The Breakthrough

For other uses, seeBreakthrough (disambiguation).

The Breakthrough
Studio albumby Mary J. Blige
Released	December 20, 2005(2005-12-20)
Genre	R&B
Length	72:59
Label	Geffen
Producer	9th Wonder Mary J. Blige Vidal Davis Cool & Dre Bryan-Michael Cox D'Mile Ron Fair Andre Harris Rich Harrison Infinity J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League Jake and the Phatman Rodney Jerkins Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Davel "Bo" McKenzie Raphael Saadiq Chucky Thompson will.i.am
Mary J. Bligechronology
Love & Life (2003) The Breakthrough (2005) Growing Pains (2007)
SinglesfromThe Breakthrough
"Be Without You" Released: November 14, 2005 "Enough Cryin" Released: March 2, 2006 "One" Released: April 3, 2006 "Take Me as I Am" Released: August 17, 2006

The Breakthroughis the seventh studio album by American singerMary J. Blige.It was released byGeffen Recordson December 20, 2005. Initially expected to be released in 2006, it switched release dates with Blige's first greatest hits albumReflections (A Retrospective)(2006) after fruitful collaborations with a host of songwriters and record producers, including9th Wonder,Rodney Jerkins,Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis,Bryan-Michael Cox,J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League,Raphael Saadiq,Chucky Thompson,Cool & Dre,Ron Fair,andwill.i.am,prompted Blige and her label to shift material fromReflectionstoThe Breakthrough.

The album was released to positive reception from music critics, who considered it a return to form for Blige after 2003'sLove & Life.Commercially, it opened to her biggest first week sales in the US yet and became her third album to debut at the top of theBillboard200.The album reached triple Platinum status in the US and sold more than 3.1 million copies. Internationally, it entered the top ten in Switzerland, and the R&B charts in both Australia and United Kingdom.The Breakthroughreceived numerous accolades, earning Blige her firstGrammy Award for Best R&B Albumcategory at the49th awards ceremony.

Four singles were released in support of the album. Lead single "Be Without You"became a top three hit on the USBillboardHot 100as well as Blige's highest-charting single since 2001's "Family Affair,"while international follow-up"One,"a duet with Irish rock bandU2on their 1991 song, enjoyed major commercial success throughout Europe, reaching number one in Austria and Norway as well as the top ten on most other charts. From June to September 2006, Blige promotedThe Breakthroughin herThe Breakthrough Experience Tour,which visited several cities throughout Canada and the United States.

Release and promotion

Blige embarked on several live performances and appearances to promote the release ofThe Breakthrough.At theBET Awards 2005,she performed with rapperThe Gameduring his performance of "Hate It or Love It"on June 28, 2005.In October 2005, she sung a medley of "You're All I Need to Get By"withMethod Man,"I'm Goin' Down","Real Love",and" Can't Hide from Luv "onBET's25 Strong: The BET Silver Anniversary Special.In November 2005, Blige was honored with the V Legend Award at the2005 Vibe Awards.On December 21, 2005, the singer was interviewed and performed onThe Tyra Banks Show,singing a rendition of "Can't Hide from Luv."On December 31, 2005, Blige sung a medley of "Family Affair","Can't Hide from Luv ", and"Be Without You"onNew Year's Eve with Carson Daly.

On February 8, 2006, Blige performed "One"with U2 at the48th Annual Grammy Awards.In April 2006, she performed "Be Without You" and "Enough Cryin"onSaturday Night Live.At the2006 BET Awards,Blige sung a medley of "Be Without You" and "Enough Cryin."From July 14, 2006, to September 10, 2006, Blige embarked onThe Breakthrough Experience Tour.Letoya LuckettandJaheimwere opening acts during the tour. On December 4, 2006, Blige performed "Enough Cryin" and "Take Me as I Am"at the2006 Billboard Music Awards,where she won nine awards.At the49th Annual Grammy Awards,on February 11, 2007, Blige performed "Be Without You."

