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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Debut, August 12, 2004
Teedra Moses's debut album is a sexy urban record with great production and creative writing. One might say a throwback to Mary J Blige (the banging "Out of my head") and even 80's r&b siren Cherelle (the suggestive "Caution")
The lead single "Be your girl" is a laid back groove about a woman going for what she wants. Moses's vocals are similar to an Amerie, but more competent. Her silky duet with Raphael Saadiq "Take me back" is also a nicely crafted piece. Saadiq knows how to work magic with female vocalists.
The confrontational "You better tell her" finds Moses taking a more direct approach regarding a man she is after. The title track is also a winner and tells a message that we all better have a good time while we're still living. Other standouts are the slow jam "No more tears" and the Jadakiss duet "You'll never find (a better woman)"
This great debut by the west coast vocalist is sure to keep you interested weather you play it in your jeep or put in on while you're taking a bubble bath. A funky, laid back, jazzy urban set "Complex Simplicity" is worth your purchase.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Complex Simplicity, August 24, 2004
I honestly have to say that I didn't have any idea who Teedra Moses was until I saw her video for "Be Your Girl" on BET's Midnight Love. You can easily say that she is a nice looking woman, but I couldn't help but wonder was there any talent behind the beautiful face. One of my friends downloaded a song of hers "You'll Never Find (A Better Woman)" with Jadakiss and after hearing how tight that song was, I decided to purchase "Complex Simplicity".
"Be Your Girl" is a nice midtempo song. The video was nice, but the song was something that you can listen to more than once whether the radio plays the song or not. "You'll Never Find ( A Better Woman)" is my favorite song on this CD. Teedra's main producer Paul Poli definitely did her justice with the beat on this track. Jadakiss adds a nice verse to the song as well and this song should be the next single from this CD. I have to agree with reviewer "Kent Browning" because after I listened to this CD twice, Amerie was the first thing that came to my mind, because their voices sound similar. However, although I did enjoy Amerie's "All I Have" CD, you can tell that Teedra played more of a role with what went on with her debut. "Caution" is a nice uptempo jam that will have you trying to find the nearest roller skating rink, with its 80s feel to it. "No More Tears" has Teedra wanting to just chill and be able to deal with the normal things in life and be happy without having to deal with a man that is constantly letting her down and breaking her heart. This track samples one of my favrorite Outkast songs of all time, "Spottieottiedopalicious". After detailing how she doesn't want to deal with the heartache, she then wants a love of her own on "Rescue Me". This would be my favorite slow jam on the CD because the song is well written if it wasn't for "Take Me" with Raphael Saadiq. Teedra and Raphael go back and forth during this song, exchanging verses and lines as Raphael's fans will want to wish for a new CD or will have to go back and listen to their "Instant Vintage" and "All Hits At The House Of Blues" CDs after listening to "Take Me".
Since Teedra Moses is on TVT Records, you knew that Lil Jon would show up on this CD somewhere. He produces "You Better Tell Her", which is an alright track but compared to the other songs on this CD, Lil Jon should have just kept working on his "Crunk Juice" CD. Don't get me wrong the track is OK, but doesn't do justice to the rest of "Complex Simplicity". "Outta My Head" also has an old school feel to it, which will take you back to songs in the past from TLC, Mary J and even Destiny's Child, yes Beyonce and 'em.
"Caught Up" is definitely in my Top 5 on this CD as Teedra and Paul Poli put together an infectious midtempo jam that even compares to something that my favorite Mary J would do. "Last Day" has Teedra speaking on if today was her last day what she would do. She goes into everything in detail but the concept works again for Paul Poli & Teedra. "I Think Of You (Shirley's Song) is a touching tribute to Teedra's mom who passes away. She has a short intro explaining that she was supposed to sing at her mother's funeral, but she was unable to do so because she was so "choked up".
Overall, "Complex Simplicity" shows that Teedra Moses is definitely a talented new artist. Although her music compares to Mary J. Blige and Amerie, who came before her, Teedra displays that she belongs in the r&b game. If you are into r&b music, then I would say that this is a good buy for you.
James' Top 5
1) You'll Never Find (A Better Woman) w/Jadakiss
2) Be Your Girl
3) Take Me w/Raphael Saadiq
4) Caught Up
5) I Think Of You (Shirley's Song)
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's not complex, It's simply the best!, October 29, 2004
Almost every review on this board has said the same thing, so you already know that this album is great and you need to go pick it up right now. I particularly like the songs that throw it back to the 80's R&B that I miss so much! Unfortunately R&B right now is all about beats and overproduction, it's all so mundane and boring. Out of that comes Teedra, a breath of fresh air. My favorite songs are Caution, Complex Simplicity, and Caught Up. When I listen to those songs my mind immediately drifts off to the late 80's with all it's incredible music and I can't help but long for days gone by. It's unfortunate that's she's not getting the promotion she deserves. But I've seen other artists (ex: Maxwell) sell out shows with hardly any support from radio/MTV/BET. So fans/admirers keep supporting her, be her "street team" and tell other people about her music. I had never heard of her, not even one song, but the sheer enthusiasm of the guy working at the record store compelled me to buy it and I wasn't disappointed. I just hope that her current "under the radar" status doesn't deter her or TVT records so that they would try to change her sound, because it's obvious by the amount/content of reviews on this board, she has created a base of life-long fans! Much respect to Teedra!
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