I am totally fascinated by Teena Marie and after listening to her new album called “Congo Square” I am now convinced that after all is said & done, she will become recognized as not only one of the most popular artists of her generation, but also as one of the most innovative in an arena not previously known for its innovation.

Of course like most people I was introduced to her in the late 1970’s via her association with Rick James. And of course I was a big fan along with everyone else of her recorded output in the 1980’s. Lots of hit records in an updated funk style that owed as much to Minnie Riperton as much as it did to Rick James. It was funky, erotic and playful all at the same time, in a very entertaining manner. Most of all Teena injected her personality (even a litte bit of rap on “Square Biz”) into her songs in a way that endeared her to her audience of funkateers, who by now were no longer teenagers, but were now in their late 20’s/early 30’s. Of course these people were no longer called “funkateers” in the 1980’s. They were now considered to be the core of an audience that was now called “Urban Contemporary” and also the target audience of a similarly named nationwide radio format with the same name.

Today that radio format is called “Urban Adult Contemporary” and honestly most of the people who called themselves “funkateers” during the 1970’s think that this format is horrible. That’s because neither the format nor the music has grown with the audience. In fact much of the format and the music insult the audience. However the “Urban AC” format continues to be financially successful because it’s audience feels that it has no alternative. Much of the music is either “bad new stuff” from older artists or “bad new stuff” from newer artists. And as a result the audience has to “settle.”

Fast forward to 2009 and the album “Congo Square”, Teena Marie has done something for her audience that is totally unexpected, and completely welcome. Imagine if you could take the very best of 1980’s “soul/funk” and pretend that the ravages of rap music had not completely rendered “soul/funk” music impotent during the 1990’s? Imagine instead that it had continued to advance musically along it’s projected path starting in about 1985, continuing till 2009. Imagine how good that music would sound. It would be funky, it would be erotic, it would be personal, it would have substance and it would connect with you and your lifestyle. And it would be delivered to you by someone that you feel totally comfortable with, who had also endured the very same up’s & downs offered by post affirmative action America.

“Congo Suare” is really two albums for the price of one.

Album #1 (tracks 1-9) is one of the best “Urban Adult Contemporary” albums that has been produced in 15 years. One of the reasons why it sounds so good is because Teena Marie knows her audience and is a master of knowing what their expectations are. She knows that what they want is something that is based on 1980’s soul/funk, but she also knows that they want something that sounds fresh, but at the same time speaks to them on an extremely personal level. She delivers for her audience a soul music sonic masterpiece in a manner that someone like Alicia Keyes could never deliver, because Alicia Keyes doesn’t yet have the “battle scars.” And she does it in a way that respects the past as she brings it up to date.

Album #2 (tracks 10-16) is something special and Teena Marie is possibly the ONLY white artist who could successfully pull it off. Album #2 (tracks 10-16) from a lyrical content perspective, sounds more like something Gil Scott-Heron or Sly Stone or the Last Poets or the Neville Brothers or Nina Simone might do. It’s in effect as if she is saying, “Black folks, YALL need to sit down, shut up and let Lady Tee take yall to school for a while about your own history, cuz yall are getting ready to screw yourselves.” Teena Marie does indeed take us to school as she addresses topics like the true meaning of “Congo Square” in music history, the true meaning of the Blues, an ode to Mrs. Corretta Scott King, the impact of soldiers separated from their families by war.

This is all done in a jazzy/funky/bluesy style that will remind you of the late 70’s/early 80’s style of Lonnie Liston Smith or Donald Byrd or Freddie Hubbard, etc. She is doing nothing short of telling Black folks that “regardless of how badly you are being treated by others, absolutely nobody else besides you is responsible for passing your values & your history on to your children, so stop passing the buck and start doing what you & I BOTH know YOU are supposed to be doing, before it’s too late.” No other white artist could even conceive of getting away with this besides Teena Marie. Here is a big clue as to why. A few years ago I attended a Teena Marie concert at the Dell East in Philadelphia, where she literally “tore the roof off the sucka.” The crowd was transfixed/transformed by the sheer power of her music. After observing this I went around and interviewed several fans, asking them the question; “How come yall love Teena Marie so much, she’s a white woman…” One 40 year old Black woman answered me like this; “Teena Marie isn’t white, she’s one of us…”

