Twelve years ago today we bid farewell to 'The Ivory Queen of
Soul', Mary Christine Brockert aka Teena Marie aged 54.
A tribute was done at the time, so for background info and Discography
visit the
Teena Marie
post. One album to add to that post is a posthumous release "Beautiful"
in 2013 which, coincidentally, includes a cover of a song, "Give Me Your
Love" featuring her daughter Alia Rose, written and recorded by another legendary artist who departed on
Boxing Day (1999), the great Curtis Mayfield.
Below is a playlist of some her greatest recordings. Thirteen of her
fourteen albums are available on Spotify. The only one missing is
her tenth album, "Passion Play", from 1994 which was self released.
The playlist is rather long, 50 tracks, which highlights the amount of
quality material she left us with, and many others had to be left out including a few from "First Class Love: Rare Tee".
A soulful house tune released on Friday (2 Dec '22) by
HRNS (which appears to be a first releases under this
banner, presumably an abbreviation of Harness?) titled "Teena's Cry" remixed by David Harness and Tedd Patterson.
It intrigued me with Teena obviously being a reference to Teena Marie as
it samples portions of her vocals from "Casanova Brown" an album only
track from "Robbery" (1983). It will be the 12th anniversary of her, far too early, demise on Boxing Day (26 Dec) aged 54. A tribute was posted HERE.
It's released on Moulton Music which I initially suspected was related to
the great Tom Moulton but it is a San Francisco label run by Homero
Espinosa aka DJ Huey.
Anyway, it's a good enough excuse to post Teena Marie's modern soul/rare groove classic!
Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
You will instantly recognise the sample in this (Teena Marie "De Ja Vu
(I've Been Here Before)" written by Rick James from her 1979 debut album
"Wild And Peaceful" for any who don't!).
"Good" is taken from Blair Perkins' debut, self-titled album released on Friday (17 Sep 2021).
He is a new artist from L.A. who, to date, has released two singles, both
this year and both appear on the album ('Bout It, Bout It" and "Care 4
Me").
The majority of the album leans more towards R&B so I have chosen
just to feature this track.
I have also posted Teena Marie's superb original if you haven't had the privilege of listening to it before. I posted the full "Wild And Peaceful" album to commemorate the tenth anniversary of her departure in early
January and also did a
tribute
to her when she died in 2010 on, the now archived,
Modern Soul blog
which was imported here last year.
Click icons below for further information or to connect with the
artist.
I'm a little late with this, but it is now 10 years since we lost Lady Tee ... 'The Ivory Queen Of Soul' Teena Marie (Mary Christine Brockert) on Boxing Day (26th Dec) 2010. I did a big post on her at the time here.
I bought her debut album 'Wild And Peaceful' on import when it was released in 1979, blind, but mainly for 'I'm Just A Sucked For Your Love', and was 'blown away' by the deep and soulful ballads on the album and continued to buy all her albums.
To commemorate her untimely passing I've posted a link to her debut album which is a classic and still stands the test of time over 40 years later!
You've just got to listen to the complete B side i.e. tracks 4,5 & 6 ... is there a better full side to an album? If it doesn't move you then you are obviously on the wrong blog as this is most definately soul music at it's finest!
The link is to the expanded edition which has 3 additional tracks, an instrumental version of 'Sucker' (released on B side of 12" release), 'You Got The Love' (scheduled for release on an unreleased album of the same name in 1983) and an extended version of Ed Cobb's 'Every Little Bit Hurts' originally recorded by Brenda Holloway on Tamla in 1964 (and recorded by many others including Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight & Alicia Keys). It is a superb version which features Rick James. She released a shorter version on 'I Need Your Loving' compilation in 1994 which didn't feature Rick James and this longer version is only availabe on the 2005 expanded edition CD of Wild And Peaceful released by Hip-O Select which seems to very hard to find now as only a limited edition of 5,000 were produced, and sells for over £50 if you can find one.
As a 'taster', if you're not familiar with her early work, here's De Ja Vu (I've Been Here Before), written by Rick James, which was also released on the B side to 'I'm Just A Sucker' on the 45 issue.
