Lady T (album)

Last updated

Lady T
Teenaladyt.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 14, 1980
Recorded1979
Studio Conway (Hollywood, California)
Genre
Length51:15
Label Gordy
Producer Richard Rudolph
Teena Marie chronology
Wild and Peaceful
(1979)
Lady T
(1980)
Irons in the Fire
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Robert Christgau B [2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 5/10 [4]

Lady T is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Teena Marie, released by Motown's Gordy label on February 14, 1980.

Contents

Background

The album was produced by Richard Rudolph, and the track "Too Many Colors" features the then 7 year-old Maya Rudolph, daughter of Rudolph and his late wife Minnie Riperton. The album was dedicated to Minnie Riperton. Lady T was the nickname of Teena Marie at Motown Records. The packaging of Teena Marie's debut album Wild and Peaceful had not included a picture of the singer, and the image on the sleeve of this album surprised many people who had assumed she was African-American.

Lady T peaked at #18 on the Black Albums chart and #45 on the Pop Albums chart. Lead single "Can It Be Love" was a minor hit on the US Black Singles chart followed by "Behind the Groove" which peaked at #21 on the US Black Singles chart and became Teena Marie's only top 20 hit in the United Kingdom, reaching #6. "Lonely Desire" was released as the final single from the album.

Track listing

Side A
  1. "Behind the Groove" (Marie, Richard Rudolph) – 6:06
  2. "Now That I Have You" (Art Philips, Richard Rudolph, Claudia Talbott) – 5:32
  3. "Lonely Desire" (Marie, Richard Rudolph, Dwayne Wedlaw) – 4:39
  4. "Aladdin's Lamp" (Marie) – 4:55
Side B
5. "You're All the Boogie I Need" (Mickey Hearn, Marie) – 5:44
6. "Can It Be Love" (Marie, Dwayne Wedlaw) – 4:24
7. "Young Girl in Love" (Jill Jones, Marie) – 3:55
8. "Why Did I Have to Fall in Love with You" (Marie, George Sopuch) – 4:45
9. "Too Many Colors (Tee's Interlude)" (Marie) – 3:10
1991 Reissue
10. "Why Can't I Get Next to You" (Marie) – 3:58
11. "Co-Pilot to Pilot" (Marie) – 4:23
2011 Expanded Edition
10. Behind The Groove (Original LP Version) – 6:13
11. Behind The Groove (Rick James Mix) – 6:16
12. Behind The Groove (The Missing "M+M" 12-Inch Mix) – 9:13

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1980)Peak
position
Billboard Pop Albums [5] 45
Billboard Top Soul Albums [5] 18

Singles

YearSingleChart positions [6]
US
R&B
US
Dance
UK (OCC)
1980"Can It Be Love"57
"Behind the Groove"2146

References

  1. Kellman, Andy. Teena Marie: Lady T > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  2. Christgau, Robert. "Teena Marie: Lady T > Review". Robert Christgau . Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  3. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 695.
  4. Bernstein, Jonathan (1995). "Teena Marie". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 240–241. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  5. 1 2 "Teena Marie US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  6. "Teena Marie US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011.