I really like soul. That's what got me hooked on Mary J. some time ago. Queen of Hip Hop? I don't get the impression alot of people agree on that, but it seems her newest album, "Love and Life," represents an effort on her part to be more Hip-Hop than Soul.

Overall, it's a nice album: the music sounds sharp and Mary turns out beautiful performances. Yeah, the songs aren't consistently captivating and some instrumentals get repetitive, but a few are precious nonetheless.

Mary J. Blige was involved in the writing of 17 of the 18 songs. Production was handled by Sean "Puffy" Combs, and guests include Dr. Dre (also doing some producing), Method Man, 50 Cent, Eve and Jay Z.