What Mary J. wants Mary J. gets, so The Breakthrough has been slotted in ahead of the scheduled greatest hits package, Reminisce, that was planned for the lucrative pre-Christmas slot.

Essentially it follows the format of Love & Life (2003), with a vast array of co-writers, guests and producers, but minus the central figure of her long-time mentor P. Diddy. Combs’s absence goes unnoticed because Mary J. is firmly on top of her game, almost literally in the case of her version of the rapper’s recent Hate It Or Love It, MJB Da MVP. The track is designed as a reminder of her hip-hop diva status but it’s outstretched by the giant R&B superstructures assembled to showcase her powerhouse vocals.

Best of the batch are About You, in which the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am juxtaposes her against a wicked snare beat; the superlush, Raphael Saadiq-produced I Found My Everything; and the impassioned Jay-Z accompanied Can’t Hide From Luv.

When she eventually unveils her monster duet of U2’s One with Bono you know Aretha has finally had to vacate her throne.

Mike Pattenden