The velvet tones of Teddy Pendergrass, R&B’s original Teddy Bear, will be heard once more when Cleopatra Records releases Duets - -Love & Soul. The Aug. 21 duets album is comprised of 12 new studio tracks featuring the late Pendergrass teaming with such guests as The Stylistics, The Ohio Players, Martha Reeves, Eric Gales and Jody Watley.

“Love TKO” is Love & Soul’s lead single and features Angie Stone partnering with Pendergrass, who died in 2010 after being paralyzed in a 1982 car accident. Cleopatra founder/CEO Brian Perera hand-selected the artists participating on the project. The tracks for the posthumous project were culled from a master recording Cleopatra and a partner did with Pendergrass at his Philadelphia home in the early 2000s. Love & Soul will be sold at retail by Walmart and Best Buy.

Guest stars Stone and Gales will release their own solo albums through Cleopatra later this year. The label recently acquired the rights to Junior Wells’ estate, joining a catalog that includes live recordings by Reeves, Shuggie Otis, Percy Sledge, Marvin Gaye and Chaka Khan plus studio projects by Sly Stone and Club Nouveau.

Citing synergy opportunities via the label’s growing catalog as well as the growing trend in duets albums, Cleopatra VP/GM Tim Yasui tells Billboard, “We felt the timing was right.”

Soul Singer Teddy Pendergrass

Here's the complete Love & Soul track list:

1. “Love TKO” with Angie Stone

2. “It Don’t Hurt Now” with Shuggie Otis & The Stylistics

3. “Can’t We Try” with Noora Noor

4. “Close The Door” with Eric Gales

5. “Come Go With Me” with Martha Reeves

6. “Turn Off The Lights” with Linda Clifford

7. “When Somebody Loves You Back” with The Ohio Players

8. “You’re My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration” with The Stylistics

9. “The Whole Town’s Laughing At Me” with Maxi Priest

10. “And If I Had” with Rose Royce

11. “Only You” with Bonnie Pointer

12. “I Can’t Live Without Your Love” with Jody Watley & Tom Scott

[Edited 7/31/15 18:35pm]

Nice to see Shuggie Otis' name there.

Not sure if I like it and I'm a Teddy fan.

this project seems like a mess Those classic songs don't need to be re-made.I don't like the idea of inserting other artists onto songs that weren't duets in the first place

[Edited 8/1/15 8:12am]

SoulAlive said:

this project seems like a mess Those classic songs don't need to be re-made.I don't like the idea of inserting other artists onto songs that weren't duets in the first place

[Edited 8/1/15 8:12am]

Yeah I listened to this atrocity on Soul Tracks earlier this week and everyone on the Facebook

page ripped this song and project a new asshole.

phunkdaddy said:

SoulAlive said:

this project seems like a mess Those classic songs don't need to be re-made.I don't like the idea of inserting other artists onto songs that weren't duets in the first place

Yeah I listened to this atrocity on Soul Tracks earlier this week and everyone on the Facebook

page ripped this song and project a new asshole.

SoulAlive said:

this project seems like a mess Those classic songs don't need to be re-made.I don't like the idea of inserting other artists onto songs that weren't duets in the first place

[Edited 8/1/15 8:12am]

The only time I ever liked that was Natalie Cole's duet with her father on Unforgettable.