The Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Ms. Mary J. Blige, has just launched her “For My Fans Tour,” featuring special guests NE-YO and Mario. It’s been twenty-seven years since I last saw Mary live. The year was 1998, and she was supporting her third album, “Share My World,” with a tour that included opening acts Usher and Next.
While both openers set the stage on fire, my memories of MJB are less than favorable, and I’ve never paid to see her live again after that tour. However, we will attend the concert since my wife is a die-hard NE-YO fan. Furthermore, after her run on “Power Book II,” I’m open to giving Ms. Blige another chance.
In the spirit of the tour, I want to show some love for “I Don’t Want to Do Anything” (featuring K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci) for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday. Although it was never officially released as a single, “I Don’t Want to Do Anything” has become a staple on nineties R&B Quiet Storm playlists. The song was written and produced by DeVante Swing, a member of Jodeci.
As fans of nineties R&B know, Mary and Kci were dating when the song came out, and you can hear their passion in the track. I Don’t Want To Do Anything Else,” the singers reveal their intense wish to experience love reciprocally. In his Southern soul style, Kci delivers the first verse about his frustration with ineffective communication with his partner. The chorus emphasizes that their lives revolve around love by repeating, “If lovin’ you is all that I have to do, I don’t wanna do anything else.”
Mary J. Blige expresses in the second verse that she performs all actions for her lover yet feels that something essential remains absent. The third verse shows how the couple comes together by expressing their wish to connect through love and mutual commitment. During the bridge section, the performers show their dedication to each other and readiness to do whatever it takes to sustain their relationship. At the same time, the outro confirms their mutual love and devotion.
The tour would be perfect if MJB performed this song and brought out Mario to fill in for Kci on stage. I remain skeptical about that possibility but regularly watch the Uptown Unplugged version uploaded to YouTube. Nevertheless, three decades after the song’s release, “I Don’t Want To Do Anything Else” continues to capture the essence of love’s power and the longing to be close to one’s partner.
Final Grade: A
“I Don’t Want to Do Anything” is available on all streaming platforms.
Aldis Hodge is back on the case as Alex Cross for Season 2 of Prime Video’s “Cross”. Ben Watkins returns as showrunner, with directors including Stacy Muhammad and Craig Siebels.
Civil War dramas often measure valor through cannon fire and cavalry charges. However, “The Gray House*“valuates valor through coded messages, calculated risks, and the steady nerves of women who understood that information could be deadlier than any rifle. This eight-episode limited series reframes the conflict not from the battlefield, but from the drawing rooms of Richmond, where loyalty is performed, and survival depends on silence.
It’s been a month since I finished my first run at Sundance, and I’m finally getting the chance to see some of the films I missed as they began to premiere. One of those films is “In the Blink of an Eye,” which is available on Hulu. The film is directed by Andrew Stanton and written by Colby Day.