All That I Can Say


"All That I Can Say" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was composed by fellow R&B singer and close friend Lauryn Hill, who also sang backing vocals, for Blige's fifth studio album Mary. Released as the album's lead single, it became a moderate commercial success in both the United States and United Kingdom, peaking at numbers forty-four and twenty-nine, respectively.
Blige garnered her sixth Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 42nd Grammy Awards. Blige performed the song live in addition to an impromptu appearance by Hill who performed a rap on the first incarnation of The Queen Latifah Show in September 1999. She also performed the song on Top of the Pops, and her performance was shown the week "All That I Can Say" charted.

Critical reception

from Billboard wrote that the song "demonstrates yet another formidable step forward in the career path of this fly girl gone sophisticate." He noted that Blige is "in good hands with this dreamy, '70s-based jazz/funk smash" and that she is "sounding as sharp as cut glass, with a smattering of scatting and just enough grit to define the artist's signature edge in this classy number." He also described the track as "spirited, joyful, retro, and yet right on the edge, sounding like nothing she's delivered before". The Daily Vault's Mark Millan stated in his review of Mary, that "All That I Can Say" "gets things off to a good start, and Blige’s voice has never sounded as softly sweet as it is here". Stacey A. Rather from Lincolnian said the song "has a pop sound that is very prevalent in music right now."

Track listings

;UK CD single
Notes
Written by James Harris III, Terry Lewis, and Mary J. Blige
"Beautiful" Remix produced by Hi-Tek

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

Cover versions

In 2000, French pianist Alex Bugnon covered the song from his album As Promised, which featured a guest vocals from Blige's former MCA Records labelmate Christopher Williams.
In 2011, jazz vocalist Gretchen Parlato covered the song on her album The Lost and Found.