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	76/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Entertainment Weekly	B+
The Guardian
The Independent
Los Angeles Times
NME	8/10
Pitchfork	8.8/10
Rolling Stone
Spin	B−

The Breakthroughwas met with generally positive reviews. AtMetacritic,which assigns anormalizedrating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received anaveragescore of 76, based on 20 reviews.Andy Gill ofThe Independentdeemed it perhaps "her best, the most vivid realisation of her gripping, confessional style."David BrownebelievedThe Breakthroughmarked a return for Blige to her dramatic strengths, writing inEntertainment Weeklythat the music's "messy sprawl of conflicted emotions feels true to her fierce, prickly personality (not to mention life itself)."InThe New York Times,Jon Parelescredited the singer for bringing together "hip-hop realism and soul's higher aspirations, hip-hop's digitized crispness and soul's slow-building testimonies."Stylus Magazine's Thomas Inskeep viewed it as a "return to form" for Blige, calling it her "finest full-length since '99'sMary,"whileRolling Stonejournalist Barry Walters said that unlike with her previous albums,The Breakthrough's ballads genuinely stand out.

Prefixcritic Norman Mayers found thatThe Breakthrough"zips confidently through its sixteen tracks. The album's first two-thirds is so well paced that the eleventh track seems to come around before you can catch your breath. The musical palette is a blend of contemporaryKanye West–style productions and classic mid-tempo soul. "Andy Kellman fromAllMusicsaid each song proved Blige had been given her "best round of productions" since the mid 1990s.Los Angeles Timescritic Natalie Nichols credited the producers for "adeptly weaving beats and live instruments, vocals and rapping, melody and rhythm in configurations alternately stark and lush."Steve Jones ofUSA Todaywrote that "Blige balances her trademark edginess with the personal happiness she has found in recent years" and her producers "give her compelling musical backdrops".A 2023 review fromPitchfork's Clover Hope called it "an unofficial marker of a more self-actualized Mary J. Blige" as well as "so self-referential that it almost does function like a greatest-hits record the label wanted".

Jason King was less impressed inThe Village Voice,feeling thatThe Breakthroughhad improved on Blige's 2003 albumLove & Lifebut still lacked the creativity of 1999'sMary.Blige's penchant for "hermetic, clinically slick production values doesn't complement her soul-baring aura," King wrote.Spinjournalist 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."Slant Magazine'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."John Murphy frommusicOMH's found that like Blige's "previous albums,The Breakthroughis overlong and spoilt by too many producers sticking their oar in. One of these days she'll produce a tight, focused album that's worthy of her wonderful voice –The Breakthroughisn't it, but there's enough good moments to keep her legions of fans more than happy. "In his lukewarm review forVibe,Dimitri Ehrlich noted that "even cameos by today’s hottest rappers can’t shake Blige's nostalgic flair."

Accolades

For the complete list of awards won by Blige, her albums and singles, seeList of awards and nominations received by Mary J. Blige.

The Breakthroughand its singles earned Blige numerous awards and nominations. She received eight nominations at the49th Annual Grammy Awards,the most of any artist for that ceremony. "Be Without You" was nominated for bothRecord of the YearandSong of the Yearcategories;it won forBest Female R&B Vocal PerformanceandBest R&B Song,whileThe Breakthroughwon in the category ofBest R&B Album.Blige was recognized asFavorite Soul/R&B Female Artistand won in theFavorite Soul/R&B Albumcategory, among the three awards she was nominated for at theAmerican Music Awards of 2006.Blige won nine prizes at the2006 Billboard Music Awards,includingTop R&B Album,Top R&B Artist,R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist of the Year and Female R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year.At theBET Awards 2006she won two awards, includingBest Female R&B/Pop ArtistandVideo of the Year.Blige also wonOutstanding Female Artistat the38th NAACP Image Awards.

Year-end lists

Year-end lists forThe Breakthrough

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Associated Press	The 10 Best Albums of 2006	2
The Village Voice	Pazz & Jop	122

Commercial performance

In the US,The Breakthroughbecame Blige's third number-one album.

The Breakthroughdebuted at number one on both the USBillboard200andTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albumsin the week of January 7, 2006. Blige's third album to do so,it sold 727,000 copies in its first week of release,becoming the biggest first-week sales for a female R&B solo artist inSoundScanhistory,the fifth largest first-week sales for a female artist, and the fourth largest debut of 2005.The biggest-selling R&B album of the year,Billboardranked it first on its 2006 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end chart.It was also ranked fifth on the magazine'sBillboard200 year-end chart of 2006.The Breakthroughwas certified Gold and Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA) on the January 24, 2006.It eventually reached double Platinum on March 10, 2006 and triple Platinum status on April 10, 2007.By December 2009, the album had sold 3,100,000 copies in the United States.

In the United Kingdom,The Breakthroughdebuted at number 48 on theUK Albums Chartand number six on theUK R&B Albumschart in the week of December 24, 2005.It eventually peaked at number 22 in April 2006.On February 3, 2006, the album earned a Gold certification from theBritish Phonographic Industry(BPI) for shipments in excess of 100,000 units.Elsewhere,The Breakthroughreached number one on theAustralian Urban Albumschart and the top ten on theSwiss Albums Chart.It reached Gold status in Australia, Germany, and Japan and was certified Platinum by theInternational Federation of the Phonographic Industry(IFPI) in Switzerland.

Track listing

The Breakthrough–Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"No One Will Do"	Erik Ortiz Kevin Crowe Clifford L. Brown III Dave Young Bunny Sigler	J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League Mary J. Blige[a] Young[a]	4:46
2.	"Enough Cryin"(featuringBrook Lynn)	Blige Rodney Jerkins Sean Garrett Shawn Carter	Jerkins Garrett[a]	4:20
3.	"About You" (featuringwill.i.am)	Blige will.i.am Keith Harris Anthony Newley Leslie Bricusse	will.i.am	4:04
4.	"Be Without You"	Blige Bryan-Michael Cox Jason Perry Johntá Austin	Cox Blige[a] Ron Fair[a] Young Smoke[b]	4:06
5.	"Gonna Breakthrough" (featuring Brook Lynn)	Blige Diana Gordon Dernst Emile Quarun Wages Harry Palmer	D'Mile Blige[a] Fair[a]	4:00
6.	"Good Woman Down"	Blige Garrett Patrick Douthit Robert Aries Freddie Jackson Meli'sa Morgan	9th Wonder Garrett[a] Fair[c]	4:07
7.	"Take Me as I Am"	Jordan Suecof Ezekiel Lewis Candice Nelson Keri Hilson Thabiso Nkhereanye Lonnie Liston Smith	Infinity Fair Blige[a] Fair[a]	3:57
8.	"Baggage"	Blige James Harris III Terry Lewis Bobby Ross Avila Issiah J. Avila James Q. Wright Young	Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis B.R. Avila[d] Issiah "Iz" Avila[d] Blige[a] Young[a]	3:35
9.	"Can't Hide from Luv" (featuringJay-Z)	Blige Andre Harris Vidal Davis Ryan Toby	A. Harris Davis	3:52
10.	"MJB da MVP"	Curtis Jackson Jayceon Taylor Andre Lyon Marcello Valenzano Norman Harris Ron Baker Allan Felder James Johnson Patrice Rushen Karen Evans Roy Ayers	Blige Cool & Dre Patrick Dillett[a]	4:00
11.	"Can't Get Enough"	Blige J. Harris III Lewis B.R. Avila I.J. Avila	Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis James "Big Jim" Wright[d] B. R. Avila[d] I. Avila[d]	3:40
12.	"Ain't Really Love"	Blige Cox Austin Candice Childress	Cox Blige[a] Austin[a] Fair[a]	4:40
13.	"I Found My Everything" (featuringRaphael Saadiq)	Blige Saadiq Kelvin Wooten Robert Ozuna	Saadiq Jake and the Phatman[d] Troy Taylor[a]	5:23
14.	"Father in You"	Blige A. Harris Davis Toby	A. Harris Davis	5:23
15.	"Alone" (featuring Dave Young)	Davel "Bo" McKenzie Young	McKenzie Blige[a] Young[a]	4:29
16.	"One"(withU2)	Bono Adam Clayton The Edge Larry Mullen Jr.	Fair Tal Herzberg[d]	4:20
Total length:				68:11

The Breakthrough–LP edition (hidden track)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
17.	"Show Love"	Blige Garrett Chucky Thompson	Thompson	3:40
Total length:				71:51

The Breakthrough–International edition (bonus track)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
17.	"So Lady" (featuring Raphael Saadiq)	Blige Saadiq Teedra Moses	Saadiq Jake and the Phatman[d]	4:16
Total length:				72:27

The Breakthrough–British and digital deluxe edition (bonus track)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Show Love"	Blige Garrett Thompson	Thompson	3:40
Total length:				76:07

The Breakthrough–Japanese edition (bonus track)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
19.	"Out My Head"	Young Harrison	Rich Harrison	3:41
Total length:				79:48

Notes

• ^{^[a]}signifies a vocal producer
• ^{^[b]}signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[c]}signifies an additional vocal producer
• ^{^[d]}signifies a co-producer

Sample credits

• "No One Will Do" contains excerpts from "I Swear I Love No One but You", written byBunny Siglerand performed bythe O'Jays.
• "About You" contains samples from "Feeling Good",written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse and performed byNina Simone.
• "Gonna Breakthrough" contains samples from "The Champ",written by Harry Palmer and performed bythe Mohawks.
• "Good Woman Down" contains excerpts from "Heart Breaking Decision", written by Robert Aries,Freddie JacksonandMeli'sa Morganand performed by Morgan.
• "Take Me as I Am" contains samples from "A Garden of Peace", written and performed byLonnie Liston Smith.
• "Can't Hide from Luv" contains excerpts and a sample of "I Wanna Be Where You Are",written byArthur RossandLeon Wareand performed byMichael Jackson.
• "MJB da MVP" contains excerpts from "Rubberband", written byRon Baker,Allen Felder andNorman Harrisand performed bythe Tramps.It also contains resung lyrics from "All Night Long", written by James Johnson, "Remind Me", written byPatrice Rushenand Karen Evans, and "Everybody Loves the Sunshine", written byRoy Ayers.

Personnel

Credits forThe Breakthroughadapted fromAllMusic.

