Mary J. Blige and Robin Thicke Announce the Love-Soul Tour

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- When you think of the best that Soul music has to offer this millennium, two artists emerge at the top of the list as the purveyors: the infallible and multi-platinum, multi-Grammy Award winning superstar Mary J. Blige and the award-winning multi-platinum balladeer Robin Thicke. The two stars have joined forces to bring the musical experience of "The Love-Soul Tour" to their fans starting on September 19th in Virginia Beach, VA and ending on October 22nd in Oahu, HI.

Mary epitomizes love and is the essence of soul. Her music transcends boundaries of race, religion and politics. Mary speaks directly to the soul about the pitfalls of life as well as the healing power of love. With her many accolades Mary has earned an extraordinary place in American popular culture. Any one of us can go through each of her records and be empowered by the many emotions of love: good, bad, and indifferent.

On the 18-date "Love-Soul Tour," Blige and Thicke will pick the best songs in their repertoire that bring out the love and touch the soul of their fans. A sample of what Blige will offer are hit singles such as a revamped version of "No More Drama," "Love, No Limit" and "Be Without You," while Robin will perform stellar hits "Stupid Things," "Complicated," and "Lost Without You," which drove his sophomore album to platinum status. The two also collaborated on a special remix of Robin's single, "Magic," for the tour.

The set of "The Love-Soul Tour" will evoke a feeling of a time and a place that grabbed you emotionally and will take you through different aspects of your life. To add to the uniqueness of the tour, there will also be a special limited edition coffee table book available for purchase at the venue. The book features exclusive never-seen-before images of Mary J. Blige.

Mary recently wrapped the sold-out historic "Heart of the City," with Jay-Z. Once again, she reaffirmed her place in musical history as one of the few artists whose star stands the test of time with more than fifteen (15) successful years in the music business. Her eighth (8th) and current studio album Growing Pains, released 12/18 on Matriarch/Geffen reached platinum status in three weeks. Over the span of her career she has amassed over 25 awards including the eight (8) Grammy Awards, three (3) American Music Awards, ten (10) Billboard, a BET Award, a MTV Award, ten (10) Soul Train Awards and much more. Each album released has attained platinum status with many selling multi-platinum; totaling sales of more than 40 million copies worldwide. With each song she has penetrated her fan's hearts, reaching deeply into the depths of their souls.

The award-winning multi-platinum superstar, Robin Thicke returns to center stage with his new album Something Else on September 30th, a joyful and modern tribute to the '70s soul and pop records that have inspired an extraordinary career. This double platinum recording artist, is coming out off of his hugely successful Evolution Of Robin Thicke where he garnered VH1 Soul/ Vibe award for "Best Breakthrough Artist," nominations from BET ("Best Male R&B" and "Viewer's Choice"), Soul Train ("Best R&B Soul Album, Male"), MTV VMA ("Male Artist of the Year"), MOBO (Best Song, "Lost Without U"), and the American Music Awards ("Favorite Breakthrough Artist").

Opening the tour for Blige and Thicke is Dave Young, the soulful debut artist off of Blige's label, Matriarch Records. Young is already a Grammy Award winning songwriter having penned the Mary J. Blige/Chaka Khan Duet, "Disrespectful" off of Khan's Funk This. Young is committed to continuing the time-honored tradition of artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Donnie Hathaway with pure Soul music. His soon-to-be released debut album is due early 2009.

"I am so excited about going out with Mary again; she is so amazing! I went out with her on The Breakthrough tour and I learned so much from watching her; how she would sing to her fans, connect with them and include them. She made me realize connecting is what it's all about. That's my goal on this tour -- to connect," states Young. Remember WE ALL GOT SOUL so be sure to check out Mary J. Blige and Robin Thicke at a city near you. Dates below:

    Friday, September 19    Virginia Beach, VA    Virginia Beach Pavilion
    Saturday, September 20  Washington, DC        DC/Nissan Pavilion
    Sunday, September 21    Raleigh, NC           Time Warner Music Cable
                                                   Pavilion
    Friday, September 26    Philly/Camden, NJ     Susquehanna Bank Center
    Saturday, September 27  Charlotte, NC         Verizon Wireless
                                                   Amphitheatre
    Sunday, September 28    Detroit, MI           DTE Energy Music Theatre
    Thursday, October 2     New York City         Radio City Music Hall
    Friday, October 3       New York City         Radio City Music Hall
    Wednesday, October 8    Baltimore, MD         1st Mariner Arena
    Friday, October 10      Ft. Lauderdale, FL    Bank Atlantic Center
    Saturday, October 11    Tampa, FL             Ford Amphitheater
    Sunday, October 12      Atlanta, GA           Hi-Fi Amphitheatre
    Tuesday, October 14     Chicago, IL           Arie Crown Theater
    Wednesday, October 15   Omaha, NE             Qwest Convention Center
    Friday, October 17      Las Vegas, NV         Pearl Theatre
    Saturday, October 18    Oakland, CA           Sleep Train Pavilion at
                                                   Concord
    Sunday, October 19      Los Angeles, CA       Gibson Amphitheatre
    Wednesday, October 22   Oahu, HI              Blaisdall, Arena