Teena Marie Readying 'congo Square' Release
By: Janine Coveney

Veteran singer-songwriter Teena Marie is not slowing down. The "Behind The Groove" star is preparing to release her first recording through the revived Stax label. The CD, titled Congo Square, is due June 9th. The first single from the project will be "Can't Last A Day," a duet with singer Faith Evans, that will go to radio the first week of April.
Marie's previous set was 2006's Sapphire featuring the tune "Ooh Wee." She made a triumphant return to the market in 2004 after a ten-year hiatus with La Dona, which included the Grammy-nominated tune "Still In Love."

Marie says she knows she's fortunate that she still has the vocal chops to continue recording and performing after a thirty-year career. She told us: "I am blessed, I am truly, truly blessed. God put a little, amazing little machine in my throat and fine-tuned it and I never have too many problems. And I'm very, very careful about what I do and how I take care of myself. And I don't abuse my blessing."


http://www.oldies1150.com.../84/897449

-She can still sing like nobody's business. Can't wait for the new album! Love Teena

Cool.

you go,Teena!

I WILL cop this on the day it comes out!!!!!

Well there's something non-Prince to look forward to.

JackieBlue said:

Yeah new & classic jams http://prince.org/msg/8/299182
Exciting year so far.

I love the album title,,,,,and I love the tribute behind it.

Looking forward to some new Teena.

Should be a goodie.

The first single feat. Faith Evan's has leaked

http://hellobeautiful.bla...ast-a-day/

Cinnamon234 said:

Thanks for sharing ! This is one that might have to grow on me.
I dig the touch of acoustic piano in that mix which gives it a more natural flow.
And lol to Faith singing something like "Where is my faith ?"

Cinnamon234 said:

Wow, not really feeling it. Oh well. Maybe there will be better tracks.

Cinnamon234 said:

it's not terrible but I was expecting more.I was hoping that,this time,Teena would release a kickass UPTEMPO jam for the first single.This song sounds just like the slow songs that dominated her last two albums.Come on,Teena,funk it up a bit! How about a "Behind The Groove"-type jam for 2009?

^ Yeah, I also didn't want her first single to be a duet.

Nope...not feeling it...

The hook is weak, and the song never really peaks at any point. I'm sad that I'm not encouraged to listen to it again. C'mon Teena!!

I actually like it. I was listening to the single on the radio
earlier today for the first time and i was digging the melody
before i realized it was her. I too long for her to do something
funky and uptempo. It seems like the old school artists are scared
to record funk these days but at least you get to see them perform
all the funk favorites live.

phunkdaddy said:[quote]I actually like it. I was listening to the single on the radio
earlier today for the first time and i was digging the melody
before i realized it was her. I too long for her to do something
funky and uptempo. It seems like the old school artists are scared
to record funk these days but at least you get to see them perform
all the funk favorites live.



I hear ya!! JUST LIKE TWO SKUNKS IN A TRUNK SHE WILL DROP YOU OFF INTO SOME FUNK AT HER LIVE SHOWS...

This video is from one of her recent sold-out shows in Los Angeles.

Suri said:

Cool live footage ... Teena delivers the jams onstage. One thing though i rather avoid nagging about,
but it annoys me that multiple Youtube-members posted some of clips of her as "Tina Marie".
It's not too much work to go online to an official database like www.allmusic.com and get the spelling right.

Here's another video from the same show - Teena and her bassist, Tony Boyd Funkin' It Up!! on Rick James' "You and I". She gets down on the congas in this one!!

Check it out!!

Copycat said:

Im just happy she is indeed recording again. I didnt get the last album because there were just too many sappy slow jams. Where's California? I needs some FUNK!

paisleypark4 said:

There were but i still dug it. There were no guest rappers on it.
The only guest artist on it i believe was smokey robinson.
I like the first single a lot but if you gonna do uptempo do it
right. I don't want no guest rappers on a hip hop sounding track otherwise
i'd prefer her to do midtempos just like on the last album.
If most of the tracks are as good as this first single which is
by far better than ooh wee, i can live with that.

Copycat said:

I like that cover

TEENA MARIE 'CONGO SQUARE' TRACKLIST

Pressure (featuring MC Lyte)
Can't Last A Day (with Faith Evans)
Baby,I Love You
Ear Candy
Lover's Lane (with Howard Hewitt)
Marry Me
You Baby
Milk N' Honey (with Rose LeBeau)
What U Got 4 Me
Rovietta's Jass (interlude)
Congo Square
Harlem Blues
Black Cool (interlude)
Ms.Coretta
Soldier
The Rose n' Thorn

I will be looking forward to the release. GO TEENA!!

I like it.

SoulAlive said:

She's still working with Lyte? I'm not familiar with Rose LeBeau but looking forward to it.

JackieBlue said:

Yeah,apparently Lyte is a close friend of hers.If she's the only rapper on this disc,then that's okay with me I have no idea who Rose LeBeau is,I hope it's not some rapper.

I wonder if "Harlem Blues" is a remake of the song that was featured in Spike Lee's movie 'Mo Better Blues'?

SoulAlive said:

Oh yeah I thought the title sounded familiar. I can imagine that she would cover that.