I recently just did this same post on RYM and got a bunch of interesting responses/got reminded of some shit I left off, so I figured I would take it to the lesson as well

So the other night I got bored and made this:

http://rateyourmusic.com/list/Kosa12/a_great_run_of_albums

which is pretty much a list of artists that have released 4 great albums in a row, so the point of me making this post is so people can list off artists that have great 4 album runs, like to me that would be...De La Soul, Eric B & Rakim, Bjork etc

Scarface's 1st 4 albums
Redman's 1st 4 albums
Kanye West's 1st 4 albums (808's And Heatbreak, was cool to me, *shurgs*)
Masta Ace's 1st 4 albums
UGK's 1st 4 albums (Dirty Money is slept on!)

underrated as hell

no Hip Hop artist or group has released 5 great albums in a row, most don't have 5 great albums period

>no Hip Hop artist or group has released 5 great albums in a
>row, most don't have 5 great albums period

36
Tical
Return to 36
Cuban Linx
Liquid Swords
Ironman

I'm sure some will say either Tical or Return isn't great and you could argue RZA only produced but either way, that run is impressive.

But if you give it to RZA your have to give it to Primo by adding in Sun Rises, Living Proof, and Wrath.

I mean solo artists/groups strictly
if we go with producers you're talking guys with 7 or 8 deep with no problem

.

kanye easily made a great four album run, to me.

he was so close to having that 4 album run, just eliminate that shit and put in some imaginary album as good as LR, CD or MBDTF.....lol

To me, that's his best release by far.

www.djjedi.podomatic.com
www.facebook.com/DJJediMusic
www.twitter.com/DJJedi

I was really hyped for it too, like ok he just dropped CD and LR, what is this dude gonna do next?!

Really dissapointing

I feel like he regressed lyrically and from a production stand point as well on that album. MBDTF, CD, and LR are WAY better IMO

Dark Side Of The Moon
Wish You Were Here
Animals
The Wall

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS
The Captain And Me
What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
Stampede
Takin' It To The Streets

LED ZEPPELIN
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin III
(untitled 4th album)
Houses Of The Holy
or for those who prefer their first album, remove Houses Of The Holy

EARTH WIND & FIRE
Head To The Sky
Open Our Eyes
That's The Way Of The World
Spirit
or remove HEAD TO THE SKY and place ALL'N'ALL below Spirit

THE WHO
My Generation
A Quick One
The Who Sell Out
Tommy

WAR
All Day Music
The World Is A Ghetto
Deliver The Word
Why Can't We Be Friends

FUNKADELIC
Funkadelic
Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow
Maggot Brain
America Eats Its Young

IRON MAIDEN
The Number Of The Beast
Piece Of Mind
Powerslave
Somewhere In Time
(although SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SONG is a great album too)


BLACK SABBATH
Black Sabbath
Paranoid
Master Of Reality
Vol. 4


BIZ MARKIE
Goin' All
The Biz Never Sleeps
I Need A Haircut
All Samples Cleared


HERBIE HANCOCK could go a few ways:
Crossings
Sextant
Head Hunters
Death Wish (a soundtrack, but worthy of this list)

or

Head Hunters
Thrust
Man-Child
Flood


GEORGE BENSON
Breezin'
In Flight
Livin' Inside Your Love
Give Me The Night

Just this list alone, the transformation of someone who was on the inner side of jazz guitar to someone who would become a pop hit sensation. Boom.









THE HOME OF BOOK-NESS:
http://www.thisisbooksmusic.com/
http://twitter.com/thisisjohnbook
http://www.facebook.com/book1


http://i32.tinypic.com/kbewp4.gif
http://i50.tinypic.com/hvqi4w.jpg

Diverse, couple acts on there I need to dig into more (esp. your Brazilian stuff)

A few I'd add off the top:
Elton John:
- you could run it a couple of different ways, but I'd probably do Tumbleweed Connection/11-17-70/Madman/Honky Chateau ... Madman/Honky/Don't Shoot Me/Goodbye Yellow is a good contender, too, although DSM has a bit too much filler to be considered "great"

Prince is an obvious one, pick your run of choice

That recent Randy Newman post has me listening to him again, he's got four easy (Randy Newman/12 Songs/Sail Away/Good Old Boys)

