''Growing Pains'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

. An R&B album that was released on December 18, 2007, by

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

, it debuted at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 629,000 copies in its first week, and reached number one in January 2008. ''Growing Pains'' was ranked number 29 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''s list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007 and was eventually certified Platinum by RIAA. " Work That" was released as the second single on December 18, 2007, and managed to peak inside the top 20 of the '' Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and number 65 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The third official single, " Stay Down" reached the top 40 R&B charts, and was chosen in favor of " Hurt Again", which was originally the third single, but eventually was only a radio single by receiving airplay in Spring 2008. ''Growing Pains'' was awarded the

Best Contemporary R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album was 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 contemporary ...

at the

51st Grammy Awards The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the b ...

in February 2009.

Background

In an interview for ''

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as '' NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a ...

'', Blige explained the significance of the album's title, stating:

Singles

Just Fine "Just Fine" is a song by the American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Jazze Pha and Tricky Stewart for her eighth studio album, ''Growing Pains'' (2007), while production was helmed by Pha and Stewart. It ...

" was released as the album's lead single on October 2, 2007. It was the only single from the album which was released in multiple formats. The song peaked at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 3 on the U.S.

chart. In the UK, the song performed well, peaking at number 16 on the official chart. " Work That" was released as the album's second single on December 18, 2007. The single charted from digital downloads when the album was released, and eventually peaked at number 65 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but did become a top 20 hit on the

. The song " Hurt Again" was intended to be released as the official third single from ''Growing Pains'', but at the last minute was changed in the favor of " Stay Down". Between the loss of momentum from the album's first and second single and lack of promotion for the single, "Stay Down" did not chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart; it peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.

Critical reception

''Growing Pains'' received positive reviews from most music critics.Growing Pains Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic
.

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. At

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

score of 77, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

editor Marisa Brown gave it four out of five stars and called it "a mature, polished, and utterly professional set of well-crafted songs", noting that "the album takes an even greater step toward pop".Brown, Marisa (December 17, 2007). " Growing Pains - Mary J. Blige.

. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. Alex Macpherson of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' complimented its themes of Blige's "past and present", while citing the track "Roses" as "one of the best songs of her career".Macpherson, Alex (January 25, 2008).
CD: Mary J Blige, Growing Pains
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' commented that it "finds Blige on chirpier form".SW (February 1, 2008).
Mary J. Blige - Mary J Blige - Album Reviews - NME.COM
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. Michael Arceneaux of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' complimented Blige's "cheerful demeanor" on the album and called it "a good addition to the Mary J. Blige catalogue".Arceneaux, Michael (December 19, 2007).
Mary J. Blige: Growing Pains
.

. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

''s Edna Gundersen wrote that "Her vulnerability and vocal prowess are undeniable, and resistance melts away as her voice ..commands and communicates with startling clarity".Gundersen, Edna (December 17, 2007).
Mary J. Blige goes to great 'Pains' - USATODAY.com
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. Steven Hyden of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' commended Blige for "reaching beyond the relative stability of her personal life and playing up the vulnerable everywoman persona that's long resonated with her female fanbase".Hyden, Steven (December 18, 2007).
Mary J. Blige: Growing Pains
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 17, 2011.

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

's Talia Kraines commended Blige for " keeping it real" and complimented her "empowering emotion".Kraines, Talia (February 6, 2008).
BBC - Music - Review of Mary J. Blige - Growing Pains
.

. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. However, Andy Gill of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' commented that "it's hard to tell whether the whiplash snares and crisp handclap grooves ..are suited to lige'sneeds here" and criticized "Blige's capitulation to R&B cliché, with all women downtrodden and all men culpable, and a corrosively bling-driven worldview".Gill, Andy (February 1, 2008).
Album: Mary J Blige, Growing Pains (Geffen)
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. '' Slant Magazine''s Eric Henderson called the album an "overstuffed collection of affirmations, self-definitions, and keepin'-it-real-isms" and wrote that "what's both most compelling and most limiting about Blige's ''Growing Pains'': She keeps her most salable characteristic, her emotiveness, under duress, which provides tension but no release".Henderson, Eric (December 16, 2007).
Mary J. Blige: Growing Pains
. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. Alfred Soto of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' noted "no more drama, but plenty of (occasionally excellent) melodrama", adding that "as her acting chops diminish, her command over plush, slightly jagged Contempo r&b improves".Soto, Alfred (December 11, 2007).
Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains - Page 1 - Music - New York - Village Voice
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. Writing for ''

'', critic Robert Christgau commented that "the tone of her confessions has changed with her music", stating "'' Growing Pains'' is an edgier record than '' The Breakthrough'', but Blige has definitely lost or just outgrown the brassy urgency of her twenties".Christgau, Robert (December 13, 2007).
Growing Pains
. ''

''. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. In his consumer guide for

MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History I ...

