I've been listening to Teena Marie's new CD 'LaDona' for the past few days,and shit,this CD is just amazing! I'm totally blown away.Teena sounds great and her album is filled with one hot jam after another.When I heard that she had signed to Cash Money Records,I was afraid that she would "sellout" and make an album that was aimed at the youngsters.Yes,there are some rap cameos on the album,and a few songs have a hip-hop "flava",but for the most part,Teena is making real soul music.And when i say "real soul music",I mean music with real melodies,real singing and real emotion,like she's always done.For me,the hightlights are...

I'm Still In Love y'all already know the first single.With it's warm Old school R&B feel,it's just superb.
Honey Call ---this breezy,sexy track should be a summer single,it's so laid-back and infectious
A Rose By Any Other Name with Gerald LeVert ---forget "Fire and Desire",this is one of the best duets Teena has ever recorded.It's a beautiful song.Mark my words,this will become an R&B slow jam classic.
Makaveli Never Lied ---my favorite song on the album!!!! It's just mindblowing.If you only decide to hear ONE track from this album,this is the one you need to hear.Classic Teena!
I Love Him Too with De De O'Neal ---I heard this song several years ago,when Teena appeared at one of our local radio stations and "premiered" it.At the time,she was trying to get her 'Black Rain' project off the ground.Thankfully,this great song survived.It's a lush duet ballad in which Teena and De De are fighting over the same guy.
I Got You with Rick James ---when I heard that Rick would be singing a song with Teena,I was afraid it would be another slow,overblown ballad like "Fire and Desire",but instead,it's a fun,catchy,midtempo track with a funky hip-hop groove.
Black Rain I love the last two songs on the album...they're jazzy and melodic.This song even makes a reference to Prince's "The Beautiful Ones".This is the kinda stuff that Teena does best.
I'm On Fire ---the party ends with another beautiful love song.


There are many reasons to feel hopeful about R&B music these days.Many of the "classic" artists are back on the scene and showing the younger acts how it's done.Prince is back,making a huge comeback with one of the funkiest jams of the year ("Musicology")....Patti LaBelle is back with a wonderful new CD...and now Teena has just released the most satisfying album of her career,and she's even on the Billboard Top 10 charts.Way to go!
[This message was edited Wed May 19 6:46:43 2004 by DavidEye]

i sent it back to universal split in half... i didnt like it... but thats just me

TheRealFiness said:

You didn't like anything on it??

its okay..."excellent" is a stretch....

sosgemini said:

I'm sticking with "excellent"

DavidEye said:

i wasnt moved...simple as that

Thanks for the breakdown DavidEye. I've not heard anything off of it yet, and was debating over getting it or not.

Are most of the songs upbeat or 'slow jams'? Cuz I wanna

I've listened to it once and really liked it up I woudln't call it excellent either. But hey, I love "Damita Jo"!

Interesting, I have to give it a shot. By the way David, have you heard Musicology yet? I'm interested in what you think about that.

TheRealFiness said:

Real Fitness U R a complete joke. U said on a different thread u didnt like still in love and u said the cd would bomb. What in the fuck did u even buy it for. The cd did not bomb and it is doing great. If u dont like Teena then u have no taste. I have seen the woman 8 times in concert and she is phenomonal. Get a life and a hearing aid. The sista is back and she aint goin no where but to the top.

I agree 100%. LaDona kicks major ass!! The 1st 6 tracks are absolutely incredible and a lesson on how to lay down vocal tracks. I know this CD will be in heavy rotation at black radio. I'm sure pop radio will completely ignore it even with a #7 chart debut. Lady T has incredible range and emotion that is really felt in just about everythig she does. There isn't a Diva out there that can hang with this woman---Period!!!

DavidEye said:

Amen on the excellent. The cd is OFF THE CHAIN. She is Great

VinnyM27 said:

Janet and Teena dont even belong in the same sentence. Janet has a whisper sounding voice while Teena can blow with the best of them.

Chico319 said:

There are a few uptempo tracks,but overall,the CD consists of slower tracks.This is a beautiful,romantic "quiet storm"-type album.There are a few really good neo-soul-type tracks,such as "Baby I'm Your Fiend" (a song that Erykah Badu would have killed for).But Teena doesn't completely abandon the funk.While there's nothing here as fast and funky as "Behind The Groove" or "Square Biz",tracks like "Off The Chain" and "I Got You" will have you dancing and bobbing your head.

NWF said: