At the end of 2005, {$Mary J. Blige}'s career was supposed to be anthologized. The singer had her way, however, and one of her best studio albums came out instead. In retrospect, her previous album, 2003's {^Love & Life}, was awkward; the {$P. Diddy} collaborations, likely intended to recapture the magic the duo put together on {^What's the 411?} and {^My Life}, didn't always pay off, and {$Blige} was about to become a wife, so the songs steeped in heartbreak and disappointment weren't delivered with as much power as they had been in the past. {^The Breakthrough} also contains some of the drama that fans expect, despite {$Blige}'s continued happiness, but it's clear that she has gained enough distance from the uglier parts of her past that she can inhabit them and, once again, deliver those songs. The past does play a significant role in the album, as in {&"Baggage,"} where she apologies to her husband for bringing it into their relationship. {&"Father in You"} sounds like a note-perfect facsimile of a classic {\soul} {\ballad}, rising and falling and twisting with a sensitive string arrangement, but the lyrics are pure {$Blige}, acknowledging the ways in which her husband has made up for the absence of her father. On the nearly anthemic {&"Good Woman Down,"} she sees a less matured version of herself in young women and uses her experiences to advise. She jacks the beat from {$the Game}'s {&"Hate It or Love It"} for {&"MJB da MVP,"} where she reflects on her career, thanks her supporters, and reasserts her rightful position as the {\soul} {\hip-hop} queen. It's one of several tracks to beam with a kind of contentment and confidence that {$Blige} has never before possessed. Take {&"Can't Hide from Love,"} where she's such a force that {$Jay-Z} dishes out a quick introduction and knows to stay out of the way for the remainder of the track, or the glorious {&"I Found My Everything,"} her {&"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."} Beat for beat, the album features the best round of productions {$Blige} has been handed since the mid-'90s. Apart from only a couple lukewarm tracks and a poorly recorded version of {&"One"} with {$U2}, it is completely correct. [This international edition of the album adds a surprisingly mediocre bonus track co-written with {$Raphael Saadiq} and {$Teedra Moses}.] ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide