Consumer Guide Album

Teena Marie: Lady T [Gordy, 1980]
This young white hope isn't breaking "r&b" because she sounds so "black"--she's not a whole heck of a lot funkier than the Doobie Brothers. She's breaking r&b because that's what Motown knows how to do. The hit, "Behind the Groove," is funky enough (the Doobies would give up golf for it), but then again, the more typical "You're All the Boogie I Need" is boogie enough. On the fast ones she sounds like Suzi Quatro blessed with a boyfriend smart enough to take it slow. On the slow ones she sounds dumb. B