The Pressure 5:32
Can’t Last a Day 5:06
Baby I Love You 4:58
Ear Candy 4:48
Lover’s Lane 5:08
Marry Me 5:32
You Baby 4:16
Milk N’ Honey 5:27
What U Got 4 Me 4:43
Rovleta’s Jass
Congo Square 4:55
Harlem Blues 5:18
Black Cool 2:00
Ms. Coretta 5:20
Soldier Boy 4:26
The Rose N’ Thorn 5:30

Teena Marie Music and DVDs are available at

http://www.earwaxonline.com

2009 is certainly shaping up to be quite an interesting year….

1. AIG -
Is an acronym which stands for “American International Group.” With such a nebulous & generic name is it any wonder that we have no idea what they are doing with our taxpayer dollars? These people had betta watch out. The kind of stuff they (and others in the Financial Services Industry) are doing is the same kind of stuff that got Marie Anttonette’s head chopped off during the French Revolution. I wonder just how much patience the American people are going to show?

2. HARDCORE SOUL MUSIC -
Yes Virginia, it’s coming back and it’s coming back STRONG. Stay tuned for artists like Leela James, Jill Sharpe

3. BERKS JAZZ FEST -
As we get closer to this event, I get more and more excited. I’ll be
there for both weekends along with a full staff of Soul-Patrol reporters covering a truly sick number of great jazz, blues, funk & soul shows. Go here and look at the lineup:

www.berksjazzfest.com/ticketedevents.htm

4. DATELINE LOS ANGELES – Are you a “Fast Food Funkateer?” Well if you are in Los Angeles please do not be alarmed if you are sitting down eating your WHOPPER or VEGGIE DELITE and you hear my voice coming thru the PA system (stay tuned)

5. DEREK MCKEITH -
I do want you to check out this interview (Windows Media Required)

Derek McKeith Interview

Derek McKeith is one of our best up & coming “Black Rockers” and we talk about just what that means from a past, present and future perspective. Not only does Derek have a great new album (set for release this month), that we have reviewed right here on Soul-Patrol, but we have been playing it over on Nu Soul @ RadioIO.com and getting great response over there.
More Derek McKeith Here

As you will see from this interview, Derek McKeith has also got some pretty interesting things to say about the state of “Rock n’ Roll” and it’s place in Black History.

Derek McKeith Part 3

The interview took place in NYC @ the popular spot Sweet Rhythm, just prior to Dereck’s SLAMMIN show, which I also emceed. In attendance as well that night were was Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe (Reverse Spin Records), Al Goodman (Ray, Goodman & Brown), Ken Webb, Allison Williams, Vaughan Harper and actress, Sheila Frazier(Derek’s mom) and others. You can view the interview at the following link:

Big up’s to our friend Ken Webb for producing this piece. If you go to Ken Webb’s site at the following link:

www.kenwebb.com/kenwebbshow.htm You will see links not only to this inteview, but to a whole bunch of different kinds of video content that Ken has been producing lately, everything from Jazz to Soul and yes Virginia, even “Black Rock”….Check it all out and let me know whatcha think????

6. JAZZ, ROCK N’ ROLL & A WHOLE LOTTA SOUL -
I will be teaching a 3 part non credit course on the history of American Popular Music (Rock n’ Roll, Jazz and R&B) at Burlington County College next month. (stay tuned)

7. THANKS TO JIMI BLEU @ WFDU FM 89.1 (Listen Here)
I was a guest on his show this morning. We discussed Women & Blues Music, Berks Jazz Fest & the Carnegie Hall Black Music Honors Program, Bettye LaVette, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Alberta Hunter, Bessie Smith, Leela James, Beyonce and of course played some great music. I Tweeted during the interview and you can read my Tweets at

www.twitter.com/kozmicfunk

8. JOHN LEE HOOKER – is still what I wanna be like whenever I grow up.

(boom, boom, boom, boom)