs that are not."[4] Similarly, Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine noted that "the tracks previously unavailable on a Mary album make this a valuable purchase for diehard collectors, but it will be useless to more casual fans. The fact that Reflections might be one of the worst excuses for a greatest hits collection ever is a testament to the longevity and consistency of Mary's career."[7]

Commercial performance

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Reflections (A Retrospective) debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, selling about 171,000 units in its first week. In addition, it peaked at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[9] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted and peaked at number forty only, but was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for shipments of 60,000 copies.[10]

Track listing

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Reflections (A Retrospective) track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Reflections (I Remember)"
4:06
2."We Ride (I See the Future)"
  • Blige
  • Cox
  • Dean
  • Austin
3:57
3."You Know"
Hudson3:37
4."King & Queen" (duet with John Legend)
  • AVenue
  • Legend[b]
3:46
5."No More Drama"
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis4:27
6."Family Affair"
Dr. Dre4:26
7."Real Love"
  • Rooney
  • Morales
4:27
8."No One Will Do"
4:47
9."Be Without You"
  • Blige
  • Cox
  • Jason Perry
  • Austin
4:06
10."I'm Going Down"Norman Whitfield
3:42
11."911" (duet with Wyclef Jean)
  • Jean
  • Duplessis
  • Katia Cadet
  • Sedeck[a]
4:19
12."Not Gon' Cry"Kenneth EdmondsBabyface4:50
13."My Life 06"
  • Kendu Isaacs
  • Thompson[c]
5:07
14."Be Happy"
5:38
15."I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By (Razor Sharp Mix)" (featuring Method Man)
Prince Rakeem3:41
Total length:65:57
International edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."As" (with George Michael)WonderBabyface4:41
17."One" (with U2)Bono
  • Fair
  • Tal Herzberg[a]
4:20
18."MJB da MVP" (with 50 Cent)
4:10

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies additional producer(s)
  • ^[b] signifies co-producer(s)
  • ^[c] signifies vocal producer(s)

Sample credits

  • "King & Queen" contains samples from the composition "Visions" as performed by Stevie Wonder.
  • "No One Will Do" contains excerpts from "I Swear I Love No One but You" as performed by The O'Jays.
  • "Be Happy" contains a sample of the song "You're So Good to Me" as performed by Curtis Mayfield.

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Reflections (A Retrospective)
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[10] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release history for Reflections (A Retrospective)
Region Date Label(s)
Europe December 1, 2006 Geffen
Australia December 2, 2006
United Kingdom December 4, 2006
United States December 12, 2006
Canada
Japan December 13, 2006
Brazil January 31, 2007

References

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  1. ^ "Mary J. Blige's Breakthrough Is Coming Out This Year After All". VH1. November 8, 2005. Archived from the original on February 5, 2006. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  2. ^ "Billboard Bits: Mary J. Blige, Saliva, iTunes Latino". Billboard. November 1, 2006. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  3. ^ "Austin Eyeing Blige Duet For 'Ocean Drive'". Billboard. July 28, 2006. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  4. ^ a b AllMusic review
  5. ^ a b Jones, Neil (December 4, 2006). "Mary J Blige – Reflections: A Retrospective". musicOMH. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  6. ^ Rolling Stone Album Guide
  7. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (December 15, 2006). "Reflections (A Retrospective) — Music Review — Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  8. ^ Sandall, Robert (December 9, 2006). "Pop CDs of the week: Mary J Blige, Oasis, Dizzy Gillespie and more..." The Telegraph. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  9. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (December 21, 2006). "Young Jeezy, Hicks debut atop Billboard 200". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  10. ^ a b "British album certifications – Mary J Blige – Reflections – A Retrospective". British Phonographic Industry. December 8, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  11. ^ "Mary J. Blige ARIA Chart History complete to 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  13. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  14. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  15. ^ リフレクションズ ～ ア・レトロスペクティヴ | メアリー・J.ブライジ [Reflections – A Retrospective | Mary J. Blige] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  17. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  18. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Mary J Blige – Reflections (A Retrospective)". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  21. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  22. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  23. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  24. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
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