I would like to express my appreciation for Teena Marie. As a white person that loves the funk, I can really appreciate Teena Marie.

Everyone wants to give props to white rappers like Eminem but they ain't shit. They came along in the game when it was comfortable. Teena Marie came out when white people would hate you for being in a black dominated genre. I can totally relate because I felt such discrimination myself.

Teena didn't come out the weak ass balladeer, she came out hard out strong. She had ballads that were sexy and sensual and she had funk that would make you dance your ass off. She is far underrated. She was the FIRST!!!!!

If there is anyone else out there that loves Teena Marie as much as I do, I want you to type your ass off and give her much love!

vainandy said:

I don't know about typing my ass off, but I have a lot of respect for Teena. My entire junior high - highschool years were marked with her music.

I Need Your Lovin' was the first song I ever heard by her, and was hooked from then on. She is definitely in my top 3 All-Time Favorite Female Vocalists.
[This message was edited Sun Jul 18 3:03:23 2004 by RudeBoy]

Yup, Teena is great

Wait...hold on one minute!!!

Teena Marie is WHITE????



I read an article where Tenna said that she is proud that she came in "through the black door", and it's great that no one questioned her motives or her "wanna-be" ness (for lack of a better term. She's FOR REAL, and always has been. When you have the talent, no one really sees your skin color. Teena to a "T".

i don't care if she was that blue girl from the XMEN movie, Teena Marie was 1 funky lady.Period!

"It must be magic, cuz it feels so good to meeeee....."

Teena is the truth.

Her name is Teena and she is funky..

Square Biz rap:

"Baby, what’s happening
Entre vous Lady Tee
I’ve heard a boatload of others ladies’ raps
But they ain’t got nothin’ on me
I’m less than five foot one, a hundred pounds of fun
I like sophisticated funk
I live on Dom Perignon, caviar, filet mignon
And you can best believe that’s bunk
Here’s what I’m talking, baby
Square Biz, Square Biz

I’ve been called Casper, Shorty, Lil’ Bit
And some they call me Vanilla Child
But you know that don’t mean my world to me
‘Cause baby, names can’t cramp my style
[I love chick-icken] And Buff’s collard greens
A little hot water corn bread
I love you too Cat daddy
But don’t you let that go to your head
That’s what I’m talking, baby
Square Biz, Square Biz

You know I love spirituals and rock
Sarah Vaughn, Johann Sebastian Bach
Shakespeare, Maya Angelou
And Nikki Giovanni just to name a few
Well, I’m wild and peaceful Lady Tee
I got to keep my irons in the fire, you see
I got the point, the scam, the low, the deal
What you feel, say what"

I'd LOVE to hear Teena and Prince do something together. I know she'll forever be tied to Rick James...but could you imagine the jam that Teena and Prince could produce???

smoothpants said:

That would be HOT.....love Teena

I loved Teena from the start. I too am a VANILLA CHILD like Teena and listened to the funk when it wasnt a white thang to do. I didnt care cuz my black friends new I was always down with them.Teena is my fasvorite female R&B singer. I have seen her 7 times now and if someone hasnt seen this woman live then they are missing heaven.She is phenomenal and keeps getting better. I have every album from Wild and Peaceful to LA DONA.I am glad for all the success she is getting with her new cd. U GO TEENA.THE SISTA HAS PIPES !!!!!

I'll join in on this thread. Teena, Iv'e always loved your music. Thank you so much

Personally, she's always seemed a bit of a phony to me, and she tries too hard to prove how funky she is (her voice sounds comical at times), but she does make some good tracks. Some of the looniest people make some of the best music. I'm partial to her dance tunes. It's her ballads that turn me off. A lot of people will disagree with me, I'm sure, but they do nothing for me (poor-TOO-ghee-say love...ugh).

But her dance songs? Man, are they good! It Must be Magic, Square Biz, I Need Your Lovin' -- all great songs. She's a good songwriter, and chooses people to work with that accentuate her creative strengths. Now, I've not heard her new album, but the title alone seems silly to me, let alone the track High Yellow Girl.

vainandy said:

I'm curious what you mean by discrimination. I was laughed at and picked on growing up because I listened to predominantly black music, but I don't know that discrimination would be the appropriate term to use.

RipHer2Shreds said:

I've gotta side with you on that point.
And that holla and squeal-a-thon she did with Rick James
on the BET Awards show didn't help to change my opinion.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

theAudience said:

The BET performance? I'll co-sign with you
But the studio version? That classic was one of the first ghetto love songs.

Don't like Ooh La La?

Shame on you, man. Shame...

sounds like I should check this lady out...never heard but I keep hearing such good things about her here in Non-Prince....

...what should I start with and who is she comparable to? I'm really hoping she's not like Mariah Carey, cause I ain't down with dat shit.

.
[This message was edited Sun Jul 18 23:31:28 2004 by mrdespues]

mrdespues said:

Teena is unique, the quality of her voice is unlike anyone I can think of (certainly not "like" Mariah, that's laughable) I'd suggest starting w/ the Irons in the Fire album. Key songs:

You Make Love Like Springtime
Tune in Tomorrow
I Need Your Lovin'
Irons in the Fire

A good little mix of styles on this one. If you like it, proceed to It Must Be Magic & Wild & Peaceful.

Damn, I need to complete my Teena collection. The reason I suggest those is b/c they're the ones I have

psykosoul said:

I hear ya.
The left brain side of me appreciates the tracks and the writing.
The right brain side wishes someone else was singing.


For me she's just one of those artists, and we all have them,
that i'm just not feeling for whatever the reason.


Don't worry, I won't hold it against you.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

CalhounSq said:

One of my all time favorite albums.....You Make Love Like Springtime -classic!

CalhounSq said:

Cool, I trust your opinion, Calhoun, you have good taste as far as I can see.

Interesting there's a Teena Marie thread here. I was just listening to "Portuguese Love" while I was walking downtown in the rain. That song is beautiful. Teena forever.

Teena Marie is an incredibly talented artist.This woman can sing! From the very beginning,she has made albums that are richly soulful and eclectic,and her lyrics are unique and imaginative.She's a superb songwriter.I saw her in concert several years ago,with Earth Wind and Fire and Larry Graham and let me tell you,Teena nearly stole the show.Another great thing about Teena is,she has never tried to make "pop" records.She's an R&B artist all the way,and concentrates on soul and funk.Even when she had a little pop success in the mid-80s (with her Top 10 hit "Lovergirl"),she didn't let it go to her head.She remained an R&B artist making R&B music.I also like the way she incorporates Latin rhythms into her songs ("Portugese Love" and "Stop The World"),and occasionally ventures into jazz territory,like she does on her latest CD 'La Dona'.

My favorite Teena Marie songs...

Square Biz (1981)
Behind The Groove (1980)
I Need Your Lovin (1980)
Out On A Limb (1984)
Stop The World (1983)
Honey Call (2004)
Portugese Love (1981)

psykosoul said:

You got me there -- Ooh La La La is her one genuinely good ballad. But If I Were a Bell?

She may be tied to Rick James forever but she did open for one of Prince's early tours. I also remember when she did "Lovergirl" on the TV show "Motown Live" in the late 1990s and broke it down into a few lines of "Sexy Dancer". I but Rick was fuming when he saw that.

I keep seeing the name Jill Jones popping up on Teena's earlier albums. I wonder if that is the same Jill Jones that later worked with Prince.

My favorites are:

Lips 2 Find U
Lovergirl
I Need Your Lovin'
Happy (duet with Rick)
Out On A Limb
Ask Your Momma
Square Biz (12 inch)
My Dear Mr. Gaye
Fire and Desire (duet with Rick)
Casanova Brown
Stop The World

vainandy said:

teena is an honorary aunt to jill...at one point people thought they were actually blood but me thinks that was disproved recently...

Oh, it was horrible! I'm from the South and not only did I listen to black music but ALL of my friends were black and I also dated black people. The reason all my friends were black is because most white people in my area at that time hated me for hanging with the blacks. Every day I had to argue with them on the school bus to move over. They would tell me to find a nigger bus to ride home or tell me to go to the back of the bus where I belong. If I walked home, the ones that had cars would swerve their cars like they were going to hit me...those are just some of the worst incidents.

I never was approached with physical confrontation, thank God, but the taunts on a daily basis were enough. I notice they kept their mouths shut when they were around black people though. One or two times I turned the tables on some of them when there was nothing but black people around and would say things like, "What was that you were saying earlier motherfucker....why don't you say it now." Of course, they would walk off and not say anything. I think that's why I was never approached physically because they knew I would get some real shit started.

Years later, when I entered the working world, I noticed that if white people did have a problem with me, at least they had the decency to keep their mouths shut. Then I starting noticing that some black people will shit on you too. That's when I became middle of the road. Times had changed a little since then (late 70s, early 80s). I have found white people that do not have a racist bone in their body. But there is still a lot of racism out there now, it's just more in the closet.

Now I have almost as many white friends as I have black friends. A have a few more black friends though because we share so much of the same taste. The same goes with my love life too.

vainandy said:

Sounds messed up. People like to put down anything they don't understand. But discrimination? It seems remiss to use that word.

IceTen said: