One of the most important, and yet best-kept secrets in soul music, celebrates her 30th anniversary as an artist with this, her 13th album in a career that started with her mentor Rick James at Motown. Amazingly her unique vocal delivery is as good as ever, and on the current single, ‘Can’t Last A Day’, sits comfortably alongside Faith Evans vocal stylings. This sublime midtempo shuffler harks back to her ‘Oooh La La La’ days as is currently being embraced by both oldies and contemporary R&B radio alike. The rest of the album follows a similar path of sublime soul fashioned around Lady T’s unique vocal style. On the steamy ‘Lovers Lane’ Howard Hewett offers his shoulder to wail on, while pianist George Duke offers jazz interludes on the title-track, and MC Lyte a street cred edge to the set’s opener ‘The Pressure’. The tempos pick up on the mid-tempo Emotions-inspired ‘You Baby’, while ‘What U Got 4 Me?’ could easily be from the songbook of Curtis Mayfield. Teena’s voice is a beautiful instrument that she’s never stopped strengthening and developing and in ‘Congo Square’ her legion of fans have a slick and superior album of depth, vision and soul that’s truly one to savour.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Lewis Dene