Good Morning Gorgeous is the fourteenth studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released on February 11, 2022, through 300 Entertainment and her Mary Jane Productions imprint.[1] Her first album in nearly five years, it marked her first release for 300 Entertainment and her first album that was not released by a subsidiary of Universal Music.[2]

Good Morning Gorgeous
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 11, 2022 (2022-02-11)
Length38:07
Label
Producer
Mary J. Blige chronology
Strength of a Woman
(2017)
Good Morning Gorgeous
(2022)
Gratitude
(2024)
Singles from Good Morning Gorgeous
  1. "Good Morning Gorgeous"
    Released: December 5, 2021
  2. "Amazing"
    Released: December 5, 2021
  3. "Rent Money"
    Released: January 21, 2022
  4. "Here with Me"
    Released: April 29, 2022

The album includes collaborations with Anderson .Paak, Dave East, DJ Khaled, Fivio Foreign, and Usher. It was preceded and supported by three singles: "Good Morning Gorgeous", "Amazing" featuring DJ Khaled, "Rent Money" featuring Dave East, and "Here with Me" featuring Anderson .Paak.[3]

The deluxe version of the album received six nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Best R&B Album.[4]

Promotion

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Blige revealed the track listing on January 21, 2022, alongside the release of "Rent Money".[3] Two days after the album release, Blige performed during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.[5] On June 30, Blige released a music video for "Come See About Me" featuring Fabolous.[6] On January 10, 2024, on the eve of her 53rd birthday, Blige released the video for "Gone Forever", featuring Remy Ma and DJ Khaled.[7]

Singles

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Blige released the first two singles, "Good Morning Gorgeous", which peaked at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Amazing" featuring DJ Khaled, on December 5, 2021.[8] Its music video premiered on February 11, 2022.[9] On January 31, 2022, she released the third single, "Rent Money" featuring Dave East.[3] "Here with Me" featuring Anderson .Paak, was released to urban AC as the fourth single on April 29, 2022.[10]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [12]
And It Don't StopA−[13]
The Arts Desk     [14]
Clash7/10[15]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[16]
Pitchfork6.5/10[17]
Rolling Stone     [18]

Good Morning Gorgeous was met with generally favorable reviews from music critic. On review aggregator Metacritic, the album received a score of 75 out of 100 based on 7 reviews.[11]

Leah Greenblatt, reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly, points out that "with her 15th studio album, the queen of hip-hop/soul dives into life as a single woman" because "if 2017's Strength of a Woman was her record about divorce rovisonos, [...] Gorgeous is the sound of an artist slowly re-emerging." Greenblatt writes that "as a songwriter, Blige's gift has never been so much specificity as sincerity, and the songs on Gorgeous deal with topics so familiar that they have worn out like the grooves on a vinyl record: hope, pain, learning to love and let go; [...] in the freedom that comes from no longer having privileged consideration in the pop market."[16]

Clash's Robin Murray calls the singer "a phenomenon" as "her graceful touch defies time and trends, with her vivid approach pushing toward a more universal sense of connection." Murray, at the end of the review, writes that one hears "a record that exudes charm and grace."[15] Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone writes that "almost all of Blige's 15 albums have a conceptual structure; [...] but Good Morning Gorgeous seems looser than others" in which "the artist carefully avoids the deep melancholy of her past. The music is mostly hopeful and lively, even when the sentiments belie that."[18]

Less enthusiastic Pitchfork's Eric Torres review, who although finds that the album "a celebratory record that mixes uplifting, soulful affirmations with exercises in contemporary rap and R&B", it has collaboration which "come across as scattered, an unfortunate side effect that hinders the album's invigorating self-empowerment; [...] The album's assorted collaborations range from solid to baffling".[17]

Industry awards

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Awards for Good Morning Gorgeous
Organization Year Award Result Ref.
BET Awards BET Her Award Won [19]
Soul Train Music Awards Album of the Year Nominated [20]
Grammy Awards Album of the Year Nominated [4]
Best R&B Album Nominated

Commercial performance

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In the United States, Good Morning Gorgeous debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 25,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.[21] This became Mary's first album to miss the top-ten on the chart. It also entered at number nine on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Blige's 19th top-ten entry and surpassing Mariah Carey for the second most top-ten titles on the chart.[21]

