Mary J. Blige Scores No 1 Again On The Billboard 200 Albums Chart

SANTA MONICA, CA (Geffen Records) - There is no stopping the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul! Mary J. Blige has ascended to the top spot on the Billboard 200 again this week with sales of 118,022. Not content to sit atop just one chart, Mary's single "Be Without You" is currently No 1 at Urban radio and the video for the track is the No 1 most played on BET.

Released on December 20th, "The Breakthrough" rocketed up the Billboard chart to debut at No 1. Massive first week sales of 727,163 earned it the honor of being the best opening week for a solo R&B female artist in SoundScan history. The CD also has the distinction of being the fourth-best debut of all of 2005. "The Breakthrough" has currently sold 1.2 million copies.

Beyond commercial success, the press is unanimous in their praise of the artistry of "The Breakthrough." Vanity Fair raves, " ... she's still the Queen ... " USA Today claims, "Another Blige 'Breakthrough' ... Blige still touches souls ..." People Magazine calls the CD "... one of her most impassioned performances, proving a little drama can go a long way." NY Daily News says Mary, "... wins by finely delivering songs that show how complicated simple joy can be." The Boston Globe hails the CD as "... a start-to-finish triumph."

Mary's six prior platinum and multi-platinum hit albums include such classics, "No More Drama," "What's the 411," "My Life," "Share My World," "Mary" and "Love & Life."