Mary J. Blige is thriving at R&B radio. Following the release of Blige’s 15th album, Good Morning Gorgeous, the lead single and title track peaks at No. 1 at R&B radio this week. It has earned 11.8 million audience impressions.
The D’Mile-produced track is Blige’s first ruler on this chart since 2017’s “U + Me (Love Lesson).”
In an interview with Rated R&B, Mary J. Blige’s A&R Eddie Fourcell recalled the studio session for “Good Morning Gorgeous.”
“That was probably, of my career working, the fastest written record ever,” he explained.
“There was a purpose and an intention in that session, and everyone was professionally a great musician. It was no playing around. H.E.R. on the bass, Lucky [Daye] on the melodies, and Tiara [Thomas] helping out. It was just so magical. It came about in literally two hours.”
At urban radio, “Good Morning Gorgeous” nets a top 40 entry for Blige, making her the only artist of her generation at the moment to achieve this notable chart feat.
She last had a strong presence on that format in 2016 with “Thick of It,” which eventually, with the help of its heavy spins, zoomed to No. 5 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.
“Good Morning Gorgeous” is currently Blige’s sixth most-played song on Spotify, surpassing two million streams.
As for the album itself, other tracks leave an impression, such as the drill-influenced “On Top” featuring Fivio Foreign and “Here With Me” featuring Anderson .Paak.
Usher, DJ Khaled and Dave East also appear on the album. The latter artist is featured on “Rent Money,” which was the third track released ahead of the album. Blige released an accompanying music video on the same day as the album’s release.
Those who can get their hands on a Target exclusive version, expect to hear a Ne-Yo collaboration titled “Running.”
Details on that limited-edition CD are available here, along with info on where to find merch and tickets for upcoming shows associated with this album era.
This Sunday, Blige will take the stage at the Super Bowl LVI Pepsi halftime show in Inglewood, California, to perform alongside Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and Snoop Dogg.
