MUSIC: MARY'S NEW WORLD

Mary J. Blige is looking as fine as she wants to be. The "queen of hip-hop soul" isn't known for upscale glamour; she earned her rep for her edge, her streetiness, her willingness to keep it real. On the cover photo of her 1992 debut album What's the 411?, her face is shrouded in shadow, gangsta-girl tough. Blige, back then, was all about combat boots and leather jackets; she could drink with the best of them, curse with the worst of them. But at a recent photo shoot in a studio in New York City, Blige traded haughtiness for haute couture--her hair was up, her makeup was Cover Girl flawless, and she was wearing a black ankle-length Christina Perrin dress that left one golden-brown shoulder bare.

Blige is ready to step out. Over the past year, she's split from her original producer and mentor, Sean ("Puffy") Combs; left her old record label, Uptown; and re-dedicated herself to spirituality. Her third album, Share My World (MCA), comes out this week, and it's a winner. The 25-year-old singer-songwriter's groundbreaking first album sold 2 million copies; her second, the spottily brilliant My Life, sold 3 million; both spawned countless sound-alikes. The bold but ultimately mercenary ghetto-sex-bomb posturing of rappers Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim, the emotionally blunt crooning of talented teen singer Aaliyah and even the admirably artsy neo-soul stylings of Erykah Badu all have roots in Blige's success. But Blige was the original round-the-way diva; her hard, up-from-the-projects exterior made her raw vocals that much more affecting. Says producer Jimmy Jam, who worked with Blige on World: "People can copy her, but no one can match her emotion."

Share My World shows that Blige deserves a place among pop's premiere female vocalists--Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton. Blige's previous CDs had some charming cuts, including the bighearted Real Love and her show-stopping remake of I'm Goin' Down. Those albums, however, were tailored for hip-hop audiences; Share My World, seems designed to appeal to lovers of the Wu-Tang Clan and Lisa Stansfield alike. The first song, I Can Love You, draws its melody in part from Lil' Kim's crass but compelling song Queen Bitch, but Blige, employing nimble vocals and all-new G-rated lyrics, transforms it into something mellow and moving. The ubiquitous Babyface produced two songs on World, including the apple-sweet Missing You and the mournful Not Gon' Cry (which was also on the Waiting to Exhale sound track), and Blige's oak-dark voice adds shading to his sometimes colorless work. Several other songs, including Everything, Seven Days and Searching, stand out like pure pop gems--expertly cut, with sparkling vocals.