Track listing

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Good Morning Gorgeous track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."No Idea"
BongoByTheWay2:16
2."Love Will Never"
DJ Camper3:29
3."Here with Me" (featuring Anderson .Paak)
  • Blige
  • Paak
  • Ant Clemons
  • Ebong
Bongo ByTheWay2:19
4."Rent Money" (featuring Dave East)
Bongo ByTheWay3:49
5."Amazing" (featuring DJ Khaled)
  • Khaled
  • Street Runner
  • Azzouz
2:39
6."GMG (Interlude)"  1:11
7."Good Morning Gorgeous"
  • D'Mile
  • H.E.R.
2:54
8."Come See About Me"
  • Blige
  • Donald
  • Clemons
  • Marcelloe Valenzano
  • Andre Christopher Lyon
  • Leon Michels
Cool & Dre3:28
9."On Top" (featuring Fivio Foreign)
Cool & Dre2:47
10."Love Without the Heartbreak"
  • Blige
  • Paak
  • Rogėt Chahayed
  • Alissia Benveniste
  • Paak
  • Rogėt
3:48
11."Failing in Love"
London on da Track3:18
12."Enough"
Cool & Dre3:05
13."Need Love" (featuring Usher)
J. White Did It3:04
Total length:38:07
US Target bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Running" (featuring Ne-Yo)
4:20
Total length:42:27
Deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."No Idea"
  • Blige
  • Paak
  • Ebong
  • Hudson
  • Flores
  • Ponce
Bongo ByTheWay2:16
2."Love Will Never"
  • Blige
  • Donald
  • Ebong
  • Hudson
  • Lewis
DJ Camper3:29
3."Here with Me" (featuring Anderson .Paak)
  • Blige
  • Paak
  • Clemons
  • Ebong
Bongo ByTheWay2:19
4."Rent Money" (featuring Dave East)
  • Blige
  • Butler
  • D'Mile
  • East
  • Combs
  • Kelly
  • Wallace
  • Jones
Bongo ByTheWay3:49
5."Gone Forever" (featuring Remy Ma and DJ Khaled)
3:02
6."Amazing" (featuring DJ Khaled)
  • Blige
  • Andrews
  • Coney
  • Khaled
  • Street Runner
  • Azzouz
  • Cobbs
  • McDaniels
  • Khaled
  • Street Runner
2:39
7."GMG (Interlude)"  1:11
8."Good Morning Gorgeous"
  • Blige
  • D'Mile
  • H.E.R.
  • Brown
  • Thomas
  • D'Mile
  • H.E.R.
2:54
9."Come See About Me"
  • Blige
  • Donald
  • Clemons
  • Valenzano
  • Lyon
  • Michels
Cool & Dre3:28
10."On Top" (featuring Fivio Foreign)
  • Blige
  • Donald
  • Valenzano
  • Lyon
  • Hibbler
  • Hurton
  • Bell
  • Hart
Cool & Dre2:47
11."Tough Love" (featuring Moneybagg Yo)
  • D'Mile
  • DJ Cassidy
4:33
12."Love Without the Heartbreak"
  • Blige
  • Paak
  • Chahayed
  • Benveniste
  • Paak
  • Chahayed
3:48
13."Failing in Love"
London on da Track3:18
14."Enough"
  • Blige
  • Atterberry
  • Valenzano
  • Lyon
  • Skellern
Cool & Dre3:05
15."Need Love" (featuring Usher)
  • Blige
  • Hinshaw
  • White
  • Owens
J. White Did It3:04
16."Running" (featuring Ne-Yo)
  • Blige
  • Smith
  • Dean
  • Altino
  • Swizz Beatz
  • Wonda
4:20
17."Good Morning Gorgeous" (featuring H.E.R.)
  • Blige
  • D'Mile
  • H.E.R.
  • Brown
  • Thomas
  • D'Mile
  • H.E.R.
2:54
18."Rent Money" (featuring Jadakiss and Griselda)
D'Mile4:10
19."Come See About Me" (featuring Fabolous)
  • Blige
  • Donald
  • Clemons
  • Valenzano
  • Lyon
  • Michels
  • John Jackson
  • Cool & Dre
  • M.Bronx
4:24
Total length:61:40

Charts

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Chart performance for Good Morning Gorgeous
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 56
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[23] 24
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[24] 24
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[25] 8
US Billboard 200[26] 14
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[27] 9

References

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  1. ^ Grant, Shawn (January 24, 2022). "Mary J. Blige Taps Usher, Fivio Foreign for 'Good Morning Gorgeous' Album". The Source. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  2. ^ Navjosh (January 22, 2022). "Mary J. Blige Reveals 'Good Morning Gorgeous' Album Tracklist Ft. Anderson .Paak, Usher, Fivio Foreign, More". HipHopNMore. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Abraham, Mya (January 24, 2022). "Mary J. Blige Shares Tracklist From New Album, 'Good Morning Gorgeous'". Vibe. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". GRAMMYs. November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Mary J. Blige Reveals 'Good Morning Gorgeous' Tracklist". Rap-Up. January 21, 2022. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  6. ^ Mary J. Blige – Come See About Me (feat. Fabolous) [Official Video], retrieved July 1, 2022
  7. ^ Mary J. Blige – Gone Forever (feat. Remy Ma & DJ Khaled) [Official Video], January 10, 2024, retrieved January 11, 2024
  8. ^ Armstrong, Sam (December 5, 2021). "Mary J. Blige Releases Two New Singles, 'Good Morning Gorgeous' And 'Amazing'". UDiscoverMusic. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  9. ^ "Mary J. Blige – Rent Money (Feat. Dave East) [Official Video]". YouTube. February 11, 2022.
  10. ^ "BDSRadio Charts". Archived from the original on May 13, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Good Morning Gorgeous by Mary J. Blige Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  12. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Good Morning Gorgeous – Mary J. Blige". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 13, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  13. ^ Christgau, Robert (May 11, 2022). "Consumer Guide: May, 2022". And It Don't Stop. Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via Substack.
  14. ^ Muggs, Joe (February 11, 2022). "Album: Mary J Blige – Good Morning, Gorgeous review – the queen of hip hop soul shows no sign of abdicating". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Murray, Robin (February 14, 2022). "Mary J Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous | Reviews". Clash. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Greenblatt, Leah (February 11, 2022). "Good Morning Gorgeous review: Mary J. Blige brings the love and the pain". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Torres, Eric (February 16, 2022). "Mary J. Blige: Good Morning Gorgeous Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Reeves, Mosi (February 11, 2022). "Mary J. Blige Keeps Challenging Herself on 'Good Morning Gorgeous'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  19. ^ Grein, Paul (June 1, 2022). "2022 BET Awards Nominations: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  20. ^ Seemayer, Zach (October 20, 2022). "BET Soul Train Awards 2022 Nominations: See the Full List | Entertainment Tonight". ET Online. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Anderson, Trevor (February 24, 2022). "Mary J. Blige Thrives on Charts With 'Gorgeous' New Album & Super Bowl Gains". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Mary J Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  23. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  24. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  25. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  26. ^ "Mary J Blige Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  27. ^ "Mary J Blige Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2022.