David Bowie - again, hard to choose, but I'd say Diamond Dogs/Young Americans/Station to Station/Low

Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes/Under the Pink/Boys for Pele/From the Choirgirl Hotel

Sly and the Family Stone (Stand!/There's a Riot/Fresh/Small Talk)

Nina Simone (hard to choose, but her RCA run that's included in the boxset is stellar)

More recently:
Gillian Welch (five albums, all solid - yes, even Soul Journey, which I know a lot of folks don't like)

Fiona Apple

Neko Case (Furnace Room Lullaby/Blacklisted/The Tigers Have Spoken/Fox Confessor)

You took a lot of the folks I would list right away though - haven't looked at rateyourmusic before, need to check it out

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I really need to get on that....

That RCA set is well worth the money - only 50 bucks for nine original albums, and they're all pretty wonderful. It's bare bones packaging, but you can find relevant info online and save the extra dough for finding Nina at the record store... I think popmarket has featured it once or twice, too, so you might be able to get it for less there if you keep an open eye


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

the thing is i think the trouble man soundtrack holds it back a little bit, but I think I might include that run anyway

the last one wasn't good.

It's easily the album of hers I've listened to the least. But it's not bad by any means.
______________________________________________________________________________

cscpov.blogspot.com

"There's a fine line between persistence and foolishness..."
-unknown

"To Each His Reach"

The Bends
Ok Computer
Kid A
Amnesiac

Sonic Youth had a good run from EVOL to Goo.

First four Black Sabbath albums are classics.

Fleetwood's run from Rumours to Tango in the Night.

Rumours is their crowing achievement but the three albums that followed were really great in my opinion.

From Mariah Carey to Daydream.

Everybody Knows This is Nowhere - Zuma is pretty unfuckwitable

Donny Hathaway, Aretha Franklin, Gap Band, Ice Cube, LL COOL J,DJ Quik, Heavy D and the Boyz, Steely Dan, Bee Gees.

I agree with this list! I personally say Tribe Called Quest as well...

some interesting stuff on the list in your link

cant remember if any of these below were on your list, but some easy ones that come to mind for me right away without thinking too hard are the ones below. (note: i've list JUST FOUR album runs, but IMO some of the artists** below's 'runs' continued beyond/started before the four i've listed, but with the "4" theme of the post, i've tried to pick the 4 that came to mind first....


Prince**:
Prince
Dirty Mind
Controversy
1999

Earth, Wind & Fire
Thats The Way Of The World
Spirit
All N All
I Am

Marvin Gaye**:
What's Going On
Trouble Man
Let's Get It On
I Want You

Teena Marie
Lady T
Irons in the Fire
It Must Be Magic
Robbery

Sade:
Diamond Life
Promise
Stronger Than Pride
Love Deluxe

The Police:
Reggatta de Blanc
Zenyatta Mondatta
Ghost in the Machine
Synchronicity

Rufus Featuring Chaka
Rags to Rufus
Rufusized
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
Ask Rufus

Meshell Ndegeocello**:
Plantation Lullabies
Peace Beyond Passion
Bitter
Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape

Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin****:

I only have a greatest hits

I'll pull the age card so people don't laugh at me though

>I only have a greatest hits
>
>I'll pull the age card so people don't laugh at me though

no laughing here, i say we're never too old or too young to get hip to some new or old stuff....

Sade came outta the gate solidly with Diamond life, but in my mind REALLY hit their groove in the the next 3....

Promise
Stronger Than Pride
Love Deluxe

i worked at a record store (yes they used to have those :)..when 'Promise' & 'Stronger than Pride' came out, and i would CONSTANTLY CRANK those two on the great soundsystem the store had....man those albums sound fantastic at full blast on a system with a good well balanced bass ....

>some interesting stuff on the list in your link
>
>cant remember if any of these below were on your list, but
>some easy ones that come to mind for me right away without
>thinking too hard are the ones below. (note: i've list JUST
>FOUR album runs, but IMO some of the artists** below's 'runs'
>continued beyond/started before the four i've listed, but with
>the "4" theme of the post, i've tried to pick the 4 that came
>to mind first....
>
>
>Prince**:
>Prince
>Dirty Mind
>Controversy
>1999
>
>Earth, Wind & Fire
>Thats The Way Of The World
>Spirit
>All N All
>I Am
>
>Marvin Gaye**:
>What's Going On
>Trouble Man
>Let's Get It On
>I Want You
>
>Teena Marie
>Lady T
>Irons in the Fire
>It Must Be Magic
>Robbery
>
>Sade:
>Diamond Life
>Promise
>Stronger Than Pride
>Love Deluxe
>
>The Police:
>Reggatta de Blanc
>Zenyatta Mondatta
>Ghost in the Machine
>Synchronicity
>
>Rufus Featuring Chaka
>Rags to Rufus
>Rufusized
>Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
>Ask Rufus
>
>Meshell Ndegeocello**:
>Plantation Lullabies
>Peace Beyond Passion
>Bitter
>Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape
>
>Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin****:

was looking at my ipod so, outside of the most obvious artists that others have already listed (ala Stevie, Zeppelin, Al Green, JB, etc) i thought i'd throw a few more out there that i came across while i was listening to my ipod doing yardwork....

Billy Joel:
Turnstiles
The Stranger
52nd Street
Glass Houses

Cameo:
Cameosis
Feel Me
Knights of the Sound Table
Alligator Woman

Peter Gabriel (one of my favorites) & Elvis Costello also had some really strong runs that probably achieved or came pretty damn close to achieving 4 album in a row gems too....but unfortunately in both cases there was an album in the MIDDLE of a run that i myself hadn't heard yet, so i felt i couldn't definitively call it a 4 album run without having experienced 1 of the 4 records...but still wanted to mention them both in the discussion just the same....

Awesome mix of genres. Gonna listen to the Brazilian stuff all day. Good stuff.

what other rappers first 4 releases are fucking with that?

go ahead, ill wait.

the first 3 classics and then blackout

edit: I'm dumb El Nino came before blackout and I havent heard that album, I'll just listen to that and if I like it, he gets in, because the strength of the 1st three is undeniable

they come to mind

obviously great choices, I'm just interested in what 4 albums in a row you rollin with, to see if its different than mine/if i have heard the ones you pick

Coltrane from 61-66 especially after he left Miles. he found his tone and groove.

Miles for me 66-70 and I will get back on that.

Miles: In a Silent way might be my favorite miles davis album, I've heard all the albums in this run, all dope, Neferiti is another stand out record to me from this run and of course you have bitches brew at the end

Coltrane: I've heard most of the studio stuff from this time too, stand outs being My Favorite things and Africa/Brass and obviously Live At The Villague Vanguard (I have the box set, dope as hell). That Duke Ellington and John Coltrane record is amazing...impressions...a love supreme.....just overall amazing shit

it goes from album runs, to time on a label

http://lightintheattic.net/artists/481-marcos-valle

^these 4 albums

why his run gets overlooked is a amazing however its their

that is a hell of a run

because I haven't heard the last two records since I was like......a snot nosed kid.....

a relistening probably needs to be done

oops

i'm really just comparing it to other MJ albums... i'd say it's a pretty great album compared to the field though

Between "Top Dogg" and "R&G"....they were all at least 7.5/10 to me, with the first two being 8.5.

Doe Or Die
Pieces Of A Man
9 Lives
Aziatic
AWOL
The Format

Lol

really.

>really.

And if I give my honest ratings of those albums he would be in that group

Doe Or Die - 9
Piece of a Man - 7.5
9 Live - 7.25
Aziatic - 8
AWOL - 7
The Format - 7

though I can't even remember why.....

Truth be told, I liked it better than Stillmatic and Blueprint.

Stillmatic I was 50/50 on and actually like it more now.

Blueprint I liked but I didn't love everything about it.

Aziatic to me, when it dropped, was just such a fresh vibe to see AZ on when compared to his previous two albums.

Once Again
A+ Performance
Wanna Be There
The Essence
Fan Mail
Paradise
I'm Back
Hustler
Rebirth
Doing Me

All those joints are quality and then I actually didn't mind the commercial joints because I felt he hit the mark and was still rhyming his ass off.

From top to bottom A is a zone though.

