Customer Reviews

Lady T

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

People hold on.... there will be a re-release of this cd in remastered expanded edition coming soon from Hip-O Select, just like the newly remastered expanded re-release of Wild & Peaceful that came out in 2005. So don't spend hundreds of dollars for the old Lady T unmastered version when you can get the new one for around $20. Hip-O Select will also be releasing a cd of unreleased material dating from 1983 that she recorded for Motown, but was never released commercially til now. So for all you big Lady T fans, hold on, the best is yet to come!

Now I'm as big a Teena fan as anyone else BUT $289 for used Lady T cds???!!! Circuit City sells copies of this cd all day long for $9.99.

Though it is true that LADY T, the second album from Teena Marie, came between two that are considered classics it in no way means this one is in no way a solid effort. There is much magic here on LADY T and two of her most beloved songs fall on this album - the smacking disco funk jam BEHIND THE GROOVE and the amazing self penned romantic ALADDIN'S LAMP on which her supreme vocal range soars effortlessly. The whole album is impressive and lots of fun but ballads do reign supreme. CAN IT BE LOVE, NOW THAT I HAVE YOU and WHY DID I FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU all showcase the amazing talents of Teena Marie. These ballads are in no way generic. All are soulful romantic heartfelt tracks that truly show again her range but also her immense emotive ability. Every word sung is from the heart. TOO MANY COLORS is another soulful slow track self penned by Teena that shows her at her prime.

The front of the album shows Lady T glamorous in a beautiful gown and the back shows her as a tom boy. Both sides of her are definitely shown on this album. The other funk tracks YOU'RE ALL THE BOOGIE I NEED and YOUNG GIRL IN LOVE though not as strong as BEHIND THE GROOVE still show how even with uptempo tracks she never looses her r&b, soul and truly innovative style. This cd release from HIP-O Select is a beautiful presentation of this album. The remastering is amazing and there are extensive liner notes and 3 bonus tracks of versions of BEHIND THE GROOVE. Two have never been released. This cd should in no way be overlooked. For every Teena Marie fan it should be a must but it is also a necessity for true music fans of soul/r@b. Teena Marie was not just a good singer. She was one of those truly masterful artists that come along very rarely. Her voice was an instrument in itself and she understood music in a truly gifted way. Be it a ballad, hard funk or playful r@b Teena Marie showcased every song with her unique soulful style and vocal range. Highly recommended.

Length:: 2:05 Mins

I finally got my hands on a copy!!! My search for this disc reminds me of the day I was wandering around a record store with a Teena Marie collection in my hands after having sworn up & down that since I already had all of her albums & cassettes, I WAS NOT GOING TO BUY THE CD'S TOO! But there I was - unfortunately it was also Christmas time and I had a Whispers collection in my other hand for a friend. Well the friend won out and I put this cd & her WILD & PEACEFUL cd back fully intending to come back and get them but when I did, they were sold out and out of print so all these years later I finally bit the bullet and bought a copy on ebay. I hope that it's a legit copy but when Hip-O finally releases a remaster, I'll absolutely buy it to support one of my favorite artists and the one who made me realize at a young age that it does not matter what color a singer is, if he or she touches my heart with their songs, I'll support them.

This album is quintessential Teena mixing uptempo funk tracks with soaring ballads. Since the more popular tracks are on the greatest hits albums I own, I truly bought this for the ballads that are lesser known like: NOW THAT I HAVE YOU, ALADDIN'S LAMP, CAN IT BE LOVE, TOO MANY COLORS & WHY DID I HAVE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU.

I can't recommend it enough to fans and the curious alike. It's an excellent transition album that shows her growth as an artist from her debut to this album and I'm so glad that I got my hands on a copy!

As usual Lady T's releases for Motown(Gordy Label) were always top notch funky soul classics. Even the slow jams are hot! She is a very talented song writer and blessed with a great set of pipes! Teena's music always filled the dance floor. If you can purchase this disc (for a reasonable price) get it you won't be let down. I was able to purchase mine on an auction site for 12.00 so I'm very happy after seeing the prices here.So let's all get "Behind The Groove" and partaay!

'Lady T' is Teena Marie's second release.Her 1979 debut album was a great demonstration of her vocal skills but was lacking in the songwriting department.Luckily (if sadly) Teena emmerged here from the tight production grip of Rick James and took over much of the songwriting duties herself,working with producer Richard Randolph (widower of Minnie Ripperton-to whom this album is dedicated.The result is an album that has alot more flavor and vitality then her debut.
Teena gets things started with the pounding
"Behind The Groove",one her her most verulant uptempo tunes ever-filled with deep bass and howling horns over a beat that never takes it's eye off the one!The ballads included on this album are a vast improvement over her first-"Now That I Have You","Can It Be Love" and "Why Did I Have To Fall In Love With You" all merge pop-R&B hooks and choruses with Marie's fluid,
emmotionally charged delivery-the result being the concoction of her classic ballad style.The deeply soulful and midtempo
"Aladdin's Lamp" features some of the finest singing and writing
I've heard her do,plus terrific piano work."Lonely Desire" and
"Young Girl In Love" are both extra lean funk grooves built around phat,pounding bass synthesizers and Lady T's vocal magic.
The album ends with "Too Many Colors",in which Teena Marie gently discusses racial harmony with a questioning child-it's a beautiful little number set to chilling orchestration.
Again it's important to state that 'Lady T' is a heads and tails artistic improvement compared to the previous years 'Wild And Peaceful'.She would release another album in 1980 that was yet even more stylistically diverse and
compedant then this,which is alot to say considering the extra high quality of this album.Wheather it be because she was desperate to avoid sophmore slump or she'd stopped trying to be a Rick James soundalike this is a major leap forward in terms of overall quality.The material is more soulful and funky-even if it does eschew the usual jazz and Brazillian musical influences she usually has.This is one of the sure fire reasons why Teena Marie is an oft forgotton candadite for the best new
female soul singer of the 80's,regardless of race or color.And taken with that the special qualities of albums like this.

Can it be love? is one of my all time favorite songs! I love Lady T, have since her Wild and Peaceful debut! I've hunted down and repurchased every album I had in CD form, she is the centerpiece of my entire collection...or should I say the root of my soul collection! No one sings like this lady..and I do mean no one!

Now $289 is a little steep, considering I got my copy of this Cd for $4.99 at a CD warehouse! This Cd in its entirety is superb! Every single song!

This second project from Teena Marie really had me hooked on her. I was lucky enough to get this a few years back with two unreleased songs on it. Then wham out of print again. So of course even though I have two copies of the Lady T cd when I saw it was back in print again with the original version and two remixes of Behind The Groove I said hell I have to grab this before it goes out of print again. I bought two copies of Lady T, two copies of Irons In The Fire and It Must Be Magic. My opinion is don't miss out on anything from Teena. Get it while it's still in print and trust me this lady was blessed with talent and a set of pipes. RIP Teena!! Wish you were still here with us as I know you had many years in your heart to keep singing and making your fans happy!!

I obtained my copy of this cd (way below the now ridiculous asking price by some sellers) just a few nights ago.It is true, that this one time available cd is now in the stratosphere in terms of price on the used and out-of-print market. ...

This was an album that I remember having on vinyl years ago and thought it was a good album but not a great album by the late Lady T. Well, it took me years and age to realize just what I was missing and did not understand as a teenager.The stuff we hear today on the radio only passes for hip and marketable fodder---but to really,really find artists of today having a single ounce of what this woman had in all her multi-talented glory is a very hard feat to do...There are exceptions, but you have to really search for them. The music industry is so corporate driven,today---If it doesn't produce artless drones, than, it stifles the true talent...I digress...

"Lady T" covers so many colors of the soulful and funk spectrum. I can strongly hear elements of jazz and gospel in certain tracks,as well. The uptempo tracks to me translate more into funky dance-soul than disco (yes, even the opening cut, "Behind The Groove"). Throughout the entire album, there is no filler; Every song stands strong on it's own. The slower ballads are simply captivating as Teena could really sing her heart and soul out on said type of music.The only sound advice I can give is that if anyone out there, casual fan or die hard fan of this late artist's work comes across a copy, GRAB IT(hopefully, at a reasonable price)!