By Odeisel

Soul is an amorphous, non-quantifiable concept, but you know it when you hear it. We make the mistake assigning race to it because it involves a connection to pain and human commonality whose intimacy is shared by people of color, but it doesn’t have an owner. Either you understand that connection or you are cut off from its source.  Teena Marie understood the force and mastered its projection from a very young age. Tragically, that projection has been silenced with her death yesterday at the age of 54.

Teena Marie was immersed in an environment that was conducive to learning how to emote. She was exposed to the music by her godmother and as she grew, her exposure became more intricate. The spotlight also came early as a child actor on The Beverly Hillbillies. This early immersion got her ready for the world and in 1976 she signed with Motown.

Teena Marie’s natural talent was bolstered by a confluence of luck and opportunity. When she first got with Rick James, he was supposed to be doing work with Diana Ross. The project, Wild and Peaceful, went to Teena as soon as Rick heard her voice. Much of the production on her second album, Lady T, was supplied by Richard Rudolph; music originally intended for his recently deceased wife, the legendary Minnie Riperton.  Marie eventually became godmother to their daughter Maya.

Her voice speaks for itself, and will ring in our ears and our hearts forever, but there are things about Teena that most people are unaware of. She was an astonishing musician, with the bulk of her music post 1980 self-written, produced, and arranged. Much of her material was self-created rather than by some team of writers and producers like most new millenium singers. In addition, she was a highly skilled guitarist and was facile with both the keyboard and drum.

She played Curt Floodof the music industry in her bid to escape her Motown contract after the label hampered her ability to release new music and wouldn’t support the projects she delivered. “The Brockert Initiative” which takes its moniker from her birth name (Mary Christine Brockert) limits record labels’ ability to keep you under contract without releasing music from you.

There are many things I could say here about Teena as an artist but it would pale in comparison to letting you hear it for yourselves. If a picture is a thousand words, then notes from Teena Marie, which enabled us to dance, and fall in love, and break away from pain, are worth at least that much. Soul is something you can’t measure, but when it came to Mary Christine Brockert, Bobby Byrd said it best. “I Know You Got Soul.” And she didn’t have to step outside herself to show us. Rest In Peace.

[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfNMrg0ZRMc[/pro-player]

[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI4xtEj6yNQ[/pro-player]

[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USSaXfL3DdE[/pro-player]

Note the Jazz infused delivery, much different from the R&B that she became famous for. The construction of the song with the subtle bass and the horns made for a different kind of arrangement. She is scatting and bouncing all over the dynamic undercurrent. Her musical range  is further than most realize.

[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y6QcHNQ8RY[/pro-player]

The above song was produced by Minnie Riperton’s husband and was given to Teena following Minnie’s death. The song also features Riperton’s 7-year-old daughter Maya. Note the strings that pace the mood in the background. The song is full of heart and genuine sweetness.

[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQbJwNP0arU[/pro-player]

[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYqw9N6hnm8[/pro-player]

Note the crisp enunciation and the rich lyricism. One of the underrated aspects of soul music is the way the artist communicates. With dense lyricism and complex arrangements like this, singing with power without overdramatization is a subtle but important skill that even people with great voices don’t always master. The ease with which Marie moves from her lows to her highs in navigating this song is astounding.

[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYmqplS9nJ4[/pro-player]

Teena’s understanding of funk and rhythm were also extraordinary. She handles lust with as much ease as she handles love and her intimacy with her own passion is why she was so able to deliver and communicate with listeners.

Help Youngblood Get To the Freaky Party Teena Marie-Help Youngblood Get To The Freaky Party

As her career progressed she incorporated elements of other genres into her arsenal. This particular track blends rap, R&B, Rock and Funk seamlessly. That electric guitar rolls right along with the funk guitar and those jarring synths without overpowering them or clashing. The vocals have no problem making their point.

[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIy1UkUiO-8[/pro-player]

Here she adds an international flavor to her composition with Asian, reggae, tribal and Latin elements sprinkled atop her familiar bass.

This is a small section of the music of Teena Marie. Her singles and hits you’re familiar with but aside from those, hopefully these will clearly illustrate the real talent of Teena Marie. Producer. Arranger. Composer. Writer. Singer. Don’t sully her memory with all that white chocolate stuff. She was an incredible musician whose merit goes beyond the lines of demarcation by which we are still dumb enough to confine ourselves.

Follow Odeisel on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/odeisel

Follow Us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/planetill

Join Us on the Planet Ill Facebook Group for more discussion

Follow us on Networked Blogs