Share My World
Encyclopedia
Share My World is the third studio album
by American R&B singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige
, released by MCA Records
on April 23, 1997. The album serves as a follow-up to her Grammy-nominated critically acclaimed second album, My Life
(1994). Share My World became Blige’s first album to top the US Billboard 200
the week of its release, selling 317,000 copies in its opening week, while debuting at number one on the Top R&B Albums chart simultaneously. The album earned a Grammy nomination, this time for Best R&B Album
at the 40th Grammy Awards. Since its release, the album has received mixed to positive reviews from music critics.
in favour of its parent label MCA
. Meanwhile, she severed professional ties with long-time producer and mentor Sean “Puff” Combs
shortly before the production of Share My World began. His absence was filled with a bevy of high profile producers, such as: Rodney Jerkins
, Jimmy Jam and 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
.
During the making and run of the My Life
album, Blige 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, however, Blige 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.
nomination for Best R&B Album
a Soul Train Music Award nominations for ‘Best R&B/Soul Album,’ and won a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for ‘R&B/Soul Album of the Year (Solo).’
Upon its initial release, the album contained a bonus disc at Best Buy stores reported to contain previously unreleased remixes.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American R&B singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
, released by MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
on April 23, 1997. The album serves as a follow-up to her Grammy-nominated critically acclaimed second album, My Life
My Life (Mary J. Blige album)
My Life is the second studio album from American R&B and soul singer Mary J. Blige, Released by Uptown/MCA Records on November 29, 1994. Recording sessions for the album began in fall of 1993 and ended almost one year later. Many of the topics on My Life deal with clinical depression, Blige's...
(1994). Share My World became Blige’s first album to top the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
the week of its release, selling 317,000 copies in its opening week, while debuting at number one on the Top R&B Albums chart simultaneously. The album earned a Grammy nomination, this time for Best R&B Album
Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre...
at the 40th Grammy Awards. Since its release, the album has received mixed to positive reviews from music critics.
Background
Share My World marked several personal and professional changes in Blige’s life and career. Following the departure of Andre Harrell the year before, Blige defected from Uptown RecordsUptown Records
Uptown Records was an American record label, founded by Andre Harrell in 1986. It went on to become one of the most popular Hip-Hop and R&B labels of the late 1980's and early 1990s. Featured on the roster were such luminaries as Guy, Heavy D & The Boyz, Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, and Soul for Real...
in favour of its parent label MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
. Meanwhile, she severed professional ties with long-time producer and mentor Sean “Puff” Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
shortly before the production of Share My World began. His absence was filled with a bevy of high profile producers, such as: Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
, Babyface, Bryce Wilson
Bryce Wilson
Bryce Wilson also formerly known as Bryce Luvah, is a record label executive/producer, actor, musician, and former emcee. He was formerly half of late 1990s contemporary R&B duo Groove Theory, and emcee/keyboardist for early 1990s dance music/electro funk/old school hip hop group Mantronix.-...
, and R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
. The end result produced an album that was less entrenched in the Hip hop soul
Hip hop soul
Hip hop soul is sub-genre of contemporary R&B which fuses R&B, neo soul and dance elements with hip hop. The term did not originate until the promotion for Mary J. Blige's debut album What's the 411? in 1992 when Uptown Records proclaimed her to be the "Queen of Hip Hop Soul" and generally...
of her first two albums, and replaced with a style that was more aligned with Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
.
During the making and run of the My Life
My Life (Mary J. Blige album)
My Life is the second studio album from American R&B and soul singer Mary J. Blige, Released by Uptown/MCA Records on November 29, 1994. Recording sessions for the album began in fall of 1993 and ended almost one year later. Many of the topics on My Life deal with clinical depression, Blige's...
album, Blige 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, however, Blige 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.
Release and reception
In early 1998, Share My World won Blige an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album, and a nomination for Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist She also garnered a Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Best R&B Album
Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre...
a Soul Train Music Award nominations for ‘Best R&B/Soul Album,’ and won a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for ‘R&B/Soul Album of the Year (Solo).’
Upon its initial release, the album contained a bonus disc at Best Buy stores reported to contain previously unreleased remixes.
Track listing
| # | I Can Love You I Can Love You "I Can Love You" is a 1997 song by R&B singer Mary J. Blige. Produced by Rodney Jerkins, and featuring a rap cameo by Lil' Kim, it was released as the second single from Blige's third album, Share My World.-Overview:... ” (featuring Lil’ Kim) Writer(s): M. J. Blige, L. Blige-DaCosta, R. Jerkins, K. Jones, C. Brody, N. Myrick Producer(s): Rodney Jerkins 4:54 |
|
|---|---|---|
| 3. | “Love Is All We Need Love Is All We Need "Love Is All We Need" is a 1997 song by R&B singer Mary J. Blige. It was released as the first single from Blige's third album, Share My World, and features a rap cameo from Nas.-Recording:... ” (featuring Nas Nas Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time... ) Writer(s): J. Harris, T. Lewis, M. Blige, R. James Producer(s): Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis |
4:16 |
| 4. | “Round and Round” Writer(s): Poke, DJ Premier, S. Carter, M. Blige Producer(s): Poke and Tone; Co-produced by George “Golden Fingers” Pearson |
4:27 |
| 5. | Share My World (Interlude) Producer(s): Poke, Tone, and Rich Nice |
0:32 |
| 6. | “Share My World” Writer(s): M. Blige, R. Jerkins Producer(s): Rodney Jerkins |
4:49 |
| 7. | “Seven Days Seven Days (song) "Seven Days" is a soul song written and produced by Malik Pendleton and released as a single by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige as the fourth release off her 1997 album, Share My World, on January 20, 1998.... ” (featuring George Benson George Benson George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist.... ) Writer(s): M. Pendleton Producer(s): Malik Pendleton |
5:09 |
| 8. | “It’s On” (duet with R. Kelly R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play... ) Writer(s): R. Kelly Producer(s): R. Kelly |
4:44 |
| 9. | Thank You Lord (Interlude) Writer(s): K. Price, R. Jerkins Producer(s): Rodney Jerkins |
0:45 |
| 10. | “Missing You” Writer(s): Babyface Producer(s): Babyface |
4:19 |
| 11. | “Everything Everything (Mary J. Blige song) "Everything" is a 1997 song by R&B singer Mary J. Blige. Written and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis,it was released as the third single from Blige's third album, Share My World.-Recording:... ” Writer(s): J. Harris and T. Lewis Producer(s): Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis |
4:55 |
| 12. | “Keep Your Head” Writer(s): M. Blige, L. Blige-DaCosta Producer(s): Poke, Tone, and George “Golden Fingers” Pearson |
3:51 |
| 13. | “Can’t Get You Off My Mind” (featuring The LOX The LOX The Lox are an American hip hop group composed of Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles P. They were originally signed to Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records before joining Ruff Ryders Entertainment, and are now a part of their own label, D-Block Records-Early career:... ) Writer(s): M. Blige, R. Jerkins, J. Phillips, S. Jacobs, D. Styles Producer(s): Rodney Jerkins |
4:45 |
| 14. | “Get to Know You Better” Writer(s): B. Wilson Producer(s): Bryce Wilson |
4:34 |
| 15. | “Searching” (featuring Roy Ayers Roy Ayers Roy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk .- Biography :Ayers... ) Writer(s): M. Blige, L. Blige-DaCosta, X. DaCosta, R. Jerkins, F. Jerkins, R. Ayers Producer(s): Rodney Jerkins and Fred Jerkins |
4:52 |
| 16. | “Our Love” Writer(s): C. Jackson, M. Yancy Producer(s): James Mtune |
5:22 |
| 17. | “Not Gon’ Cry Not Gon' Cry "Not Gon' Cry" is a 1996 single by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige from the soundtrack to the film Waiting to Exhale; the song is also featured on Blige's 1997 album, Share My World... ” Writer(s): Babyface Producer(s): Babyface |
4:54 |
| 18. | “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel like) a Natural Woman " A Natural Woman" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin on the Atlantic label. The record was a big hit for Franklin, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became a standard song for her... ” (UK Bonus Track) Writer(s): G. Goffin, C. King, J. Wexler Producer(s): James Mtume |
2:57 |
Musicians
- Roy Ayers – Vibraphone
- George Benson – Guitar
- Gene Bianco – String Arrangements, String Conductor, String Contractor
- LaTonya Blige-DaCosta – Vocals (Background)
- Mary J. Blige – Executive Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
- Darryl Brown – Bass
- Mary Brown – Vocals (Background)
- Michael "Dino" Campbell – Guitar
- Mike Campbell – Guitar
- Lafayette Carthon, Jr. – Keyboards
- Minio Class – Fender Rhodes
- DJ Do It All – Scratching
- Nathan East – Bass
- Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds – Arranger, Drum Programming, Keyboards, Musician, Producer
- Basil Fearrington – Bass
- Michael Jordan – Guitar
- R. Kelly – Instrumentation, Mixing, Multi Instruments, Performer, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
- 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, Vocals (Background)
- Mike Scott – Guitar
- Shanice – Vocals (Background)
- Abdulhameed Zuhri – Guitar
Production
- Dionne Alexander – Hair Stylist
- Bilal Allah – Sequencing
- Rick Behrens – 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
- Rich Nice – Arranger, Narrator, Producer
- Appolon "Chap" Noel – Assistant, Assistant Engineer, Engineer
- Nzínga – Make-Up
- One Drop Scott – Arranger, Drum Programming
- George R. "Golden Fingers" Pearson – Keyboards, Producer
- Angela Piva – Engineer, Mixing
- Poke – Arranger, Drum Programming, Producer
- Poke & Tone – Arranger, Drum Programming
- Herb Powers – Mastering
- David Radin – Sequencing
- Dexter Simmons – Engineer, Mixing
- Ivy Skoff – Production Assistant, Production Coordination
- Xavier Smith – Assistant, Assistant Engineer, Mixing, Mixing Assistant
- Steve Stoute – Executive Producer, Sequencing
- Greg Thompson – Assistant Engineer
- Ed Tinley – Assistant, Assistant Engineer, Engineer
- Tizone – Mixing
- Tone – Arranger, Drum Programming, Producer
- Richard Travali – Engineer, Mixing
- Tom Vercillo – Engineer, Mixing
- Randy Walker – MIDI, MIDI Programming, Programming
- Kevin Westenberg – Photography
- Bruce Wilson – Keyboards, Producer
- Bryce Wilson – Keyboards, Producer
Chart positions
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
4 |
| German Albums Chart | 37 |
Chart precession and succession
See also
- List of number-one albums of 1997 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1997 (U.S.)
External links
- Share My World at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...