The Loss of another great R&B Star, Teena Marie Dies at 54

The unexpected loss of singer Teena Marie at age 54, is hitting R&B fans hard today. Some hits, from  this great ivory queen of soul, brings back wonderful summertime memories of my teen years.  While she’s gone far too soon, she left behind an impressive body of work that spanned several eras in music.

As we all send our condolences to Teena Marie’s friends, family, and fans, here’s a list of five essential tunes from throughout her career. Listen and remember how “real” music used to feel.

“Fire and Desire” (1980)
A year after releasing her debut album on a division of Motown Records, Marie cut this romantic duet with mentor Rick James. He runs the show until her passionate lead vocals come in around the 4:00 mark. After that, this is Teena Marie’s song all the way.

“Square Biz” (1981)
“Everybody get up!” Marie shouts at the start of one of her first major hits as a solo artist. Listening to the rest of the unstoppable upbeat tune without grooving along as she commands is simply impossible. And don’t miss her sassy rap verse at the end!

“Lovergirl” (1984)
As the ’80s went on, Marie’s career kept getting bigger. Signing to pop powerhouse Epic Records — home of another famous Motown alum, Michael Jackson — she released a string of successful singles. Among them was this sexy R&B-funk-rock jam, which quickly became her signature song.

“Ooh La La La” (1988)
This breezy ballad pairs Marie’s exquisite wail with a smooth saxophone part. Eight years after it first became a hit, “Ooh La La La” returned to the airwaves when the Fugees sampled it for the chorus of their “Fu-Gee-La.” It was just one more sign of Lady T’s continued relevance.

“I’m Still in Love” (2004)
Although she’s best remembered for her output in earlier decades, Marie mounted a comeback in the 2000s, recording three albums with New Orleans rap label Cash Money Records. This single, a loose fashioning of Al Green’s classic “I’m Still in Love With You,” proved she could play the role of a streetwise contemporary R&B star quite convincingly.

Some content from EW.com

From me to you…

SERIES DEBUT BY NATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Coming in January 2011!

REAL WIFEYS
On the Grind

 

By Meesha Mink

CASH RULES EVERYTHING AROUND HER AND GOLDIE WILL USE ANYTHING TO GET IT. . . .

In the hood every day is about struggle and survival, and no one understands that more than twenty-two-year-old Kaeyla “Goldie” Dennis. So when the affair she’s been having with a wealthy married man comes crashing to an end, Goldie doesn’t waste any time getting back on her grind. Her new hustle? Running a strip club where she also happens to be the main attraction. Pretty soon she’s knee-deep in the skin game with more money than she ever imagined. Enough to bring more girls on and even hire a security detail. But as the saying goes, More money, more problems. When one of her dancers becomes the victim of a vicious assault, Goldie must decide whether to remain silent and continue her lucrative business or tell the truth and lose everything she’s worked for. Her decision will test her devotion to the motto she seems to live by: Get Rich or Die Trying . . .

Real Wifeys is the first installment of a fierce and gritty new series by the coauthor of one of the classics of street fiction, Desperate Hoodwives.

 The Nationally Bestselling Hoodwives series co-authored by Meesha Mink, changed the face of urban fiction in the way that the Coldest Winter Ever and True to the Game laid the foundations for the genre. Now Mink returns with a gritty new urban fiction series that is sure to bring the heat.  Fierce and uncensored, REAL WIFEYS: On the Grind, the first book in the REAL WIFEYS series, is an intimate look at the scandalous life of a “wifey” who uses her sex appeal and street smarts to strike it big on the streets of Newark.

LIBRARY JOURNAL PICK OF THE MONTH

“Mink gives Kaeyla a snappy and profane voice laced with sarcasm… Female readers will love her, but men may want to check their own woman’s purse for taser wires. Load your shelves with multiple copies.”

PRAISE FROM PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

“[The] first disturbing installment of a gritty new urban series with a down and dirty intensity that’s heartbreaking given Goldie’s age and circumstances.”

Stay tuned for Meesha day on my site. She will be my quest blogger and we’ll be giving away a copy of her new release, REAL WIFEYS: On the Grind, the first book in the REAL WIFEYS series. Don’t miss out.