News

Mary J. Blige’s sophomore album My Life is about to bring audiences joy when it’s expanded and reissued on CD and vinyl with some rare bonus content.

Available November 20, the expanded My Life – which follows a killer compilation of Blige’s early work from last year – pairs the newly remastered album with a half-dozen rare bonus tracks, including a stirring cover of Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” produced by James Mtume and five promo-only remixes, some of which feature guest raps by well-known emcees like LL Cool J and Smif-N-Wessun. The package will be available on 2 CDs, 2 LPs (without the bonus material), 3 LPs (with the bonus material and on blue vinyl) and digitally (which will also include new track-by-track audio commentary by Blige herself).

My Life again found Blige digging deep for a killer brace of cross-generational R&B material, mostly co-produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs, who founded his seminal Bad Boy label a year before (in part off the strength of his work on Blige’s 1992 debut My Life). Inspired by a myriad of personal trials, including Blige’s clinical depression and struggles with substance abuse, the album was lauded by critics and matched the heights of its predecessor, reaching Billboard‘s Top 10 and selling some three million copies. The single “Be Happy” cracked the U.S. Top 40, and other highlights included a cover of Rose Royce’s “I’m Goin’ Down” and “Mary Jane (All Night Long),” which, true to its title, sampled The Mary Jane Girls song of the same name.

You can rediscover My Life on November 20, courtesy of the links below.

My Life: Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe, 2020)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Official Store
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1/LP 1-2: Original album (released as Uptown/MCD UPTD-11156, 1994)

1. Intro
2. Mary Jane (All Night Long)
3. You Bring Me Joy
4. Marvin Interlude
5. I’m The Only Woman
6. K. Murray Interlude
7. My Life
8. You Gotta Believe
9. I Never Wanna Live Without You
10. I’m Goin’ Down
11. My Life Interlude
12. Be With You
13. Mary’s Joint
14. Don’t Go
15. I Love You
16. No One Else
17. Be Happy

CD 2/LP 3: Remixes

1. Mary Jane (All Night Long) (Remix feat. LL Cool J)
2. I’m Goin’ Down (Remix feat. Mr. Cheeks)
3. I Love You (Remix feat. Smif N’ Wessun)
4. Be Happy (Bad Boy Butter Remix)
5. Be Happy (Ron G Remix)
6. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

Tracks 1 and 3 from Uptown 12″ promo UPT8P-3551, 1995
Track 2 from Uptown 12″ promo UPT8P-3366, 1995
Tracks 4-5 from Uptown 12″ promo UPT8P-3176, 1995
Track 6 from international pressings of My Life – MCA MCD 11398, 1995