The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul's ninth album was released late last year, to not much fanfare — so it was quickly refurbished, with new tracks added, and another guest artist or two thrown in.

Either version will please R&B fans, though, as Blige pours her powerful voice into songs strong in self-belief and self-empowerment. There's plenty of attitude and humour (including, on first single 'The One', the smile-inducing line, "I ain't saying that I'm the best... but I'm the best!"), as well as vocal fireworks when she wraps those vocal chords around a song like 'Color' — the theme song from the hard-hitting, Oscar-winning drama 'Precious'.

Another standout track is 'Each Tear', a mid-tempo ballad that will resonate with anybody who pays attention to the lyrics and pain-soothing chorus ("In each tear, there's a lesson: Makes you wiser than before, makes you stronger than you know...").

On this reissued version, Blige has turned the track into a duet with British artist Jay Sean, but — depending on whether you like Sean's voice — her original solo version (included on the original album) might suit some listeners more.

'Stronger With Each Tear' is an album that pretty much repackages what Blige has been doing musically for the past decade — but when she does it so well, it's still a pleasure to listen to her.