My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) Review

Judged on its own the album is decent. 25/8 is a strong opener with real drive, Mr. Wrong has a good hook even if the guest verse is thin, and the Rick Ross feature on Why gives her something to push against. The singing, as ever, is beyond reproach. The trouble is the framing. Invoking My Life invites a comparison with an album that was made by a woman in crisis writing without a filter, and this one is a professionally assembled set of songs about relationships by a comfortable superstar with a large roster of producers.

The gap is not close. It is also long, seventeen tracks with interludes that gesture at a narrative the songs do not actually tell. There is craft here and there are two or three cuts worth keeping. There is no reason for the name, and the name is the first thing anyone notices.