There was something about her singing that made my stomach feel funny. Like two birds fighting.

HUGE, HUGE, HUGE fan of Teena. I've praised Teena on here several times. I adore her, always have. Very talented artist. Venice Beach girl, too. Her "Emerald City" album was kicking the shit out of both P's "UTCM" album and whatever the fuck Rick was doing at that time! Teena can throwdown, period. She sounds better live than she does in the lab. The woman is baaad!

CalhounSq said:

Why are so many of you sleeping on this album,or were reluctant to buy it in the first place?

Has today's R&B music declined so much that we don't even expect our Old School artists to deliver a decent album?

Trust me,it is a fantastic CD.Songs like "Makaveli Never Lies","I'm Still In Love","Honey Call","Baby I'm Your Fiend" and "My Body's Hungry" are top-notch.There are only two songs here that I skip over,"The Macking Game" and "Off The Chain"....the two most hip-hop sounding tracks.Teena fares better when she leaves hip-hop alone,and sticks to her tried-and-true formula.

Calhoun....you better unwrap that CD and play it...NOW!
[Edited 10/4/05 4:50am]

blackguitaristz said:

I'm right with you. Her arrangements are extremely detailed and structured in an unconventional way. Her funk throwdowns are on a whole other level, but really kills me are her ballads, whether it's the one's that incorporate a brazillian sound or the great jazz ballads.

If I were to make a CD for some serious intense romance that features the effervessant Lady T's most seductive, sensual songs they would be the following:

Sunny Skies (From Emerald City) - Stanley Clarke is playing bass and Brandford Marsalis is playing his horn - pure jazz greatness
Love Me Down Easy (Emerald City)
Shangri-La (Emerald City)
Out on a Limb (Starchild)
We've Got to Stop Meeting Like This (Starchild)
Once and Future Dream (Naked to the World)- Duet with her and Rick
Naked to the World (Naked to the World)
How Can you Resist it (Ivory)
Cupid is a Real Straight Shooter (Ivory)
Miracles Need Wings to Fly (Ivory)
My Body's Hungry (LaDonna)
I'm on Fire (LaDonna)
Climb the Walls (Passion Play)
Breakfast In Bed (Passion Play)
Portugese Love (It must be Magic)
Where's California (It Must be Magic)
Shadow Boxing (Robbery)
Cassonova Brown (Robbery)
Yes Indeed (It Must be Magic) - This beautiful song has Patrice Rushen playing Piano on it!
Stop the World (Robbery)
I'm gonna have my cake and eat it too (Wild & Peaceful)
Deja Vu (I've been here before) (Wild & Peaceful)
Aladin's Lamp (Lady T)
Tune In Tommorrow (Irons in the Fire)
Young Love (Irons in the Fire)

This woman is so overwhelming, a sensuality and clever lyrics that have yet to be matched. The way she writes about love affairs is so magestical, it takes you to a whole other place which explains the true meaning of love with all it's complexity wrapped up every poetic lyric.

The woman is pure magic

I'm just an huge, huge Teena Marie fan, so I'm going to buy everything that she's does anyway "La Dona" isn't one of her best albums/CDs, but its good... I prefer the original, "Black Rain", but "La Dona" does have a lot of enjoyable songs once you get past that silly "La Dona-Intro"...What was she thinking That's like "Teena goes to wonderland" break from "It Must Be Magic" that she admitted to being corny and doesn't know why she did. Teena said her daughter, Alia drives her crazy with it because she knows she can't stand to hear it now Songs like "I'm On Fire", "I Love Him, Too", with De De O'Neal, "My Body's Hungry", and even "Honey Call" are just classic Teena Marie songs. Speaking of De De O'Neal, she's one of Teena's background singers and an incredible vocalist, too. Teena has been producing some tracks for her, so hopefully De De's project will surface. I'm really not here to make people like Teena... I mean, you either love or you hate her, that's your choice...But, I'm so glad that I love her because she's just so AMAZING to me. I like a lot of singers, but none has moved or touched me the way that Teena has...It's like whatever I'm going through at the time I can always play a Teena Marie song and find comfort...I'm like, yeah, that's what I'm feeling right now, but just couldn't find the words to express it...That's why I appreciate her music so much because its not contrived. I can relate to her because she's the real deal and it comes across in her music. She's been through a lot of the same things I've been through, but she is just able to put it on paper. She is such a prolific artist..She has a gift of words and expression... Of course, she was an English major in college But, anyway, she's able to share her gift with us in song and its a beautiful, beautiful gift...Like I said, you either going to love her or hate her, but I do think that before someone make that choice they should give her music a chance and listen to her passion and experience her live in concert and then if she doesn't make you a believer than she's not for you...I have a story about Teena making one of my best friends a believer that wasn't into Teena at all by going to one of her concerts with me. She and I went to see Teena in concert in DC, I think it was back in August. Anyway, Teena opening with "Behind the Groove"(that's some in your face stank funk, right there, boy, I love it...) mixed with Snoop's "Drop It Like It's Hot". Now, I don't like the "Drop It Like It's Hot" part because I feel that she's trying to hard to appeal to younger audience and she doesn't need to do that. However, SHE WAS DOING A LITTLE CRIP-WALKING OR C-WALKING ON THAT SONG THAT I REALLY ENJOYED WATCHING HER DO...MY FRIEND AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT SHE WAS ACTUALLY DOING IT AND DOING IT WELL, TOO...WE REALLY GOT A KICK OUT OF THAT...GO, TEENA!!! Then she straps on her guitar and she ROCKS THE HOUSE!!!
"I'm a Sucker For Your Love", "Portuguese Love" with "Shadow Boxing" (I love that), "I Need Your Lovin" with that fat ass bassline. Allen McGrier was on bass that night. "Dear Lover" and on "I'm Still In Love" the audience went wild and was singing the lyrics with her and she was doing this sassy little sidestep dance that was really cute. "If I Were A Bell" (SHE TORE THAT SHIT UP!!!) And then, she did a tribute to Rick James, "Cold Blooded", she got very emotional on "Fire & Desire" and she couldn't finish it and she went right into "We Got To Stop Meeting Like This", "Out On A Limb" "Lovergirl" and "Square Biz".
Encore, she played the rhodes
"Deja Vu" and told the story about meeting Rick and the band left and they were clearing the stage except for her rhodes. And, she's passing out roses to the front row.

HERE'S WHERE WE ALL ARE ABOUT TO LOSE IT, AND SHE'S ABOUT TO MAKE MY FRIEND A BELIEVER...SHE ASKED WHAT TIME IT WAS AND SAT BACK DOWN AT THE RHODES TO PERFORM "CASANOVA BROWN"...AT THIS POINT, WE ARE ALL CAPTIVATED BY HER VOICE AND IMPROMPTU RHODES PLAYING AND SHE JUST HAD US IN THE PALM OF HER HAND AND SHE KNEW IT...I looked at my friend and she had her eyes closed and I knew....