In these times of coronavirus lockdown here's a song of hope. A superb cover of the Donny Hathaway's 1973 classic performed by Chance Hayden (guitar) and the class act Jarrod Lawson. It is taken from Chance Hayden's 2018 album Get Somethin' available on BandCamp. Chance Hayden played guitar of Lawson's 'Live At The BBC' EP on Dome in 2014. I've taken the opportunity of posting several other versions including Hathaway's original and a live version by Stevie Wonder, along with 'the governor' Bobby Womack, American Idol winner Ruben Studdard, Harvey Mason, Park Place Feat. Donnie Williams, a live version by Jennifer Hudson @ The Whitehouse, a short clip of Teena Marie live in San Diego, Corrine Bailey Rae & Jon Batiste and Alicia Keys.
Donny Hathaway [1973] - Someday We'll All Be Free [Atco 45-6928]
... and the original.
Park Place Feat. Donnie Williams [2011] - Someday We'll All Be Free [Chump Change CCR 1127-7] A Paul Tillman Smith project who has already been featured on this blog.
Stevie Wonder [2016] - Someday We'll All Be Free
Live St Paul, MN 13 Oct 2016
Harvey Mason [1982] - Someday We'll All Be Free [Alfa ALR-28039]
From 1982 album Stone Mason which appears to have been only released in Japan. This track features vocals of Stephanie Spruill who released 2 good 45s with Roger Sainte as Suff 'n' Ramjett in 1975 (which I'll feature in another post) and then went on to form Saint & Stephanie releasing an album and 4 45s in 1979 on Arista which were sadly very disco oriented.
Bobby Womack [1985] - Someday We'll All Be Free [Beverly Glen BG0006]
Title track of his Beverly Glen album from 1985.
Ruben Studdard [2009] - Someday We'll All Be Free [Hickory HR301005]
A nice modern version by 2003 American Idol winner from Love Is album.
Jennifer Hudson [2009] - Someday We'll All Be Free [Live @ The Whitehouse 2014]
Teena Marie [1980] - Someday We'll All Be Free [Live @ San Diego 1980]
Corrine Bailey Rae & Jon Batiste [2019] - Someday We'll All Be Free
An unrehearsed impromptu live performance at The Steinway Hall, New York in 2019.
NB This was originally posted on ModernSoul on 31st December 2010
It was a great shock whilst listening to Solar radio last week to discover that Teena Marie had died in her sleep on Boxing Day 26th Dec 2010 at the age of 54. It will the 10th anniversary this year!
I bought her debut album 'Wild & Peaceful' as a US import on spec from a review in Blues & Soul way back in 1979 and on the strength of her debut single 'I'm Just A Sucker For Your Love'. Even to this day this album stands the test of time, not least for the classic De Ja Vu (I've Been Here Before) which was also released as the flip to 'Sucker'. By way of a tribute I've uploaded the 12:25 minute live version released on the CD issue of her 1981 'It Must be Magic album, which is preluded with her interpretation of Donny Hathaway's 'Someday We'll All Be Free'. I think this is a fitting tribute and a showcase for the indisputable talent of the world's greatest white soul singer dubbed quite rightly as 'The Ivory Queen Of Soul'.
The sad irony is that after taking a sabattical for most of the 90s to bring up her daughter, apart from her independent release of 'Passion Play' on her own Sarai label which unfortunately sunk without trace owing to limited distribution, her return in 2004 with La Dona, followed by Sapphire in 2006 and Conga Square in 2009 showed that she was back at her best with La Dona and Sapphire being her best sellers on Billboard and being nominated for a Grammy for 'I Still love You' from Conga Square.
In total Teena released 13 studio albums between 1979 and 2009. Another album 'Black Rain' was scheduled for release in the early 2000s, and some copies were released on promo, but it was never officially released. Many of the tracks have appeared on later albums.