• 50 Cent– vocals
• Chalmers Alford– guitar
• Johnta Austin– vocal producer
• Bobby Ross Avila– guitar, keyboards, producer, strings
• Issiah "IZ" Avila– bass guitar, drums, percussion, producer
• Robert Bacon – guitar
• Charlie Bisharat – string instrument
• Mary J. Blige – producer, vocal arrangement, vocal producer, vocals
• Bono – guitar, vocals
• Jacqueline Brand – violin
• Craig Brockman– piano
• Charles "Biscuits" Brungardt – vocal producer
• Roberto Cani – violin
• Lily Chen – violin
• Danny Cheung "Stems" – engineer
• Candice Childress – production coordination
• Adam Clayton – bass guitar
• Larry Corbett – cello
• Bryan-Michael Cox – instrumentation, producer, string arrangements
• Vidal Davis – instrumentation, producer
• Loren Dawson – piano
• Mario Diaz de Leon – violin
• Brian Dembow – viola
• Joel Deroin – string instrument
• Patrick Dillett – engineer, vocal producer
• Reginald Dozier – engineer
• Andrew Duckles – viola
• Bruce Dukov – violin
• The Edge – guitar
• Michael Eleopoulos – assistant engineer, engineer
• Stephen Erdody – cello
• Anthony "Devyne" Evans – engineer
• Anthony Lavon Evans – engineer
• Ron Fair – conductor, guitar, harmonica, keyboards, orchestra bells, organ, piano, producer, string arrangements, vocal arrangement, vocal producer
• Jan Fairchild – engineer
• AMarlow Fisher – viola
• Drew FitzGerald – art direction
• Paul Foley – engineer
• Samuel Formicola – viola
• Matt Funes – string instrument
• Sean Garrett – vocal producer
• Endre Genet – string instrument
• Julie Gigante – violin
• Carl Glanville – original recordings
• Larry Gold – string arrangements
• John Goux – acoustic and electric guitar
• Endre Granat – violin
• Bernie Grundman– mastering
• Alan Grunfeld – string instrument
• Rexsell Hardy, Jr. – drums
• Andre Harris – instrumentation, producer
• Keith Harris – keyboards, organ, piano, synthesizer bass
• Clayton Haslop – violin
• Tal Herzberg – digital editing, engineer, producer
• Keri Hilson – vocal arrangement
• Paula Hochhalter – cello, strings
• Infinity – producer
• Kendu Isaacs – mixing
• Jun Ishizeki – assistant engineer
• Jake & the Phatman – producer
• Jimmy Jam – producer
• Jaycen Joshua – assistant engineer, engineer, mixing
• Rodney Jerkins – mixing, producer
• Justice League – producer
• Suzie Katayama – cello
• Bernard Kenny – bass guitar
• Kimberly Kimble – hair stylist
• Markus Klinko&Indrani– photography
• Armen Ksadjikian – cello
• Songa Lee – violin
• Natalie Leggett – violin
• Phillipe Levy – violin
• Terry Lewis – producer
• Andrea Liberman – stylist
• David Low – string instrument
• David Lowery – string instrument
• Rene Mandel – violin
• Matt Marrin – engineer
• Tony Maserati– mixing
• Harvey Mason, Sr.– glockenspiel, timpani
• Darrin McCann – viola
• Davel "Bo" McKenzie – producer
• Cornelius Mims – bass
• Vicki Miskolczy – viola
• Peter Mokran– mixing
• Wesley Morrow – production coordination
• Larry Mullen, Jr. – drums, percussion
• Dean Nelson – assistant, mixing
• 9th Wonder – producer
• Robin Olson – violin
• Robert Ozuna – drums, percussion, scratching
• Sid Page – violin
• Alyssa Park – violin
• Dave Pensado– mixing
• Katia Popov– violin
• Jack Joseph Puig– mixing
• Frank Romano– guitar
• Mark Robertson – violin
• Mally Roncal – make-up
• Anatoly Rosinsky – violin
• Raphael Saadiq – bass guitar, guitar, producer
• Allen Sides – engineer
• The South Central Chamber Orchestra – strings
• South Central Orchestra – strings
• Tereza Stanislav – string instrument
• Supa Engineer "Dura" – mixing
• John Tanksley – assistant engineer, engineer
• Troy Taylor – vocal producer
• Cecilia Tsan – cello
• Charles Vail – strings
• Josephina Vergara – violin
• will.i.am– engineer, keyboards
• Kelvin Wooten – keyboards
• Benjamin Wright– string arrangements, string conductor, string writing
• James "Big Jim" Wright– keyboards, producer
• Dave Young – performer
• Dave Young Orchestra – vocal producer

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance forThe Breakthrough

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	19
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)	1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	42
Belgian Albums (UltratopFlanders)	66
Canadian Albums(Billboard)	13
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	20
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	12
French Albums (SNEP)	25
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	28
Irish Albums (IRMA)	55
Italian Albums (FIMI)	12
Japanese Albums (Oricon)	18
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)	18
Scottish Albums(OCC)	28
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)	74
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	7
Taiwanese Albums (Five Music)	16
UK Albums(OCC)	22
UK R&B Albums(OCC)	4
USBillboard200	1
USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums(Billboard)	1

Year-end charts

2006 year-end chart performance forThe Breakthrough

Chart (2006)	Position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)	15
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	40
French Albums (SNEP)	154
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	83
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	32
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	21
UK Albums (OCC)	107
USBillboard200	5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	1

2007 year-end chart performance forThe Breakthrough

Chart (2007)	Position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)	46
USBillboard200	181
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	63

Certifications

Certifications forThe Breakthrough

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	Gold	35,000^
Germany (BVMI)	Gold	100,000‡
Japan (RIAJ)	Gold	100,000^
Switzerland (IFPISwitzerland)	Platinum	40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)	3× Platinum	3,000,000^
^Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2006
• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2006

External links

• The BreakthroughatDiscogs(list of releases)