Mary J Blige's 'Gratitude' sparks debate over 'decline' in R&B diva's voice: 'This is her last album'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mary J Blige’s latest studio album ‘Gratitude’ has sparked an online debate among her fans as they are concerned that the vocal chops of the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" have had a “major decline.”

The 53-year-old songstress, who is often referred to as the "Queen of R&B", recently released her 15th studio album titled ‘Gratitude’, which features songs like ‘Breathing’, ‘Need You More’, ‘Nobody But You’ and others. 

However, upon listening to her latest album, some of the fans questioned not only the music production but also expressed concern over the quality of the ‘Just Fine’ singer’s vocals.

Mary J Blige released an album titled ‘Gratitude’ on November 15

Mary J. Blige recently released her album on November 15. As the ‘Mudbound’ star dropped her album, her fans started analyzing her music, with some even claiming her voice took a “major decline” in this album. 

One of the fans even claimed that not only ‘Gratitude’ but her second last album - ‘Good Morning Gorgeous’ - was “unlistenable.” 

While criticizing the album, one fan also put forward a theory of why the singer's voice might have suffered a “decline.”

They shared that the songstress embarked on multiple tours during a period of two years, and “sang live for 2 hours, & overworked her throat.”

Before her ‘For My Fans Tour’ of 2024, Blige embarked on a tour in 2022 to promote her ‘Good Morning Gorgeous’ album. 

The ‘Just Sing’ artist previously hinted during an interview with People that ‘Gratitude’ was “probably my last studio album.”

In October, the multi-faceted star was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Blige said, “I'm grateful that I'm loved, and I'm capable now to give love. When I said I wanted to be happy, I really meant that,” per Daily Mail. 

She continued, “And I'm not talking about just the happiness where you're delusional and think everything is okay. I'm talking about the happiness where you know there will be trials, but you're going to smile anyway because you believe you'll get through it.”

Apart from her successful music career, Blige has also tried her hand at acting and has appeared in projects, including ‘Power Book II: Ghost’, ‘Rob Peace’, and ‘The Umbrella Academy.’ 

Mary J Blige's album 'Gratitude' sparks debate about 'major decline' in her voice 

Mary J Blige's fans took to social media to share their opinions on their favorite singer's seemingly changed vocal chops. 

One of the social media users started the discussion regarding the singer's voice, as they said, "Y’all know this is my girl forever but, this album ain’t good at all. It’s flat and vocally, she’s straining."

Someone else agreed with the previous user and noted, "I’m listening to it now and her voice isn’t the same at all! The music sounds like there was no creative effort. She said “here you go” 😩."

"I don’t understand what happened, it’s like overnight. Her voice changed. She sounds like a Mary impersonator in recent years. I hate that for her, because we love Mary," another fan of the songstress wrote.

Someone else added, "Me either. Her voice took a major decline and it’s not what I wanted from her. But we love her down."

One fan recalled, "She said this is her last album anyway."

Another person commented, "She lost her voice during the divorce due to excessive touring. She did, like, 3-4 tours during 2 years, sang live for 2 hours, & overworked her throat."

"For this reason, I can only give her grace and keep cheering her on! She gave us EVERYTHING and it’s not humanly possible to keep that same pace!" one individual wrote.

Someone else added, "This! Like, I really thought about it - Mary J. Blige was booked around the world, for 3+ decades, sang LIVE (mic ON), & I think Mary is the most booked soul singer EVER. I couldn’t imagine singing live for for 30+ years, for 2 hours a night, around the world. I would be OVER it!"

"I know one thing Mary is TIEEEEDDD so maybe she just giving minimal effort now cause she ready to chill 😭," remarked one person.

"I thought i was the only one that noticed a huge difference. this is the first MJB album that I didn’t save any songs from. like wtf," added another.

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