The Tour (album)

The Tour is a live recording album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige, released July 28, 1998. The album was recorded from two shows in Los Angeles at the Universal Amphitheater during her Share My World Tour in 1997-1998 in the U.S.

The Tour
Live album by
Mary J. Blige
ReleasedJuly 28, 1998
RecordedApril 1998
VenueUniversal Amphitheater in Los Angeles
GenreR&B[1]
Length70:31
LabelMCA
ProducerMary J. Blige, Lanar Brantley
Mary J. Blige chronology
Share My World
(1997)		 The Tour
(1998)		 Mary
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[1]
Los Angeles Times[3]
Rolling Stone[4]
The Village VoiceA−[5]

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Jancee Dunn wrote that The Tour "deftly captures the energy and exuberance" of Blige's live shows while calling the singer "a commanding, self-assured performer" who "plays her audience like a damn fiddle".[4] Entertainment Weekly critic Matt Diehl said while the arrangements were occasionally overwrought, Blige compensated with passionate vocals and impressive covers of classic soul songs, "blending motifs into each other like an expert DJ".[1] Robert Christgau deemed the record Blige's "de facto best-of" in The Village Voice;[5] he explained in 2003 why it remained his favorite album of hers:

"Not for its slightly gauche show band, or even for its concentrated song selection and bonus covers. More for its hype man cheerleading like the nameless subaltern he is and the high-pitched cheers he works up; for Mary missing notes, or claiming she's getting fat and then not worrying about it anyway. In this context, deathless nonpoetry like 'I know that I was wrong for all that carrying on/But are you gonna hold it against me?' carries weight."[6]

Chart performance
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[7] 4
US Billboard 200[8] 21

Track listing
  1. "Intro"
  2. "Real Love"
  3. "You Remind Me"
  4. "Reminisce"
  5. "Sweet Thing"
  6. "Mary Jane (All Night Long)"
  7. "Love No Limit"
  8. "Summer Madness"
  9. "My Life"
  10. "You Gotta Believe"
  11. "Slow Down"
  12. "Mary's Joint"
  13. "I'm the Only Woman"
  14. "Share My World"
  15. "I'm Goin' Down"
  16. "Thank You Lord"
  17. "I Can Love You"
  18. "Keep Your Head" (with Dustin Adams)
  19. "Everything"
  20. "Seven Days"
  21. "Not Gon' Cry"
  22. "Missing You"
  23. "Day Dreaming"
  24. "Misty Blue"
  25. "A Dream" (Japanese Bonus Track)

Personnel

References
  1. Entertainment Weekly review
  2. Allmusic review
  3. Johnson, Connie (July 26, 1998). "Record Rack". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  4. Rolling Stone review
  5. Christgau, Robert (September 29, 1998). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  6. Christgau, Robert (September 30, 2003). "The Commoner Queen". The Village Voice. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  7. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3662". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  8. "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
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