Dec 19, 2005 Produced for Mary Jane Productions, Inc. Blige) Recorded and mixed at Marvin's Room, Los Angeles, CA Contains excerpts from 'Rubberband' (Baker, Felder, Harris) published by Golden Fleece Music/Mured Music Co. BMI as performed by The Tramps.
. 'Released: April 18, 2005.
'Released: September 15, 2005. 'Released: March 2, 2006. 'Released: April 3, 2006. 'Released: August 17, 2006The Breakthrough is the seventh studio album by American singer. It was released on December 20, 2005,. Blige recorded the album with a host of songwriters and record producers, including, and.The Breakthrough received positive reviews from most critics and debuted at number one on the.
![Blige Blige](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125638157/414353910.jpg)
It was certified three-time platinum by the (RIAA), and has sold 3,100,000 copies in the United States. Contents.Release and promotion Mary J. Blige embarked on several live performances and appearances to promote the release of The Breakthrough. Blige performed with rapper during his performance of ' at the BET Awards on June 28, 2005. Blige sung a medley of 'You're All I Need To Get By' with, 'I'm Goin' Down', 'Real Love', and 'Can't Hide From Luv' on 's 25 Strong: The BET Silver Anniversary Special in October 2005. In November 2005, Blige was honored with the V LEGEND AWARD at 2005 Vibe Awards. On December 21, 2005, Blige was interviewed and performed on, singing a rendition of 'Can't Hide From Luv'.
Blige sung a medley of 'Family Affair', 'Can't Hide From Luv', and 'Be Without You' on New Year's Eve with Carson Daly on December 31, 2005. On February 8, 2006 Blige performed 'One' with U2 at the. Blige performed 'Be Without You' and 'Enough Cryin' on in April 2006. Blige sung a medley of 'Be Without You' and 'Enough Cryin' at the, where she won two awards forBest Female R&B Artist and Video of the Year on June 27, 2006. Blige embarked on from July 14, 2006 to September 10, 2006. And were opening acts during the tour.
On December 4, 2006, Blige performed 'Enough Cryin' and 'Take Me As I Am' at the, where she won nine awards. At the, on February 11, 2007, Blige performed 'Be Without You'. She won three awards during the ceremony.Critical reception Professional ratingsAggregate scoresSourceRating76/100Review scoresSourceRatingB+8/10B–The Breakthrough was met with generally positive reviews. At, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an score of 76, based on 20 reviews. Andy Gill of deemed it perhaps 'her best, the most vivid realisation of her gripping, confessional style'. Believed The Breakthrough marked a return for Blige to her dramatic strengths, writing in that the music's 'messy sprawl of conflicted emotions feels true to her fierce, prickly personality (not to mention life itself)'. In, credited the singer for bringing together 'hip-hop realism and soul's higher aspirations, hip-hop's digitized crispness and soul's slow-building testimonies'.
's Thomas Inskeep viewed it as a 'return to form' for Blige, calling it her 'finest full-length since '99's ', while journalist Barry Walters said that unlike with her previous albums, The Breakthrough 's ballads genuinely stand out. Andy Kellman from said each song proved Blige had been given her 'best round of productions' since the mid 1990s. Critic Natalie Nichols credited the producers for 'adeptly weaving beats and live instruments, vocals and rapping, melody and rhythm in configurations alternately stark and lush'.Jason King was less impressed in, feeling that The Breakthrough had improved on Blige's 2003 album but still lacked the creativity of 1999's. Blige's penchant for 'hermetic, clinically slick production values doesn't complement her soul-baring aura', King wrote. Journalist Tom Breihan felt the production's 'awkwardly programmed drums and cluttered synthetic arrangements' generally failed to give her a conducive space for an effective performance and left 'the songs' chin-up aphorisms ringing false'. 's Sal Cinquemani was more critical of the lyrics, finding them distastefully sentimental, unsubtle, and 'the epitome of formulaic, giving you the feeling that you've heard this all before'.At the end of 2006, The Breakthrough earned Blige eight nominations for the, the most of any artist for that ceremony. 'Be Without You' was nominated for both and categories; it won for and, while The Breakthrough won in the category of.
Track listing No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length1.' No One Will Do'. – Vocals.
– Guitar. Johnta Austin – Vocal Producer. Bobby Ross Avila – Guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Strings. Issiah 'IZ' Avila – Bass, Drums, Percussion, Producer. Robert Bacon – Guitar. Charlie Bisharat – String Instrument.
Mary J. ^ (December 23, 2005).
Retrieved on 2011-04-16. Missing or empty title=. Missing or empty title=.
cite web url=. December 20, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2018. ^ Kellman, Andy (December 20, 2005).
Retrieved on 2011-04-16. (2011). (5th ed.). Sullivan, Caroline (December 9, 2005). Retrieved on 2011-04-16.
^ Gill, Andy (December 9, 2005). Retrieved on 2011-04-16. ^ Nichols, Natalie (December 11, 2005). Retrieved on 2011-04-16.
Fadele, Dele (January 7, 2006).: 29. Retrieved 2011-04-16. ^ Walters, Barry (January 12, 2006). Retrieved on 2011-04-16. ^ Breihan, Tom (February 2006). P. 85. Jones, Steve (December 20, 2005).
Retrieved on 2013-05-01. '. Retrieved on 2011-04-16. (December 19, 2005). Retrieved on 2011-04-16.
Inskeep, Thomas (January 17, 2006). ' 2012-10-12 at the '. Retrieved on 2011-04-16.
King, Jason (January 17, 2006). Retrieved on 2011-04-16. Cinquemani, Sal (December 22, 2005). Retrieved on 2011-04-16. Cohen, Sandy (December 7, 2006).
Retrieved October 2, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016. The Breakthrough (Media notes). Geffen Records. CS1 maint: others. Retrieved on 2011-04-16. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
(PDF) (846). May 22, 2006: 16. Retrieved August 10, 2016. (in German). Retrieved August 10, 2016. (in Dutch).
Retrieved August 10, 2016. February 12, 2006. Archived from on March 3, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2012. (in Dutch).
Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016. (in German).
Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
Retrieved August 10, 2016. The Breakthrough Mary J. Blige (in Japanese). Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016. (in Dutch).
Retrieved August 10, 2016. (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved August 10, 2016. (in Swedish). Retrieved August 10, 2016.
Retrieved August 10, 2016. (PDF). Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
Retrieved August 10, 2016. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016. (in Japanese).
Archived from on March 28, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2010. IFPI Switzerland. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
February 3, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Select albums in the Format field.
Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Breakthrough in the 'Search BPI Awards' field and then press Enter. April 10, 2007.
Retrieved August 10, 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.External links. at (list of releases).