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From the humorous telenovela-style intro to the mellow fadeout of I'm On Fire, Teena Marie's La Dona is a majestic return by one of the great masters of R&B. Her last album, Passion Play, was released in 1994 on her own record label after being dropped from Epic Records. The new collection was nearly complete when it came to the attention of New Orleans-based Southern Rap record label Cash Money. Recognizing an outstanding opportunity, Cash Money signed Teena Marie as the first artist on its new subsidiary Cash Money Classics. The label's key producer Mannie Fresh contributes co-production work, but the bulk of the album is the work of Teena Marie herself serving as vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer. La Dona ranges from state-of-the-art Hip Hop-laced R&B like the first single I'm Still In Love and Honey Call to the inspired Jazz vocals of Black Rain. Teena Marie deftly accomplishes one of the key elements of a successful comeback. She exhibits an awareness and facility with current musical styles while being true to the music which made her a star in the first place. The intensity of A Rose By Any Other Name, her Quiet Storm duet with Gerald Levert, quells any suspicions she would leave her past behind. Teena Marie is not content simply to build upon her past influences. She openly celebrates them. Makaveli Never Lied is a smooth mid-tempo tribute to key musical figures from Joni Mitchell to Stevie Wonder and Aaliyah. The unfairly ignored Lady Levi is resurrected as a guest on the edgy peace invocation Recycle Hate To Love. Finally, on I Got You, a long-awaited new collaboration with Rick James, the duo cleverly bypass any expectations for fireworks in favor of a sweet tribute to their relationship and deliciously catchy chorus. You'll be humming 'I got you, don't worry 'bout ssshhhhh...' by the time the song ends. At over 70 minutes, the album is possibly a bit long, but there is a good 60 minutes of worthy listening here. A combination of wit ('I'm sending this one out to Chocolate City and all its vanilla suburbs'), grace, and sheer chops such as this is rare, even more so by artists away from commercial releases for 10 years. The Top 10 chart debut on both R&B and Pop album charts bodes well for a significant return on Cash Money's investment. With any luck, Teena Marie is back for the long term. |

