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RELEASE
February 15, 2011
LABEL
Motown
GENRES
Rhythm & Blues, Disco, Quiet Storm, Contemporary R&B

Album Review

Most of the releases in Universal’s Icon series overhaul compilations released during the ‘90s. The Teena Marie volume is no exception. It’s a slight variation on 1994’s I Need Your Lovin’: The Best of Teena Marie, offering the same number of tracks (a dozen) but not the same selections from Marie’s four Gordy albums (released from 1979 through 1981). Here, you get “Aladdin’s Lamp,” the classic Rick James duet “Fire and Desire,” and “Young Love” in place of “Don’t Turn Your Back on Me,” “Every Little Bit Hurts,” and “Turnin’ Me On.” Weigh the pluses against the minuses, and the two compilations are just about even. Each one of Marie’s Gordy albums is either solid or excellent, so there’s plenty to dig beyond this -- a nice overview that features three Top Ten R&B singles (“I’m a Sucker for Your Love,” “I Need Your Lovin’,” and “Square Biz").
Andy Kellman, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. I Need Your Lovin'
  2. Behind the Groove
  3. Now That I Have You
  4. Irons in the Fire
  5. Portuguese Love
  6. Young Love
  7. It Must Be Magic
  8. Aladdin's Lamp
  9. Square Biz
  10. I'm a Sucker for Your Love
  11. Déjà Vu (I've Been Here Before)
  12. Fire and Desire