Beautiful

( 2 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Andy Kellman
Several overdue reissues and the archival First Class Love were released within a couple years of Teena Marie's passing. A bigger surprise came in January 2013, when UMe issued this, the artist's 14th and final studio album. Its recording had been completed prior to Lady T's death; proud daughter Alia Rose, a singer and MC who appeared on La Doña, Sapphire, and Congo Square, saw it through the mixing and mastering process. As Teena did on those fine 2000s albums, she weaves her exceptional songwriting skills with instrumentation that is both organic and synthetic, complementing her own playing and programming with input from several longtime instrumentalists. Likewise, she...
See more details below
CD
$13.83
BN.com price
(Save 1%)$13.99 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (CD)
  • All (7) from $8.49   
  • New (7) from $8.49   

More About This Product

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Andy Kellman
Several overdue reissues and the archival First Class Love were released within a couple years of Teena Marie's passing. A bigger surprise came in January 2013, when UMe issued this, the artist's 14th and final studio album. Its recording had been completed prior to Lady T's death; proud daughter Alia Rose, a singer and MC who appeared on La Doña, Sapphire, and Congo Square, saw it through the mixing and mastering process. As Teena did on those fine 2000s albums, she weaves her exceptional songwriting skills with instrumentation that is both organic and synthetic, complementing her own playing and programming with input from several longtime instrumentalists. Likewise, she celebrates her inspirations in explicit and subtle fashions. The first song and lead single, "Luv Letter," pays tribute to her Motown roots and cleverly references her daughter's father with nods to "Please Mr. Postman" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours." A Curtis Mayfield cover, "Give Me Your Love," one of two songs featuring Alia, glistens and most resembles the Barbara Mason version. Elsewhere, Teena quotes Barry White and the Stylistics, as well as herself, and even references A Tribe Called Quest. She does this while remaining utterly contemporary, as if modern R&B production moved her, as if revisiting her classic past sounds was never considered. There's a wide range of material, but the plush and yearning ballads -- "Love Starved," "The Long Play," "Carte Blanche," and the "Shadow Boxing"-alluding "Definition of Down" -- resonate the most. No other artist combined such strong streetwise attitude with disarming warmth. She did it from start to finish.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 1/15/2013
  • Label: Ume
  • UPC: 602537061341
  • Catalog Number: 001698302
  • Sales rank: 7,559

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Luv Letter (4:37)
  2. 2 Sweet Tooth (5:36)
  3. 3 Rare Breed (4:37)
  4. 4 Love Starved (4:44)
  5. 5 Definition of Down (4:49)
  6. 6 Maria Bonita (For My Mother) (5:15)
  7. 7 Beautiful (For Alia) (5:44)
  8. 8 The Long Play (6:30)
  9. 9 Carte Blanche (5:18)
  10. 10 Give Me Your Love (4:56)
  11. 11 Wild Horses (5:17)
  12. 12 The Perfect Feeling (5:48)
Read More Show Less

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Teena Marie Primary Artist, Percussion, Keyboards
John Bokowski Keyboards
Bridgette Bryant Vocals
Ray Fuller Guitar
Doug Grigsby Bass, Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards
Brian Kilgore Percussion
Wali Ali Guitar
Morris O'Connor Guitar
Jeanette Harris Horn, Brass, Woodwind
Verline Beard Vocals
Tracy Hazzard Vocals
David Starks Guitar
Lee Cadena Guest Appearance
Alia Rose Vocals
Ty James Guest Appearance
William Artope Horn
Zipporah Garnett Rap
Demetrice O'Neal Vocals
Stan Davis Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards
Technical Credits
Teena Marie Arranger, Composer, Producer, drum programming
Curtis Mayfield Composer
James Allen Composer, drum programming
Greg Dalton Composer
Doug Grigsby Composer, Producer, Engineer, drum programming
Erik Zobler Engineer
Vartan Art Direction
Bart Forbes Paintings
Randee St. Nicholas Cover Photo
Lee Cadena Composer
Alia Rose Composer, Liner Notes
Donnell Spencer Jr. Composer
Monique McGuffin Newman Producer
Zipporah Garnett Composer
Darlene M. Ortiz Composer
Daphne Wayans Composer
Stan Davis Producer, drum programming
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 2 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews

  • Posted January 31, 2013

    Beautiful is just perfect, it could not be any better!

    Beautiful is just perfect, it could not be any better!


    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 23, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews