After a 14-year sabbatical from the national spotlight, Teena Marie returned to her musical career by signing with the "Classics" imprint of the successful hip-hop label Cash Money Records. She released her comeback album, La Dona, in 2004. It became a gold success (and the highest charting album of her career, peaking at #6 on the Billboard 200 chart) on the basis of the Al Green-sampled "I'm Still In Love" (#23 R&B, #70 Pop) and a duet with the late Gerald Levert, "A Rose By Any Other Name". Teena Marie was nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance for "I'm Still In Love". Teena quickly followed this success with the release of Sapphire in 2006. While sales weren't as great this time around (the album peaked at #24 on the Pop Chart), the release did give Teena Marie yet another R&B Top 40 hit, "Ooh Wee" (#32); it also reunited her (on "God Has Created" and "Cruise Control") with Smokey Robinson, the early Motown mentor whose style she had emulated on early hits such as "Young Love." During the late 1990's, she made appearances.
Teena has recently decided to part ways with Cash Money records. She has a new album called " Congo Square " due for release early in 2009. She has described this as "personal and spiritual" and indicated that it will be more jazz-influenced than most of her previous work.
On September 9, 2008 Teena was honored with an Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation.
On September 19, 2008 Teena performed in concert at BB King's restaurant in NYC. Teena took this time to play a couple of finished tracks from her upcoming album " Congo Square " in which she had received positive feedback from the crowd.
|
Teena Marie Biography:
