The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame long since stretched the definition of “rock and roll” to include other genres, especially hip-hop and R&B, which often draws scorn from rock purists, myself included (Janet Jackson? Really?) Mary J. Blige, though, is OK by me, because unlike last year’s honoree Dolly Parton, she has at least one undeniably rock song in her catalog.
Blige first sang “One” when she joined U2 on stage at a New York concert in 2005. They subsequently recorded it together, and she featured it on her 2006 LP “The Breakthrough.” As a single it barely eked into the Hot 100 in the U.S. but reached No. 2 in the UK.
