Track Listing

1. The Pressure
2. Can’t Last a Day
3. Baby I Love You
4. Ear Candy 101
5. Lover’s Lane
6. Marry Me
7. You Baby
8. Milk N’ Honey
9. What U Got 4 Me
10. Rovleta’s Jass
11. Congo Square
12. Harlem Blues
13. Black Cool
14. Ms. Coretta
15. Soldier Boy
16. The Rose N’ Thorn

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9481 in Music
• Released on: 2009-07-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 74 minutes

CD Description
Veteran R&B songstress Teena Marie, best known for her string of pop crossover hits in the early `80s ("Square Biz", "It Must Be Magic", "Lovergirl"), has never let fickle music trends dictate her creative output, even as she's undergone several artistic makeovers since her popularity initially began to wane in the early `90s. The singer's 13th album, CONGOSQUARE (named for a historic New Orleans site where 19th-century slaves were allowed to sing and dance on Sundays), marks a new chapter for Teena Marie, completing the circle on all her past influences, from southern soul and jazz to classic funk and hip-hop.

Customer Reviews

TEENA MARIE - CONGO SQUARE
No other artist, living or dead, male or female, white or black has been able to touch me in the way this woman can. She will be my first and last preference always. She is the incomparable and idiosyncratic, Teena Marie. Whether crying, hollering, sustaining or whispering her notes, this lady is the purveyor of excellence when it comes to baring the soul. It's quite simple really...when she sings, I believe her. She has always taken me with her; I'm absorbed in whatever unique libretto she chooses to express, and Congo Square is no exception to the rule.

Not an easy thing to stay current and maintain the integrity that your original fan-base demand, but Teena Marie has almost managed to pull it off single-handedly by delivering an album incorporating cuts, both live and electronic. In a climate where her contemporaries have all but disappeared (Stephanie Mills, Cheryl Lynn et al) and the music Industry puts you out to pasture if you're over the age of 25, Ms Brokert is showing no signs of slowing down. What Marie has always had on her side is that she is also a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and arranger; she's not waiting around for anyone to write for her.
Congo Square is Teena's 13th album and marks 30 years plus in the record business. After much press and hoopla, an avid Marie disciple like myself waited patiently with bated breath for any morsel the Ivory Queen of soul would throw my way, especially as this was going to be her `jazz' album with collaborations that were rumoured to include the likes of Nancy Wilson and George Duke. Not sure what happened, but in the end Nancy was nowhere to be seen.

Teena Marie is a vocalist that could be singing about a can of baked beans and make you cry; she's a dynamic and dramatic chocolate mezzo-soprano. I have to admit it, but the first time I played it I was a little disappointed. It wasn't until the 3rd or 4th play did Congo Square reveal its treasure. It's like a good wine; it needs a little time to breath before you get the full flavour. That voice is still as rich as ever and anyone who's ever seen Marie live will know that the studio versions are always tamer than the live ones. Teena sounds a little subdued in places as though she isn't singing on full voice or carrying her long notes like she used to. Die-hards like myself are dying for those minute long suspended vibrato laden notes ala `Casanova Brown', jazz scatting as in `Sunny Skies' and the histrionic soprano notes found at the end of `We've Got To Stop'. It's intentional though, staying current means that you're writing tracks that are less musically dynamic and therefore don't require the full vocal range as you run the risk of sounding over the top. This album is literally split into the old and the new, much like Sapphire and parts of La Dona. However, the writing here is as fantastic as ever; the melodies and hooks are superb throughout and lyrically Marie seems to be heading back to her former self, notably on the brilliant 'Rose N'Thorn'. Complete with a shimmering glissando harp intro, 'Rose N' Thorn' is Marie's ode to Sarah Vaughan. Marie is in fine voice on this piece, and takes her time delivering every note. It's like you're in the studio right there with her in the dark. Paul Riser's string arrangements here are simply sublime, and very reminiscent of an Etta James or Ray Charles sixties jazz standard. This is my favourite track on the whole album and is indicative of the genius Marie is capable of. For me, if this were Marie's `jazz' album, I would have loved to hear even more jazz on it like this. Howard Hewitt's welcome contribution on `Lover's Lane' is like a long overdue collaboration, as his vocal ability blends perfectly with Marie's and Faith Evan's husky tone weaves perfectly in and out on `Can't Last A Day'. Other stand out cuts include `You Baby' with its `Got to Be Real' type horn stabs and `Milk and Honey' featuring new moniker daughter, Rose Lebeau.

Any fair review should include cons as well as pros. On the down side, the fly in the ointment for me is really the rapping that almost threatens to ruin the wonderfully melodic `Baby I love you' and fragments `Soldier ' whilst jarring `The Pressure' (shame she didn't include the unreleased original version of which doesn't have the fake strings and is like a more tuneful, funky sister track to the Summer/ Moroder `Love to Love You Baby'). Besides, considering Marie's is down in history as being the first female rapper in R& B (Blondie's 'Rapture' not included), the rapping sounds unnecessary and old; it really would've been best left for a collaboration with the types of vocal deliveries executed by Meshell NdegeOcello or JayZ instead of MC Lyte and Gail Gotti, or omitted altogether! As time will tell, the cheap drum machines and synth strings Marie has employed in some of the more modern pieces, prove neither match nor substitute for the real thing, and upon listening to the real live rhythm sections on the thought provoking `Ms Coretta' and the simply smoky `Harlem Blues', you'll know exactly to what I am referring.

The inclusion of her still unreleased `The Perfect Feeling' would have complemented Congo Square perfectly for me, but either way, without a doubt, this is an excellent album that substantiates that Teena Marie is here to stay. She continues to be one of the most relevant, interesting and under-rated musicians of all time.

Sheer Genuis
I have been an avid Lady Tee fann since she came bursting into my club scene, I was so moved by this CD - one of her finest to date. 'Lovers lane', 'can't last a day without your love', 'the presure, 'Ms Coretta'and just about every track on this CD takes you on a journey from the great historical figures of our time, to recent isues such as the flood in new orleans 'harlem blues' - to men going to war in 'soldier boy'. And as for 'congo Square' - 'play that piano boy' - is a 'grower' - so glad you found your roots Lady Tee.

Awesome CD - and for anyone who thinks she needs to stick to her same style is very wrong - Teena's ability has always been to be true to her style whilst remaining contemporay.

Listening to 'marry' me and 'the rose and thorn' as well as 'lover's lane' makes me well up everytime. Teena you are a musical legend and that you have refused to be led - but rather do the leading - is commendable.

I loved Sapphire and especially La Dona - but this is the one...............any age will enjoy this - my 15 and 16 year old love 'ear candy' and the 'the pressure' and i love just bout everything..........as you rightly say Teena - what more can you give a child than milk and honey - and apart from your beautiful Rose - you have enriched my life with your music.............. can't wait for another release.

My one and only criticism is that i wished 'Harlem Blue' was a full length track.

Buy it - a must have for anyone

"LADY T" RETURNS: A FANTASTIC, STAR-STUDDED PERFORMANCE BY TEENA MARIE
Five HUGE Stars!! STUNNING performances!! Multi-Grammy-nominated singer, composer, arranger, producer, multi-instrumentalist Teena Marie has served up one of the best R&B/soul performances of her star-spangled musical career. Into her third decade of soulful music, this platinum-selling artist just keeps going and going. And she doesn't hold back on quantity, serving up a whopping 16 new original songs, including the teaser "Can't Last A Day" that generated a lot of pre-release sales on iTunes and landed the CD in Amazon's Top 10 pre-orders. This one should appeal to a broad spectrum of radio stations, including hip-hop, jazz, and 'quiet storm' as she goes from R&B to funk to hip-hop to rap to jazz to blues, and New Orleans roots which she discovered are a part of her family tree: so "Congo Square", a New Orleans historical area in the 'French Quarter', comes from that fact, but the CD is dedicated to her daughter Alia Rose Le Beau who performs on "Milk N' Honey". The CD, which she produced for Stax Records, has the highest of production values including some impressive photographs and each song under "Alia Rose Music" is dedicated to famous singers (Smokey, Marvin, John Lennon, Rick, etc..), social giants, and "For all the Soldiers".

The 'best of the best' begins with the overpowering & lyrical performance of the title song "Congo Square" with keyboard wizard George Duke as guest in a sizzling performance that went straight to my iPod. The intimate love ballad "Lover's Lane" is an amazing 5-minute duet with Howard Hewitt that recalls the glory days of the duets between Teena and the late Rick James. "Ms. Coretta" is a marvelous song with commentary on Dr King's wife. "Baby I Love You" is a sweet love ballad with lots of interaction with the background chorus. "The Pressure" has MC Lyte singing and rapping with 'Lady T' as they pour the heat on. "Can't Last A Day" has Teena and Faith Evans in a sensational performance. "Marry Me" is a riveting love ballad dealing with 11 years of patient waiting. "Soldier Boy", with Shirley Murdock guesting, brings the reality of today's wars into focus in a wonderful song that is dedicated to the military overseas. Then there are the techno-linguistics of "Milk N' Honey" with "T" and featuring Gail Gotti & Teena's daughter under her performance name of "Rose Le Beau", to whom Teena dedicates the song and passes "the torch". 30 years into her career Teena Marie's voice is as rangy and magical as ever with the wisdom of the years, her instrumental and composing skills are as sharp as ever, and she can rock and swing with the best of them. 'Lady T' has stayed 'in the soul pocket' her entire career and longtime fans have hung with her and will probably love this CD. Hopefully, the younger fans will catch up to her because this artist deserves much more recognition. My Highest Recommendation! Five BIG Stars!! (This review is based on an iTunes Plus download with digital booklet.)