Share My World | ||||
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Studio album by Mary J. Blige | ||||
Released | April 22, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996–1997 | |||
Studio |
The Hit Factory (New York City) Battery Studios Chicago Trax The Chicago Recording Company (Chicago, Illinois) Flyte Tyme Studios (Edina, Minnesota) The Record Plant (Los Angeles, California) |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 65:15 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Producer |
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Mary J. Blige chronology | ||||
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Singles from Share My World | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Chicago Tribune | |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
Rolling Stone | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Spin | 8/10 |
USA Today | |
The Village Voice | A− |
Share My World is the third studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige, released by MCA on April 22, 1997. The album became Blige’s first to open at number one on the US Billboard 200 album chart, it also became her first top-ten album in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight on the UK Albums Chart. Moreover, it is her first album where she serves an executive producer, alongside Steve Stoute, who also sharing executive producer credits on the album. With guest appearances by hip hop and R&B stars such as Lil' Kim, Nas, The LOX, George Benson, Roy Ayers and R. Kelly, the album was released to generally positive to mixed reviews from most music critics, and earned Blige numerous accolades and nominations, including a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Album in 1998. It is certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for excess of three million copies sold in the US.
Share My World marked several personal and professional changes in Blige’s life and career. Following the departure of label head Andre Harrell the year before, Blige defected from Uptown Records in favor of its MCA parent. Meanwhile, she severed professional ties with long-time producer, manager and mentor Sean “Puffy” 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.