Teena Marie

Congo Square (Stax)

By Marisa Torrieri
Published: July 2nd, 2009 | 7:00am

Turn up sassy Mowtown starlet Teena Marie’s latest record, Congo Square, and you’ll immediately wanna throw a sexy soiree for a few close lady friends. The California chanteuse, who got her start with Motown Records in 1976, pulls off sweet, laid-back melodies throughout her thirteenth album.

Her voice goes from syrupy sweet, Michael Jackson-like highs to sultry Anita Baker lows, gliding smoothly Motown to hip-hop to jazz — but it’s the carefully chosen duets that make the album stand out. Marie kicks things off right with hip-hop lady MC Lyte on Congo Square’s first track, “The Pressure,” and melds one sweet voice with another (Faith Evans) on “Can’t Last a Day.” The starlet sizzles on “Milk 'n' Honey,” crooning, “What more can I give you, baby / That will linger on? / Milk and honey, baby / Making love strong” before the song breaks for Rose LeBeau’s rap refrain.

Little treats — like the sweet guitar solo on “Roveta’s Jass,” the 53-second prelude to the title track — are tucked trhoughout. Occasionally, Marie strays from sensual subject matter, paying homage to men and women overseas in the down-tempo, somber track, "Soldier Boy,” and Martin Luther King’s wife in “Ms. Coretta.” But don’t fret that your dinner party will be turned off by deeper subject matter — the album breezes easily from song to song, from appetizer to dessert to nightcap.“The Rose ‘n' Thorn,” a cool ballad where Teena draws from her lower register, makes for an appropriate ending to a chilled-out evening, when all the guests have exited, and it’s just you and your sweetie and a pile of dishes in the sink.

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