, Christgau described the album as "an expensive, honorable, credible sampler of the hottest current R&B brands", and gave it an A− rating. Christgau, Robert (February 2008).
Consumer Guide
.

. Retrieved on December 30, 2012.

Accolades

In 2008, at the

50th Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies ...

, "Just Fine" was nominated in the '

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

' category, losing the award to

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

' " No One". At the 2009

it was nominated for

and ''

'' was nominated for

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical The Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical is an honor presented to producers for quality remixed recordings at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in sever ...

. The album won

Commercial performance

''Growing Pains'' sold 629,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number two on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and number one on the R&B chart. In its second week the album climbed to number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 204,000 copies sold. In the UK, the album entered the charts at number 6, making it her highest-charting album there since '' No More Drama'' in 2001 with first week sales of 21,755. In Germany, the album was her worst one charting, peaking number 48 and staying on the

German Albums Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustr ...

for only 3 weeks. As of March 27, 2010, the album had sold over 81,681 copies in the UK.

Track listing

Notes and sample credits * denotes co-producer * denotes vocal producer *"Talk to Me" contains a sample from "Key to My Heart", written by Robert Wright and

Verdine White Verdine Adams White (born July 25, 1951) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist for the band Earth, Wind & Fire. White was placed at No. 19 on Rolling Stone's list of The 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time. Early l ...

, and performed by

The Emotions ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Personnel

Credits for ''Growing Pains'' adapted from

.Growing Pains - Mary J. Blige , AllMusic
Allmusic. Retrieved on April 17, 2011. * Judi Acosta-Stewart – production coordination * Nick Banns – assistant * Lee Blaske – strings * Mary J. Blige – executive producer * Jesse Bond – guitar * Andre Bowman – bass * Dru Castro – engineer * Danny Cheung "Stems" – vocal engineer * Andrew Coleman – engineer * Bryan-Michael Cox – musician, producer * Vidal Davis – producer * Patrick Dillett – vocal engineer * The-Dream – vocals * Duane Dugger – horn * Mikkel Storleer Eriksen – engineer * Ron Fair – string arrangements, string conductor * Theron "Neff U" Feemster – musician, producer * Drew FitzGerald – creative director * Brian "Big Bass" Gardener – mastering * Sean Garrett – producer, vocals * Chuck Harmony – engineer, musician, producer *

Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In 2011, Kuk ...

– vocal engineer, vocal producer * Andre Harris – producer * Mike Hogue – assistant * Curtis Hudson – engineer * Eric Hudson – engineer, musician, producer * Kendu Isaacs – management, vocal engineer *

Jaycen Joshua Jaycen Joshua is a mix engineer and music producer who owns the revered Canton House Studios in Studio City, California. Joshua started his mix career in 2005 when he became partners with his mentor Dave Pensado and formed The Penua Project. Joshu ...

– mixing * Jazze Pha – drum programming, keyboards, producer * Kim Kimble – hair stylist * James King – horn *

Markus Klinko Markus Klinko is an international fashion/celebrity photographer. and director, Klinko has photographed Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Will ...

– photography * Andrea Liberman – stylist * DeJion Madison – producer *

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

– producer * The Neptunes – producer * Alec Newell – engineer * Chris "TEK" O'Ryan – engineer *

Dave Pensado Dave Pensado is a Grammy Award-winning mix engineer. His career began in Atlanta in the 1970s and 1980s doing live and studio sound engineering. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1990. He mixes between 200 and 250 songs a year at Larrabee Studios ...

– mixing * Omar Phillips – percussion * Justin Pintar – assistant * Haye Price – horn * Omar Reyna – assistant *

Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. In a career spanning over 30 years, Stewart has won 5 Grammys and is responsible for over 50 million rec ...

– drum Programming, keyboards, mixing supervision, producer * Supa Engineer "Duro" – mixing * Sam Thomas – engineer * Pat Thrall – overdub engineer, post production engineer * Corey Williams – engineer * Andrew Wuepper – assistant

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* *
Growing Pains
' at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

*
Growing Pains
' at