label switchovers and the
advent of music piracy.
After taking time off to have
children, Mary Mary released
their self-titled third
album, Mary Mary, in July
2005. It became the duo's first
album to enter the Top 10 on
Billboard and was later on
certified Gold for sales of
500,000 copies. The first single
"Heaven" contained a sample
from seventies soul trio
the Honey Cone's "Want
Ads". Heaven made history
and broke chart records as it
had an unprecedented nine
week run as the No. 1 record
on Billboard's Gospel Radio
chart. The second single, "The
Real Party (Trevon's
Birthday)" debuted at No. 43
on the Gospel Radio Chart.
The third single, "Yesterday",
also became a hit, especially on
the Adult R&B charts where it
peaked at No. 10. On the
R&B/Hip Hop chart, the song
became their second biggest hit
since "Shackles" in 2000,
reaching the No. 50. The
album's final single, "Believer"
indicated testimonies of being
a Christian. The song hit No.
33 on the Gospel Radio chart.
On October 10, 2006, the duo
released their fourth studio
album, a Christmas project
entitled A Mary Mary
Christmas.
On October 21, 2008, the
recording group released their
fifth studio album, The
Sound. The lead single "Get
Up" was released digitally via
iTunes on July 15, 2008. The
Sound saw Mary Mary achieve
even greater success in the
mainstream market; the album
sold over 37,000 copies in its
first week, and was their best
charting album to date,
debuting No. 7 on the
Billboard, No. 2 on the US
R&B chart, and topping the
gospel and CCM charts. The
album held the No. 1 position
on the Billboard Gospel Album
chart for over six months since
its release. Warryn Campbell
JOY FEELINGS | DECEMBER ISSUE
53