вЂњIt sounded like something that needed to be more uplifting than, вЂWoe is meвЂ™. This is making my body move, and IвЂ™m having fun,вЂ™ вЂќ says Blige. вЂњWhen I heard the beat, I was like, вЂOK, this is hot. That might take a lifetime, but thatвЂ™s where IвЂ™m headed.вЂќД¬ollaborating with Stewart, the Dream and Jazze Pha on вЂњJust FineвЂќ helped set the tone. This is just the work to get to that part-where nothing bothers you and nothing is stressing you out,вЂќ says Blige, who also gets help from rapper Ludacris on вЂњGrown WomanвЂќ and adopts her strident Brook-Lynn alter ego on the track вЂњNowhere Fast.вЂќ вЂњThatвЂ™s where IвЂ™m headed and thatвЂ™s where I am, but thereвЂ™s a whole other level of that that I have to get to.

As she sings in вЂњJust FineвЂќ: вЂњNo time for moping around, are you kidding?/No time for negative vibes, вЂ™cause IвЂ™m winning.вЂќ ItвЂ™s been a hard-fought battle, through well-chronicled personal travails in romance and substance addictions, and coming out victorious has been an adjustment.

Now youвЂ™re forced to rapidly grow up in this area in order to achieve and get the things you want.вЂ™ вЂњДЇeaturing collaborations with Ne-Yo (who wrote the track вЂњFade AwayвЂќ from a poem by Blige), Timbaland, Akon, the Dream and Tricky Stewart (the team behind RihannaвЂ™s вЂњUmbrellaвЂќ), Bryan-Michael Cox and the Clutch, among others, вЂњGrowing PainsвЂќ finds Blige coming to terms with her success, particularly in the wake of the last albumвЂ™s three Grammy Award wins. She says, вЂњI started out with this concept of growing pains because thatвЂ™s how I was feeling during the Grammys: вЂAm I good enough for this do I really deserve all this in my life?вЂ™ But something in my head said, вЂYes, you are. The Bronx-born singer/songwriterвЂ™s ninth album is already stirring things up with the uptempo вЂњJust Fine.вЂќ But as far as Blige is concerned, the music is the key component in maintaining that success. 18 via Geffen, it started in late September with the online release of the single вЂњJust Fine.вЂќ In October and November, Blige completed a whirlwind international promo tour to get audiences ready, and just before Thanksgiving, another new song began appearing in an Apple ad for iTunes and iPod. Even last yearвЂ™s вЂњReflections-A RetrospectiveвЂќ opened in the top 10.ДЇor вЂњGrowing Pains,вЂќ due Dec. Her last two studio albums, 2003вЂ™s вЂњLove & LifeвЂќ and 2005вЂ™s вЂњThe Breakthrough,вЂќ debuted at No.

ThatвЂ™s because Blige, anointed вЂњthe Queen of Hip-Hop SoulвЂќ in 1992, is on a 15-year multiplatinum run as one of the most electric performers in the urban world, with a wide-ranging crossover base that straddles the R&B, hip-hop, pop and even AC markets.

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