The R&B radio audience has a new Mary J. Blige single to embrace from her most recent album Good Morning Gorgeous. Blige’s duet with Anderson .Paak, “Here With Me,” is the next focus track at radio, Rated R&B reports.
The summer jam, produced by Bongo ByTheWay, includes writing credit from Blige, .Paak, and Ant Clemons, has earned Blige a new top 40 entry on R&B radio.
Like many of the songs from Good Morning Gorgeous, “Here With Me” is under three minutes. When asked about the reduced length of tracks, Blige’s A&R Eddie Fourcell explained to Rated R&B how .Paak’s previous work attributed to this method of creating.
“Anderson makes records like that. One of my favorite releases from Anderson is NxWorries, the project that he did with Knxwledge,” Fourcell said. “Those songs are like one minute and a half going into the next two minutes. It’s because it’s more of a feeling and a vibe. So I think he brought that to this party and inspired it. ”
.Paak, one-half of Silk Sonic, co-wrote and produced several other songs for Blige’s post-divorce album. He contributed “Love Without The Heartbreak,” one of the standouts from Good Morning Gorgeous. Fourcell told Rated R&B why he was excited for fans to hear this B-side-inspired song.
“I love seeing her and Anderson work in the studio because it’s literally magic,” said Fourcell.
He continued discussing the song itself, “It was just built for ad-libbing, expressing and cursing. It’s talking about all the things you would do differently when you were in love back then. It’s reflective. Being a Mary fan, you want to hear her talk like that — being real, being vulnerable, [and] not holding back. The production and Anderson is crazy on there.”
Released under Blige’s new deal with 300 Entertainment, in partnership with her imprint Mary J. Blige Productions, Inc., Good Morning Gorgeous produced a hit single in the D’Mile-produced title track. In February, it logged Blige’s seventh chart-topper on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart.
Earlier this month, Blige re-issued Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe) with new songs, including those that featured guest spots from H.E.R., Remy Ma, Ne-Yo, Moneybagg Yo, and more.
On May 15, Blige will accept the Icon Award at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, where she’ll also hit the stage for a performance. Hosted by Sean “Diddy” Combs, the ceremony airs live at 8 p.m. EST on NBC and Peacock.
Fresh off the heels of her successful Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit, Blige will remain on the promotional trail when she headlines the Roots Picnic and Florida Funk Fest in June.