Fan Mail and Paradise are just too raw

From Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik to Stankonia. Five if you wanna count "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below".



Since 1976

Stankonia has a messy tracklisting and the double is overrated in every way possible

is actually cool with me because of the BREADTH and ambition of that album... i think the pace is about right for a straight-through listen...i think it seems unbalanced and too jumbled when you pull it on casually... but it seems that each section of the album knows what it's doing and guides you through the chaos.. imo at least..

but for an album experience it hurts the end result
I see what you're saying though and I agree, it seems to be broken up into quarters sonically

My Aim is True to Get Happy

Swordfishtrombones to Bone Machine

Something Else to Lola (really 5 including Face to Face)

Alligator, Boxer, High Violet, and Trouble Will Find Me.

The National have really been in top form for a while, I've enjoyed all of those albums

Dope list, MANE.....

Run DMC
King of Rock
Raising Hell
Tougher Than Leather

People Under The Stairs
The Next Step
Question In The Form of An Answer
OST
Or Stay Tuned
Stepfather
Fun DMC
Carried Away

really slept on band in here IMO

I've heard two of these and they are dope

Music For The Masses / Violator / Songs of Faith & Devotion / Ultra

CTA
II
III
V

West Coast underground heads might appreciate these 4-album runs:

Abstract Rude / Tribe Unique:
Mood Pieces - 1997
South Central Thynk Taynk - 1998
PAINT - 2001
Showtyme - 2003

The Grouch:
Success is Destiny - 1997
F#ck the Dumb - 1998
Making Perfect Sense - 1999
Crusader for Justice - 2003

could you post up some standout tracks?

Some ATU (Abstract Rude) faves (but there are so many):

http://youtu.be/DgMvNecANL0

http://youtu.be/iY1v8V6VCZs

http://youtu.be/5D6eL77TWHc

http://youtu.be/3hUFqQzqmy8

on the first one right now. sounds pretty dope. thanks

Again, discography is deep, but here are a few:

http://youtu.be/mqRxfuifxGs

http://youtu.be/_bsuzHOqJ6Y

http://youtu.be/tLQ964yhbp8

http://youtu.be/dxhAAnKVIrU

thanks again

Radiohead, Lambchop (8-album run), Prince..

Do You Want More
Illadelph Halflife
Things Fall Apart
Phrenology

And that doesn't even include their best album!

What's their best album then?

At lease so far

they are one of the first people i thought of

I'd also throw in the run of

Game Theory
Rising Down
HIGO
Undun

I love all four of those albums every bit as much as the DYWM-Phren run.

But HIGO is also my favorite Roots album (any group for that matter), so I'm a bit biased.

all dope albums, in fact I might like all of those more than phrenology

Their first album was actually 'Organix'. So that list is actually #2 through #5

But hell yeah, they also have the four run, easy.

EDIT::::::;

I thought this post was specifically talking first four albums, sorry

License to Ill
Paul's Boutique
Check Your Head
Ill Communication

I'll add them right away

edit: oh I see that I didn't have them added because I haven't even rated Licensed to Ill on RYM which means I haven't heard it in forever. I'll relisten to it then add them

I actually made the Beastie Boys poll based on this thread but never added them here

..

Minnie Riperton (Come To My Garden - Stay In Love)
Marcos Valle (Marcos Valle-Previs�o Do Tempo)
John McLaughlin (based on his work on miles fusion stuff In A Silent Way - Live-Evil)
Sly & The Family Stone (Life - Fresh)
Love (Da Capo - Out Here)

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

Resurrection (10)
One Day It'll All Make Sense (9)
Like Water for Chocolate (10)
Electric Circus (7.5)

Gave it a listen on Monday. I forgot how many songs that album has that I love. I think LWFC and Resurrection have Common at his best but the type of songs he made on One Day are the type that stay with you. He might also get cancelled for some of the conservative lyrics if he dropped them today lol

I know a lot of people didn't like Electric Circus but I always did and I think it has aged well. There are songs on it I don't like but I still think of it as a good/great album.

We should definitely rate his albums at some point.

>Gave it a listen on Monday. I forgot how many songs that
>album has that I love. I think LWFC and Resurrection have
>Common at his best but the type of songs he made on One Day
>are the type that stay with you.

