from a review on slate.com of the new Mary J Blige CD:
"Toward the end of the album, Blige encounters a heretofore immovable object: Bono. In a live recording from the Hurricane Katrina relief telecast, she joins U2, one of the few acts in the world with a comparable mastery of the grandiose, to perform "One." Bono sings the song's first verse beautifully. Blige then steps forward and steals the song from him completely—swooping, growling, leaping into a supple falsetto and unleashing spiraling melismas—recasting U2's anthem as a troubled sister's condemnation and lament. Bono may have planned to sing another verse; he doesn't bother. What do you call a woman who can storm U2's stage and reduce rock's biggest ego to a shrinking violet? Diva seems too mild a word."
has anyone heard this? or seen the video?
i just downloaded it, and am listening now. it's good, but, damn, i thought i was going to hear the likes of aretha and patti, the way the reviewer was carrying on. perhaps i haven't downloaded the live version. i downloaded the version from the itunes version of the album,
the breakthrough. the song certainly doesn't sound like a live performance. maybe there's a different version on the tangible copy of the album.