Mary J. Blige HERstory Vol. 1 2LP

Since her debut establishing her as queen of '90s R&B, Mary J. Blige has reigned as a trailblazer and an icon, proving that she could be as tough as the bad boys but with a fathoms-deep emotional reservoir of soul that touched hearts. Now comes a collection of her epoch-defining '90s original hits and remixes. HERstory, Vol. 1 deep dives into the instantly recognizable jams, showcasing them as the definitive anthems they have always been. Features include Notorious BIG, Craig Mack and Puffy.

From her solo 1992 hit "You Remind Me" to the 1993 remix of "What's The 411" featuring K-Ci (of K-Ci and JoJo) and the Notorious B.I.G., HERstory, Vol. 1 tells the story of Blige as she first established herself as a tour de force of '90s R&B.

R&B queen Mary J. Blige has been celebrated in compilation form before, most recently in 2006 with Reflections (A Retrospective), a collection that pulled together singles from throughout her discography. This new double disc set homes in on her '90s work, with special emphasis on the versions of these tunes that would dominate urban radio at the time. That means the remix of 'Real Love' that boasted a verse from the Notorious B.I.G., the unstoppable version of 'I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By' where she trades off with Method Man, and even her appearance on Jay-Z's 'Can't Knock The Hustle' for good measure. In other words, it's a party starter. Seeing as these were originally recorded during the peak CD era, though, these digital files do not survive the transfer to this analog format unscathed. With the right sound system, these tunes can shake off its swampiness and get close to their hip-shaking glory.