While Mary J. Blige’s hip-hop-conversant R&B needs little context to appreciate, reverential details add depth to her impeccable songbook. Whether it’s the pop-leaning bombast of Tina Turner, the disarming soul of Nina Simone, or the emotional wallop of Billie Holiday’s barbed blues, Blige’s music is filled with nods to some of the most ingenious and devastating R&B of the 20th century.