Teena Marie Albums (13)
What The Critics Say
Inspired by discovering that some of her family roots are in New Orleans, a city with which she has long felt a deep spiritual connection, Teena Marie frames Congo Square around the Crescent City. It's her third solid album of the decade, but somewhat ironically, it's not on the New Orleans-based Cash Money, the home of 2004's La Doña and 2006's Sapphire, but Memphis' Stax. Like her two prior albums, Congo Square is a long, sprawling set of songs with plenty of room left for guests who share, never steal, the spotlight. Its center, naturally, is the title song, where Marie pays tribute to several generations of music legends (from Louis Armstrong to Erykah Badu), as well as the slaves who gathered to dance and play music at Congo Square. If anything, the whole set projects a sense of comfort, whether romantic or spiritual, maintaining a mellow sound that stimulates far more often than it does not. Singers half Marie's age could make a killing off some of the hooks, especially the ones deployed throughout the first four songs and "Milk 'n Honey," another showcase for her daughter Rose. What is most remarkable about Congo Square is how Marie continues to fly around in her private orbit, indulging her ambitious whims, while sounding every bit contemporary. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Teena Marie's Sapphire -- named after a nickname given to her by onetime partner and late funk legend Rick James -- doesn't sound like the work of a 50-year-old artist. While 2004's La Doña, Marie's first commercially released album since 1990, hardly sounded like the work of a 48-year-old artist, it's clear that she was only getting started (again). As with La Doña, there's the odd verse where Marie sounds like she's trying too hard to be hip. Longtime fans might also be a little surprised to hear Marie more sexed-up than ever, but any faults or jarring traits are canceled out by the supreme excellence of Marie's voice and the quality of the songs she has written and produced. (She gets some assistance, along with some guest spots from Smokey Robinson, George Duke, Gerald Albright, Kurupt, and daughter Alia Rose, but she calls the shots here as much as she did on any of her albums since Wild and Peaceful.) This is another very long album that never runs out of ideas, with plenty of room for some of her classiest throwback ballads and her most up-to-date, colorful jams. Though some of the songs might be skippable -- it all depends on the mood of the listener -- there's no more meandering here than on any of Marie's half-as-long albums. There's a handful of particularly commanding songs to get stuck on. "Cruise Control," with Smokey Robinson, gets the album going and is pitched brilliantly between Marvin Gaye's "After the Dance" and Robinson's own "Cruisin'." "Make It Hot" bounces and struts with as much irresistible playfulness as "It Must Be Magic" or "Square Biz." "You Blow Me Away," a heartbreaking ballad, references "You and I," "Fire and Desire," and makes its subject completely clear at the very end: "I love you, Rick -- there, I've gone and said it." The greatest knockout of all is "Love Is a Gangsta," a fresh, dynamite acknowledgment of prime Dr. Dre-generated G-funk, with whining synths, sinewy wah-wah guitar, and layered vocal hooks that might make Nate Dogg keel over. Marie is her bad-ass best on this song, and her shout to Pam Grier is extremely apt. Why? Because Sapphire is her Jackie Brown. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A decade after resorting to starting her own label to release her work, Teena Marie discovered newfound -- or, more likely, regenerated -- respect for her legacy and wound up with a deal on Southern rap label Cash Money (distributed by Universal). Most of La Doña was in the can before the label snapped her up, but not before Cash Money's own Mannie Fresh could contribute some co-production work. Even so, this is a Teena Marie record in every respect, with none of her personality compromised. The average artist who reappears long after his or her most-popular years tends to fail miserably at staying current -- hell, rewind 14 years to the stunted hip-hop elements of Marie's own Ivory -- but she skillfully avoids that trap here. She's in excellent voice, as confident as ever, and most of the material she's working with stands proudly next to her best work. One trap Marie couldn't help but fall down, however, is the curse of the seemingly bottomless album. Equal to the length of two of her '80s albums, it undeniably falls prey to the CD-age trend of cramming as much as possible onto a disc. And La Doña would most definitely have a greater impact if it were knocked down to 40 minutes or so. This issue excepted, Marie's return is nothing short of welcomed. Gerald LeVert, MC Lyte, Common, Baby, and -- of course -- Rick James stop by for support, but none of them are truly needed. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Vocalist Teena Marie began the '90s recovering from an accident in Texas that had broken six ribs. This album was an attempt to recapture her earlier success, and included a song written and produced by Soul II Soul's Jazzie B. Unfortunately, it didn't generate much action, and Marie was unable to halt the slide that had begun in the mid-'80s. Despite some strong, often delightful and energetic vocals, no single from the album exploded, and Marie would soon find herself dropped from the label. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Teena Marie's popularity had decreased by 1988, when she found herself competing with considerably less talented Prince clones, Madonna wannabes, and Paula Abdul sound-alikes. But she managed to have both a hit album and an artistic triumph in Naked to the World, which found her taking a more high-tech, contemporary-sounding (by 1988 standards) approach to production without abandoning the classic soul and funk elements that made her so appealing to begin with. Among the treasures: the unapologetically sentimental, early-'70s ballad "Ooo La La La" (which proudly proclaims its allegiance to soul music's golden era, with references to Bloodstone's "Natural High" and Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"), the addictively funky "Work It," and the sassy, clever "Trick Bag." The sparks usually flew when Lady T formed a duet with Rick James, and the sweaty "Call Me (I Got Yo Number)" and the ballad "The Once and Future Dream" are no exceptions. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This was the definitive album Teena Marie was never allowed to do while at Motown. She not only zoomed up the R&B charts, but even had a pop smash with "Lovergirl," and suddenly Motown executives went scrambling for cover. "Mr. Dear Mr. Gaye" was one of the better tribute songs done to Gaye, although it didn't generate the attention it deserved for Marie. The album wound up being Marie's most successful. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A protracted absence from the studio (a one-year release gap in the '80s was equal to a five-year gap in the early 2000s) caused by a notorious legal dispute with Motown did little to stall Teena Marie's momentum. Robbery, Marie's fifth album and first for Epic, didn't perform nearly as well on the pop chart as 1981's It Must Be Magic, but the devout black following remained, which obviously had no problem with Marie's discreet slipping of a little more rock and Latin jazz into her R&B. Epic wisely let their new acquisition do her thing -- it's the first album written completely by Marie, and the gradual development in her sound would pay off tenfold with 1984's crossover hit "Lovergirl." (Meanwhile, Marie's ex label was nurturing D.O.A. projects like Monalisa Young's Knife and High Inergy's Groove Patrol.) So is Robbery merely transitional? Not at all. While directing a rotating cast of support, including but not limited to the Average White Band's Steve Ferrone, go-to Brazilian percussionist Paulinho da Costa, and undervalued keyboard wiz Patrice Rushen, Marie comes up with a set of songs that rivals anything she did for Motown. There's a little bit of everything here. It's varied but focused, however, highlighted by the torrid mid-tempo groove "Midnight Magic," the club hit "Fix It," and a trio of excellent ballads in "Dear Lover," the particularly elegant "Casanova Brown," and one of the finest Minnie Riperton tributes -- whether intentional or not -- in "Shadow Boxing." Though the album contains some of the then up-to-date technology that flawed a lot of other albums released in 1983, Marie knew not to go hog-wild with it. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The last of Teena Marie's four albums for Motown, It Must Be Magic found the songstress continuing to do all of her own writing, producing, and arranging, with magnificent results. Irons in the Fire proved that she didn't need the input of a big-name producer in order to deliver first-class albums, and Marie provided additional evidence of that fact on an album that offered such gems as the playful "Square Biz" (one of her biggest hits, and an early example of an R&B artist incorporating rap), the thought-provoking "Revolution" (inspired by the assassination of John Lennon and filled with references to the Beatles), and the gritty title song. Marie has periodically shown a strong love of jazz, which is exactly what happens on the ballad "Yes Indeed" and the sexy "Portuguese Love." It Must Be Magic was Marie's highest-charting album in the pop market, and thanks to a largely black following, the gold-seller just missed topping the R&B charts. ~ Alex Henderson & William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
