Share My World

Share My World is Mary J. Blige's third studio album.

The album was released on April 22, 1997 on MCA Records. It became Mary's first number-one album on the Billbord 200 chart & her first album where she serves as an executive producer (alongside the other executive producer Steve Stoute).

It contains guest appearances by hip hop and R&B artists such as Lil' Kim, Nas, George Benson, Roy Ayers, R. Kelly, Nas & The LOX.

Album Background
The album marked several personal and professional changes in Mary's life and career.

Following the departure of label head Andre Harrell the year before, she left Uptown Records in favor of its MCA parent label.

Meanwhile, she severed professional ties with long-time producer, manager and mentor Sean “Puffy” Combs shortly before the production of the album began.

His absence was filled with a bevy of high profile producers such as Rodney Jerkins, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Babyface, Bryce Wilson and R. Kelly.

The end result produced an album that was less entrenched in the hip-hop soul of her first two albums and replaced with a style that was more aligned with contemporary R&B music.

During the making and run of her sophomore album "My Life," Mary had reportedly experienced clinical depression, while also battling drug and alcohol addiction, and enduring an often turbulent relationship with K-Ci Hailey (all of which heavily influenced the dark mood of that album).

In 1996, Mary reportedly made a concerted effort to clean up her life and subsequently found herself in more positive frame of mind while recording "Share My World" which influenced the albums noticeably lighter mood.

Tracklisting
United Kingdom Bonus Track
 * 1) Intro (1:21) (written & produced by Poke & Tone and Rich Nice)
 * 2) I Can Love You (feat. Lil Kim) (4:54) (written by Mary J. Blige, LaTonya Blige-DaCosta, Rodney Jerkins, Kimberly Jones, Carlos Brody & Mashiem Myrick; produced by Rodney Jerkins)
 * 3) Love Is All We Need (feat. Nas) (4:16) (written by Mary J. Blige, James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Nasir Jones & Rick James; produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis)
 * 4) Round and Round (4:27) (written by Mary J. Blige, Poke, DJ Premier & Shawn Carter; produced by Poke & Tone & George "Golden Fingers" Pearson)
 * 5) Share My World (Interlude) (0:32) (written & produced by Poke & Tone and Rich Nice)
 * 6) Seven Days (feat. George Benson) (5:09) (written & produced by Malik Pendleton)
 * 7) It's On (feat. R. Kelly) (4:44) (written & produced by R. Kelly)
 * 8) Thank You Lord (Interlude) (0:45) (written by Kelly Price & Rodney Jerkins; produced by Rodney Jerkins)
 * 9) Missing You (4:19) (written & produced by Babyface)
 * 10) Everything (4:55) (written by James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Hachidai Nakamura, Rokusuke Ei, James Brown, Linda D. Creed, Thomas R. Bell, John Starks & Fred Wesley; produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis)
 * 11) Keep Your Head (3:51) (written by Mary J. Blige & LaTonya Blige-DaCosta; produced by Poke & Tone and George "Golden Fingers" Pearson)
 * 12) Can't Get You Off My Mind (feat. The LOX) (4:45) (written by Mary J. Blige, Rodney Jerkins, Jason Phillips, Sean Jacobs & David Styles; produced by Rodney Jerkins)
 * 13) Get to Know You Better (4:34) (written & produced by Bryce Wilson)
 * 14) Searching (feat. Roy Ayers) (4:52) (written by Mary J. Blige, LaTonya Blige-DaCosta, Xenos DaCosta, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins & Roy Ayers; produced by Rodney Jerkins & Fred Jerkins)
 * 15) Our Love (5:22) (written by Chuck Jackson & Marvin Yancy; produced by James Mtume)
 * 16) Not Gon' Cry (4:54) (written & produced by Babyface)
 * 1) (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman (2:57)

Commercial Performance
For the Billboard issue dated May 10, 1997, "Share My World" debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with sales of 240,000 copies, marking Mary's first official number-one album on the Billboard 200 chart.

The album had ended the four-week stint of the Notorious B.I.G.'s album "Life After Death" which was released posthumously after his death.

Moreover, the album debuted at number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, marking Mary's third consecutive number-one album on the latter chart.

The album has sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone, receiving a 3x Platinum certification on May 19, 1999.

In addition to debuting number one in the United States, the album also debuted in the top ten in the United Kingdom, peaking at number-eight on the UK Albums Chart, thus giving Mary her first top-ten album in that country.

On the Canadian Albums Chart where the album reached number-four. It also reached number thirty-seven on the German Albums Chart.

Critical Reception
Alex Henderson of Allmusic gave the album a full four out of five stars, stating that:

"Her strongest and most confident effort up to that point, Share had much more character, personality, and honesty than most of the assembly line fare dominating urban radio in 1997. For all their slickness, emotive cuts like "Get to Know You Better," "Love Is All We Need," and "Keep Your Head" left no doubt that Blige was indeed a singer of depth and substance. Although high tech, the production of everyone from R. Kelly (with whom she duets on the inviting "It's On") and Babyface to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis doesn't come across as forced or robotic, but, in fact, is impressively organic."

Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone commended Brandy's transition from sound to singing, gave the album three-out-of-five stars, commenting that

"On Share My World even Blige's harshest critics will have to concede that she's moved beyond sound to real singing. Listen to "Seven Days," "Missing You" and the already-classic "Not Gon' Cry" (also on the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack), and you hear Blige's signature ache married to newfound technique. There's shading, depth and control in her vocals now."

However in the 2004 edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide, the album was viewed in an ambivalent light, stating that "[i]t displays Blige's hit-song savvy but fewer memorable performances."

Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a favorable review, commenting that:

"Blige is a diva for her own time. As befits her hip hop ethos, she's never soft if often vulnerable, and as befits her hip hop aesthetic, she plays her natural vocal cadences for melodic signature and sometimes hook. She redefines the New York accent for the '90s. And she's taken two straight follow-ups to the next level." He awarded the album an (A-) rating.

Jonathan Bernstein of Entertainment Weekly was also favorable of the album, and gave it a B+ rating, but was critical of Mary's songwriting, stating that "...[i]t comes off as meandering and half finished."

He went on to praise the album, regarding that:

"In another era, when songcraft was a consideration and singers had discernible identities, Mary J. Blige might have attained the mid-level status of a Thelma [Houston]. But right now, having made an uneven album packed with career-peak performances, she is the only example of a hip-hop soul practitioner attempting to make a record that's more than a product placement opportunity for Lexus and Cristal. For that, Blige deserves her crown."

Steve Jones of USA Today was also pleased with the album, and he awarded three-and-a-half out of four stars, commenting that "The songs run the usual gamut of love themes, but it's Blige's powerful, emotional deliveries and street sensibility that separate her from the competition."

Personnel

 * Michael Jordan – Guitar
 * R. Kelly – Instrumentation, Mixing, Multi Instruments, Performer, Producer, Vocals, Background Vocals
 * Lil' Kim – Rap
 * The LOX – Rap
 * Josh Milan – Keyboards
 * Ed Moore – Guitar
 * Ed Tree Moore – Guitar
 * James Mussen – Drums
 * Nas – Rap
 * Dunn Pearson, Jr. – Keyboards
 * Malik Pendleton – Mixing, Multi Instruments, Producer, Vocal Arrangement, Background Vocals
 * Mike Scott – Guitar
 * Shanice – Background Vocals
 * Abdulhameed Zuhri – Guitar
 * Dionne Alexander – Hair Stylist
 * Bilal Allah – Sequencing
 * Lyndell Fraser – Engineer
 * Kyle Bess – Assistant Engineer, Mixing, Mixing Assistant
 * Bob "Bassy" Bob Brackmann – Mixing
 * Chris Brickley – Engineer
 * Trey Fratt – Assistant Engineer
 * Ben Garrison – Engineer
 * Jon Gass – Mixing
 * Stephen George – Engineer, Mixing, Programming
 * Brad Gilderman – Engineer
 * Kenny J. Gravillis – Art Direction, Design
 * Steve Hodge – Engineer, Mixing
 * Jimmy Jam – Arranger, Instrumentation, Multi Instruments, Musical Associate, Producer
 * Fred Jenkins III – Mixing, Multi Instruments, Producer
 * Rodney Jerkins – Arranger, Drum Arrangements, Drum Programming, Instrumentation, Introduction, Mixing, Multi Instruments, Musician, Producer, Rap, Vocals
 * Derek Khan – Stylist
 * Jeff Lane – Assistant Engineer
 * Ken Lewis – Engineer, Mixing
 * Terry Lewis – Arranger, Instrumentation, Multi Instruments, Musical Associate, Producer
 * Ron Lowe – Assistant Engineer
 * Tony Maserati – Engineer, Mixing
 * Mr. Lee – Programming
 * James Mtume – Keyboards, Producer

Accolades
Throughout late 1997 and onto early 1998, "Share My World" became a critical and commercial success.

On July 1, 1997, nearly three months after the album's release, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of one million copies in the US.

Five months later, on November 17, 1997, the album received a 2x Platinum certification by the RIAA, for two million copies sold in the US alone.

On January 26, 1998, the album won the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the 25th annual ceremony.

The following month, it was nominated for "Best R&B Album" at the 40th Grammy Awards, losing to "Baduizm" by Erykah Badu.

Mary also received additional nominations such as an NAACP Image Award nomination for "Outstanding Female Artist," two Soul Train Music Award nominations for Best R&B/Soul Single, Female (for the single "Everything") and a nomination for Best R&B/Soul Album, Female, losing both to Erykah Badu in both categories.

In addition, Mary won a second award for the album at the Soul Train Lady of Soul awards, where she picked up an award for "Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year (solo)."