Teena Marie - Congo Square (16 tracks) +Album Reviews

"LADY T" RETURNS: A FANTASTIC, STAR-STUDDED PERFORMANCE BY T

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 06/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Five HUGE Stars!! STUNNING performances!! Multi-Grammy-nominated singer, composer, arranger, producer, multi-instrumentalist Teena Marie has served up one of the best R&B/soul performances of her star-spangled musical career. Into her third decade of soulful music, this platinum-selling artist just keeps going and going. And she doesn't hold back on quantity, serving up a whopping 16 new original songs, including the teaser "Can't Last A Day" that generated a lot of pre-release sales on iTunes and landed the CD in Amazon's Top 10 pre-orders. This one should appeal to a broad spectrum of radio stations, including hip-hop, jazz, and 'quiet storm' as she goes from R&B to funk to hip-hop to rap to jazz to blues, and New Orleans roots which she discovered are a part of her family tree: so "Congo Square", a New Orleans historical area in the 'French Quarter', comes from that fact, but the CD is dedicated to her daughter Alia Rose Le Beau who performs on "Milk N' Honey". The CD, which she produced for Stax Records, has the highest of production values including some impressive photographs and each song under "Alia Rose Music" is dedicated to famous singers (Smokey, Marvin, John Lennon, Rick, Billie Holiday, etc..), social giants like Barak Obama, and "For all the Soldiers".

The 'best of the best' begins with the overpowering & lyrical performance of the title song "Congo Square" with keyboard wizard George Duke as guest in a sizzling performance that went straight to my iPod. The intimate love ballad "Lover's Lane" is an amazing 5-minute duet with Howard Hewett that recalls the glory days of the duets between Teena and the late Rick James. "Ms. Coretta" is a marvelous song with commentary on Dr King's wife. "Baby I Love You" is a sweet love ballad with lots of interaction with the background chorus. "The Pressure" has MC Lyte singing and rapping with 'Lady T' as they pour the heat on. A blazing "Ear Candy 101" has a sensual urgency. "Black Cool" is for the president. "Can't Last A Day" has Teena and Faith Evans in a sensational performance. "Marry Me" is a riveting love ballad dealing with 11 years of patient waiting. "Soldier Boy", with Shirley Murdock guesting, brings the reality of today's wars into focus in a wonderful song that is dedicated to the military overseas. Then there are the techno-linguistics of "Milk N' Honey" with "T" and featuring Gail Gotti & Teena's daughter under her performance name of Rose Le Beau, to whom Teena dedicates the song and passes "the torch". 30 years into her career Teena Marie's voice is as rangy and magical as ever with the wisdom of the years, her instrumental and composing skills are as sharp as ever, and she can rock and swing with the best of them. 'Lady T' has stayed 'in the soul pocket' her entire career and longtime fans have hung with her and will probably love this CD. Hopefully, the younger fans will catch up to her because this artist deserves much more recognition. My Highest Recommendation! Five BIG Stars!! (This review is based on an iTunes Plus download with digital booklet.)"

ANOTHER HOT ALBUM !!! TEENA MARIE YOU ARE THE BEST

Darrell W. Flowers | MEMPHIS, TN. | 06/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"SHE HASN'T LOST A BEAT HER VOICE STILL SOUNDS GOOD FROM DAY ONE. SHE'S IN MY BOOK THE BEST FEMALE ARTIST AROUND NOW. I LOVE THIS ALBUM ITS SMOOTH AND LAID BACK. A MUST FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE IF YOU DONT BUY THIS CD YOU WILL BE MISSING OUT WHAT GOOD MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE. SHE'S HAS SO MUCH SOUL IN THIS ALBUM ITS THE BEST ONE I HAVE HEARD OUT THERE NOW. CONGRATULATION TEENA ANOTHER FANTASTIC CD. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!"

How do you rate better than great?

Julia F. Foutch | Atlanta, GA | 06/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Teena Marie is the duchess of cool sound. How do you rate something that takes you from place to place and time to time. She still has the bump and now she's brings the blues. Jazz, history and coolnik all rolled into one. Thank you Teena for not disappointing us."

Back To Her Roots

Dr. Feel | GA United States | 07/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thirty years after the release of her debut album "Wild & Peaceful", Teena Marie proves that she's still got it with her current release. "Congo Square", which is a concoction of R&B, jazz, funk and hip-hop-flavored songs, is easily Lady Tee's best album since "Ivory" (1990). The songs are fresh & versatile, and her sound is contemporary without compromising her classic style. "Congo Square" is star-studded with featured guests including Howard Hewett, MC Lyte, Faith Evans, George Duke, & Shirley Murdock. (Well-known jazz musicians include Brian Bromberg and Terri Lyne Carrington.) Unlike "La Dona", the featured guests actually enhance the album, not diminish it. It's apparent that this is a Teena Marie album, not a "Friends (featuring Teena Marie)" album.

The album kicks off with "The Pressure", a danceable hip-hop tune featuring MC Lyte. Other hip-hop tinged songs include "Ear Candy 101" and "Milk N' Honey". The lead single, "Can't Last A Day" (featuring Faith Evans) instantly grabs you with that vintage R&B sound that reminds you of songs like "Ooh La La La" and "Dear Lover". "Baby I Love You" also has that old-school R&B vibe. "You Baby" is one of my favorite tracks (it reminds me of "Rescue Me", by A Taste Of Honey [1980]). The title track is a jazzy smooth groove paying tribute to musical legends (Ellington, Ella, Louie) and the historical New Orleans landmark, with George Duke laying down some serious keyboard solos.

No Teena Marie album is complete without a ballad or two, and on this album there's "Lover's Lane" (a duet w/ Howard Hewett), and "Marry Me". "Harlem Blues" and "The Rose N' Thorn" are nice jazzy offerings consistent with her earlier 70s & 80s work. Lady Tee also does three tribute songs: "Black Cool" for President Obama, "Ms. Coretta" for Coretta Scott King, and "Soldier" for the fallen troops. Some may consider three tribute songs on one album excessive, but they're all timely and very nicely done.

What's really great about "Congo Square" is its originality, production and variety, notwithstanding the drum machines as others have mentioned. Teena's voice is still great, and her sound is contemporary, yet classic. Even the hip-hop songs are nice with good lyrical content without sounding juvenile and gangster. This album will appeal to both the younger fans as well as the older fans. This is a return to Teena Marie's roots, and what better way to celebrate her 30th anniversary in the music business than with "Congo Square". (By the way, the photos and artwork are top-notch too.) Enjoy the music!

"

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