Mary J. Blige Releases Seventh Studio Album 'The Breakthrough' On December 20, 2005

SANTA MONICA, CA. (Geffen Records) - Geffen Records will release three-time Grammy Award winner, Mary J. Blige's "The Breakthrough" on December 20, 2005. "The Breakthrough," is the seventh album from Mary and follows on the heels of her six previous hit records (one gold, one platinum, five multi-platinum).

Vanity Fair recently paid the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul her due: "She was anointed the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul even before her boundary-breaking, genre-making debut smash, "What's the 411?" dropped in 1992. That she's still the Queen, 13 years and six studio albums later - despite the best efforts of any number of pretenders to the throne - is testament to the honesty of her voice, at once rough and polished, and to her eye-to-eye confessionals, which capture the despair, heartache, and hope of a still-young woman who knows all too well addiction, depression, abuse, and, finally, love and peace. "With her upcoming album, "The Breakthrough," scheduled for release next month, we can expect more unabashed emotion from a performer who - as she proclaims in the single 'Da MVP' - 'ain't going nowhere.'" This previously unreleased track with be included on the album.

Given the way this record was evolving - the strength of the music, the quality of the songs - Mary, and Geffen, felt an urgency to release the album this year. The first single, 'Be Without U' is a perfect example of the quality and depth of the songs on this album.