25/8 (song)

Background

"25/8" written by Blige, Crystal Johnson, Al Sherrod Lambert, and Eric Hudson, while production was helmed by Blige and Hudson. Conceptualized by Johnson, it was created around its title when she experienced a long wait. She later elaborated: "I think I was leaving some hibachi spot and I think they had a long wait and I was like “ain’t enough hours in a day for this. I’m hungry, I need to eat now.” I kept saying 24/7, 24/7 and I was like what about, what comes after seven, oh yea eight. I literally think like that. So I’m like “25/8”... that sounds like a song. It’s a dope title but what does it mean."

Release and promotion

"25/8" was released to iTunes and Amazon as a digital download on September 1, 2011. Blige performed the song for the first time live on Good Morning America September 2, 2011. Blige also performed "25/8" on Dancing with the Stars October 4, 2011.

Critical reception

While critical reaction toward its parent album My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) was generally mixed, "25/8" was lauded by contemporary music critics. Kanya King, writing for CNN International, felt that "25/8" was "a track that meets all of the criteria of what Mary J. Blige is all about: It's soul meets hip hop with her rough vocals complementing the track. A true great among us and like a fine wine, only gets better with age." Allmusic editor Andy Kellman wrote that "chest-beating pleader “25/8” clearly aims for classic status with a Gamble/Huff sample." In his review for PopMatters, David Masciotra commented that the "feisty orchestral swing of "25/8" is a particular highlight," commending the "great looseness to Blige’s voice, a voice that has always sounded incredibly natural and pure and, in fact, she has never sounded better than on this record."

PopCrush writer Trent Fitzgerald called "25/8" a "beautiful love anthem sounds like a strong R&B hit to our ears with its climatic violins, fluttering flutes and live drums." He compared the song to other Motown era compositions but "was remixed for our modern times." The New York Times found that the unhappiness on "25/8" still "motivates her best work," declared it a "fragile, baleful, speechy [...] upbeat, hip-hop/gospel" track. Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone rated the song three stars out of five, writing that "it's goopy stuff, but it's also far more neck-poppin' fun than Beyoncé's '1+1'." In his review of My Life II, Consequence of Sound editor Siobhán Kane found that while songs like “25/8” "don’t work as well (in the context of her classic record My Life) [...] they do showcase her powerful vocal, which is searing."

Music video

Blige filmed the video for 25/8 in late September 2011. The director of the video is Diane Martel. The video premiered on October 28, 2011.

Track listings

Altino|Nasir Jones|Dennis Coles|Robert Diggs|Gary Grice|Lamont Hawkins|Darryl Hill| Jason Hunter|Russell Jones|Clifford Smith|Elgin Turner|Corey Woods}}

Notes

• denotes additional producer(s)

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1).

• Production – Eric Hudson, Mary J. Blige
• Additional instruments – Ron Fair
• Recording – Danny Cheung
• Recording assistance – Jon Nettlesby
• Mixing – Jaycen Joshua
• Mixing assistance – Jesus Garnica
• Additional Mixing – Peter Mokran, Kendu Isaacs
• Mastering – Dave Kutch

Charts

Release history

References

References

1. Cragg, Michael. (2011-08-30). "New music: Mary J Blige – 25/8 | Music | guardian.co.uk". Guardian.
2. (2011-08-25). "New Music: Mary J. Blige – '25/8'". Rap-Up.com.
3. (2011). "[[My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)]]". [[Geffen Records.
4. Folk, Antwane. (2013-09-09). "INTERVIEW: Crystal Nicole Talks Debut Album, Calls Mary J.Blige Her Musical Soulmate, Transition From Songwriter to Artist". RatedR&B.com.
5. "25/8: Mary J. Blige: MP3 Downloads".
6. (2011-08-31). "Daily Buzz 8.31.11 | Welcome to". S2smagazine.com.
7. 10/3/2011 by TeamIGA. (2011-10-03). "Mary J. Blige : News : Watch Mary J. Blige on Dancing With the Stars October 4th". Interscope.com.
8. King, Kanya. (2011-12-13). "Kanya King: MOBO founder's top 5 pop picks". [[CNN International]].
9. Kellman, Andy. (November 23, 2011). "My Life II...The Journey Continues (Act 1) - Mary J. Blige". [[AllMusic]].
10. Masciotra, David. (December 9, 2011). "As the Spirit Moves Mary: The Life and Art of Mary J. Blige". [[PopMatters]].
11. Fitzgerald, Trent. (2011-08-27). "Mary J. Blige, '25/8′ – Song Review". [[PopCrush]].
12. (2011-11-21). "Rihanna's 'Talk That Talk' Synth-Perfect for an Earlier Time". [[The New York Times]].
13. Ganz, Caryn. (13 September 2011). "Song Review, "25/8"". [[Rolling Stone]].
14. Kane, Siobhán. (2011-10-15). "Mary J. Blige – My Life II… The Journey Continues (Act 1)". [[Consequence of Sound ]].
15. (2011-09-29). "Mary J. Blige Finds 'Mr. Wrong' on Second Single". Rap-Up.com.
16. {{YouTube. hB71kp2aYTM
17. "Mary J. Blige – 25/8". [[Discogs]].
18. (2011). "My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)". [[Geffen Records]].
19. "Digital Chart: 2011 Weeks 40". [[Circle Chart.
20. (2011-09-01). "25/8: Mary J. Blige: MP3 Downloads". Amazon MP3. ([[Amazon.com]]).
21. "Frequency News".
22. "MARY J. BLIGE - 25/8 - Issue 856 - The Music Network".
23. (2011-11-20). "Mary J. Blige: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk.