A Soulful Sonar Discovery...
Written: Feb 19 '07 (Updated Feb 19 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: gospel soul expertly displayed in R&B form; appropriate production
Cons: obligatory 'radio' tracks;
The Bottom Line: Teedra's sweet voice and personal songwriting are merged with just the right production to craft a brilliant debut.
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| lyrikalbj's Full Review: Complex Simplicity - Teedra Moses Movies |
I was not prepared. At first listen I salivated as Teedra’s gospel soul laced a hip-hop esque production that wound up being one of the best solo debut’s I’ve heard from a soul artist. Complex Simplicity not only displayed the power and emotion of her Teena Marie/Beyonce styled voice, but it managed to carve out her own niche and style without coming off as ‘just another soul artist’. Even so, dropping a debut in 2004 had to have been difficult to compete with the likes of Usher’s Confessions, Ciara’s Goodies, Destiny Child’s final album, Keyshia Cole, and Kanye West. With little to no features or marquee producers (aside from the one Raphael Saadiq track and the single “You’ll Never Find ft. Jadakiss”), Teedra created a buzz but still seemed to fly under radar.
Born in New Orleans and later adopted by California, Teedra spent most of her youth in the shadows of her gospel singing mother and various revivals which was the catalyst for her career. Borrowing from influences of today like Nas, Outkast, and more, Teedra managed to blend the likes of Prince, Caron Wheeler, and Teena Marie into the workings of her voice to create a new-nostalgia sound in her first full length outing. Sticking with majority production by Pauli Pol (of Black Eyed Peas’ debut album fame), Teedra and Pol managed to touch on a full range of up and mid tempo emotion that compliments rather than drowns Teedra’s amazingly sweet voice.
Seductive? Check. Queue her duet with Raphael Saadiq, “Take Me” and melt within how cohesive her harmony blends with the orchestral strings of Claire Fischer and Raphael’s skillful bass. Then slide into “Backstroke” and soak in the stylings that helped her pen Christina Milian’s “Dip It Low”.
Fun? Check. Clap your hands to the throwback sounds of “Caught up” or “Caution” where she flexes her Teena Marie influence. Then follow it up with the “Rasberry Beret”-esque track “Complex Simplicity” where Pauli and Teedra borrow the infamous percussion from Prince’s hit to set the tempo for her uplifting and optimistic title track.
Soulful? Please. Granted you could queue the entire album due to the passion she attacks each track with, her most notable efforts include “Rescue Me” where her voice oozes with desire for comfort and love. And to cap things off, her emotional and heartfelt dedication to her mother, “I Think Of You (Shirley’s Song)” is an amazing display of her voice and songwriting ability. Occaisionally laced with light percussion and acoustic guitar, Teedra weaves her pain, hope, and joy into a beautiful effort that skillfully stamps the end of her initial effort.
Haunting? Got it covered. Shoot over to the beautifully produced “Last Day” that captures a danceable mid tempo beat within a vybe that is sonically intoxicating. Oddly enough the percussion manages to dissolve and punctuate just the right moments.
Angry? Hey, she's got that as well. Though her sweet harmony comes off a bit soft on "You Better Tell Her", Teedra quickly follows this slight setback up with the amplified and powerful "Outta My Head".
So peel back the curtains and unveil this buzz-worthy debut before her anticipated follow up album, The Young Lioness, lands in Spring of 2007.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lyrikalbj
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Member: BJ
Location: New Milford, CT
Reviews written: 92
Trusted by: 13 members
About Me:
With Aggie Pride and ignorance aside, I breathe passion fuel in word form...
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