Album Discography
The Motown Gordy Years 1979-81
01 1979 Wild & Peaceful (18 R&B 94 Billboard)
01. I'm A Sucker For Your Love
02. Turning Me On
03. Don't Look Back
04. De Ja Vu (I've Been Here Before)
05. I'm Gonna Have My Cake (And Eat It Too)
06. I Can't Love Anymore
02 1980 Lady T (18 R&B 45 Billboard)
01. Behind The Groove
02. Now That I Have You
03. Lonely Desire
04. Aladdin's Lamp
05. You're All The Boogie I Need
06. Can It Be Love
07. Young Girl In Love
08. Why Did I Have To Fall In Love With You
09. Too Many Colors
10. Why Can't I Get Next To You
11. Co Pilot To Pilot
03 1980 Irons In The Fire (9 R&B 38 Billboard)
01. I Need Your Lovin'
02. Young Love
03. First Class Love
04. Irons In The Fire
05. Chains
06. You Make Love Like Springtime
07. Tune In Tomorrow
08. You Make Love Like Springtime (Reprise)
04 1981 It Must Be Magic (2 R&B 23 Billboard)
01. It Must Be Magic
02. Revolution
03. Where's California
04. 365
05. Opus Iii (Does Anybody Care)
06. Square Biz
07. Ballad Of Cradle Rob & Me, The
08. Portuguese Love
09. Yes Indeed
10. Square Biz (Instrumental)
11. Someday We'll All Be Free ( Live)
12. Deja Vu (We've Been Here Before) (Live)
The Epic Years 1983-1990
05 1983 Robbery (13 R&B 119 Billboard)
01. Robbery
02. Playboy
03. Shadow Boxing
04. Midnight Magnet
05. Fix It
06. Ask Your Momma
07. Dear Lover
08. Stop The World
09. Casanova Brown
10. Playboy (12In Remix)
11. Midnight Magnet (Instrumental)
06 1984 Starchild (9 R&B 31 Billboard)
01. Lovergirl
02. Help Youngblood Get to the Freaky Party
03. Out on a Limb
04. Alibi
05. Jammin'
06. Starchild
07. We've Got to Stop (Meeting Like This)
08. My Dear Mr. Gaye
09. Light
07 1986 Emerald City (20 R&B 81 Billboard)
01. Emerald City
02. Once Is Not Enough
03. Lips to Find You
04. You So Heavy
05. Shangri-La
06. Batucada Suite
07. Love Me Down Easy
08. Sunny Skies
08 1988 Naked To The World (15 R&B 65 Billboard)
01. Trick Bag
02. Call Me (I Got Yo Number)
03. Ooo La La La
04. Crocodile Tears
06. Surrealistic Pillow
08. Work It
09. The Ball
10. Naked To The World
09 1990 Ivory (27 R&B 132 Billboard)
01. Here's Looking At You
02. The Sugar Shack Prelude
03. The Sugar Shack
04. If I Were A Bell
05. Just Us Two
06. Mr. Icecream
07. Ivory (Atone Poem)
08. Snap Your Fingers
09. Cupid Is A Real Straight Shooter
10. How Can You Resist It
11. Since Day One
12. Miracles Need Wings To Fly
13. The Red Zone
The Nineties & The Noughties
10 1994 Passion Play (Sarai)
01. Warm As Mommas Oven
02. Main Squeeze
03. Wild Horses
04. Smooth Tip
05. Hypnotized Prelude
06. Hypnotized
07. Parking Music
08. Sweet On You
09. Slow Grind
10. Climb The Walls
11. Breakfast In Bed
12. Passion Play
13. Pretty Man
14. The Air I Breathe
11 2004 La Dona (3 R&B 6 Billboard)
01. La Dona (Intro)
02. Still In Love
03. Honey Call
04. Baby I'm Your Fiend
05. My Body's Hungry
06. A Rose By Any Other Name
07. Off The Chain
08. Makavelli Never Lied
09. Revelations 38 Introduction
10. Recycle Hate To Love
11. The Mackin' Game
12 2006 Sapphire (3 R&B 24 Billboard)
01. God Has Created
02. Cruise Control
03. Baby Who's Is It
04. Make It Hot
05. Ooh Wee
06. Sleeping With the Enemy
07. A.P.B
08. Love Is a Gangsta
09. Ladies Choice
10. Somebody Just Like You
11. You Blow Me Away
12. Simmer Down
13. Romantica
14. The Way You Love Me
15. Ecstasy
16. Resilient (Sapphire)
13 2009 Conga Square (4 R&B 20 Billboard)
01. The Pressure
02. Can't Last a Day
03. Baby I Love You
04. Ear Candy 101
05. Lover's Lane
06. Marry Me
07. You Baby
08. Milk N' Honey
09. 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
I have made a selection of my favourite track from each of her albums:
I haven't embedded links as take up too much space but clicking a link will open a YouTube clip in a new window.
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