I think you hit it on the head. IMO he was at his peak lyricism on One Day, one step above Resurrection, even if it's not *quite* as potent as an overall product as Resurrection was. I just think he'd hit a stride that not many MCs ever hit. His flow, his cadence, his wordplay .. he was on one on that album.

And I agree re: the songs that stick with you. I think the whole presentation of the album really played a part in that. i.e. Derek (sp), his longtime manager, writing about all the personal shit Common was going thru during the making of One Day .. that contributed to the content and the overall tone of his lyrics and album. And the sense of urgency he was displaying within his lyricism. Just made for some beautiful and timeless music.


>He might also get cancelled
>for some of the conservative lyrics if he dropped them today
>lol

?? not sure I know what you're referencing here ?! Haha.


>I know a lot of people didn't like Electric Circus but I
>always did and I think it has aged well. There are songs on it
>I don't like but I still think of it as a good/great album.

Yea agreed. It's definitely imperfect, but most concept/experimental albums are. I could do without 2 or 3 songs but like ODIAMS, he was on another level lyrically. It was clear he was really hungry to spit again after the success of LWFC, an album where IMO he toned down some of his traditional "lyricism," as it were, in the service of grooves and melody ("Funky for You" comes to mind. Great song, but he didn't exactly spit fire on that track .. just grooved w/the beat). And I agree with you re: EC aging well. Concept/experimental albums that are well planned out often age better than they're received at first. This is no exception. I still listen to many songs from this album often.


>We should definitely rate his albums at some point.

I agree ! I'll have a hard time with it. Even had a hard time rating the 4 albums above. For example I want to give One Day a 10 lol.

Retrospect for Life is basically a pro life song but obviously with much more nuance and very relatable. I think it's a song that focuses on the subject in such a good way. I could see someone nitpick certain lines take them out of context and claim that's he's anti women's rights lol I think a more fair summary of the song is that it's a tough decision that people don't and shouldn't take lightly. I don't at all think he's saying that women shouldn't have a choice but I can see someone twist it that way.

I think Common's albums from Res to EC are on my list of albums I can't live without. I don't know how big that list is but they are on it. Be is right there too but for me it has the least replay value of those 5.

I picked up Can I Borrow a Dollar over the weekend. I haven't gone back to it in years. Hopefully I enjoy it more than I remember lol

I think his post Finding Forever albums will be difficult to revisit but I don't think there's anything horrible. The Nas discog was hard to go through because of how many albums he has and many of them being mid. I'm thinking Common's will be a bit better.

>Retrospect for Life is basically a pro life song but
>obviously with much more nuance and very relatable. I think
>it's a song that focuses on the subject in such a good way. I
>could see someone nitpick certain lines take them out of
>context and claim that's he's anti women's rights lol I think
>a more fair summary of the song is that it's a tough decision
>that people don't and shouldn't take lightly. I don't at all
>think he's saying that women shouldn't have a choice but I can
>see someone twist it that way.

Normal humans with brains wouldn't really be able to pick it apart considering the context. But Faux "News" tried to paint Common as an "advocate for killing cops" cuz of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LssFolrpiD4

... so as we know anything's possible with those idiots lol.


>I think Common's albums from Res to EC are on my list of
>albums I can't live without. I don't know how big that list is
>but they are on it. Be is right there too but for me it has
>the least replay value of those 5.

Yea same here, he's my all time fave MC cuz of that run (and including Borrow a Dollar & Be) so they'd naturally be on my list as well haha.


>I picked up Can I Borrow a Dollar over the weekend. I haven't
>gone back to it in years. Hopefully I enjoy it more than I
>remember lol

It's imperfect but it has some really, really great and important Common moments. Signs of what was to come. Take It EZ, Blows to the Temple, Penny for My Thoughts, Nick of Rhyme, Soul by the Pound (remix especially), etc. It's def pretty goofy in parts (which Kanye famously pointed out in a freestyle radio battle he had vs Common in the late 90s) but has some really bright spots, too.


>I think his post Finding Forever albums will be difficult to
>revisit but I don't think there's anything horrible. The Nas
>discog was hard to go through because of how many albums he
>has and many of them being mid. I'm thinking Common's will be
>a bit better.

They're hit and miss but I think there's a lot more good than bad. I think what happened with Common, as happens with a lot of our heroes after they've been around for a while, is just that he ran out of things to say that were "new" and we moved on a bit. Also it's hard to live up to the expectations he himself set with the above-referenced run of albums, so if he's pushing the same (albeit, important and good) messages he was during that run, but the product isn't at the same level of quality, why wouldn't we just go back to the classics to hear the same messaging only delivered better ?

So while I have an affinity for a lot of his post-Be output, I can't lie and act like most or any of it is on par with his classic works.

But I'd argue that Dreamer/Believer (despite the dumb title) is really, really good, and that Black America Again is his best album since Be. Otherwise, his albums have been what CIBAD was: imperfect albums with a lot of bright spots.

I admit it was around the time of its release so I haven't heard it in years. But I remember he was playing with his flow and cadence again.
It gave me a bit of Resurrection vibes on the emcee end.
Did NoID do the beats? I don't remember.

I'll have to check it out again.

I loved One Day in the early 00s. But I remember running Common albums pre Dreamer / Believer to get in the mood for that release and the One Day production felt lacking and didn't age well to me. I should try it again and see how I feel now.


I've checked in with Common post Dreamer / Believer but found myself just skimming through. I don't remember anything really hitting me like that since D / B.

>I admit it was around the time of its release so I haven't
>heard it in years. But I remember he was playing with his
>flow and cadence again.
>It gave me a bit of Resurrection vibes on the emcee end.
>Did NoID do the beats? I don't remember.

He def came back hungrier on that album. Think I remember them both saying in interviews that they were challenging eachother in their advanced hip-hop ages. That was the album with "Ghetto Dreams" on it; that song alone tells the story haha.


>I loved One Day in the early 00s. But I remember running
>Common albums pre Dreamer / Believer to get in the mood for
>that release and the One Day production felt lacking and
>didn't age well to me. I should try it again and see how I
>feel now.

I can see that but I just love the production personally. Invocation is one of the best beats ever made.


>I've checked in with Common post Dreamer / Believer but found
>myself just skimming through. I don't remember anything
>really hitting me like that since D / B.

You didn't like Black America Again ? I thought that album was tough. Really hit hard for me.

And you can do multiple 4 album runs with him. Start with his first solo. Start with Last of A Dying Breed. Start with The Fix. All you have to do is work around “My Homies”, which I’m not even sure should really count.

Most consistent run out of anybody, IMO.

Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You through Deathfame is all great.

If you count the joint album with Jean Grae, that makes 5.

Stevie Wonder:
Talking Book (1972)
Innervisions (1973)
Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974)
Songs in the Key of Life (1976)

Prince:
Dirty Mind (1980)
Controversy (1981)
1999 (1982)
Purple Rain (1984)

The Cure:
The Head on the Door (1985)
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987)
Disintegration (1989)
Wish (1992)

Sonic Youth:
EVOL (1986)
Sister (1987)
Daydream Nation (1988)
Goo (1990)

De La Soul:
3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
Buhloone Mindstate (1993)
Stakes Is High (1996)

Gang Starr:
Step in the Arena (1991)
Daily Operation (1992)
Hard to Earn (1994)
Moment of Truth (1998)

OutKast:
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994)
ATLiens (1996)
Aquemini (1998)
Stankonia (2000)

Radiohead:
The Bends (1995)
OK Computer (1997)
Kid A (2000)
Amnesiac (2001)

Whats the 411
My Life
Share My World
Mary

I think the argument falters a bit with Mary. While not quite to the standard as the first 3, it's a solid album.

Personally, I might like a song here and here, but I don't acknowledge any full albums post-Mary. When I think of Mary J Blige I'm strictly 90's only

>Whats the 411
>My Life
>Share My World
>Mary
>
>I think the argument falters a bit with Mary. While not quite
>to the standard as the first 3, it's a solid album.

Agreed with all this. And Mary is good enough to qualify her IMO - it’s a very good album in its own right IMO.

>Personally, I might like a song here and here, but I don't
>acknowledge any full albums post-Mary. When I think of Mary J
>Blige I'm strictly 90's only

I mostly agree, but to me “The Breakthrough” had its high points.