Ever since Luther Vandross passed away, I always try and make a habit of seeing performers of yesteryear whenever I can. Well, as it often does in the summer of 2010, adulting got in the way of me seeing the legendary Teena Marie. Less than six months later, Lady T passed away, and I regret not seeing her.
Thankfully, her music lives on, and I wanted to pay homage to Marie’s third album and her personal favorite, Irons in the Fire. Artists releasing two albums was common in the music industry. Teena was still red hot with her second album Lady T when Irons in the Fire hit stores on August 14th, 1980. Marie could have done another year of Lady T promo due to that album’s strength.
While her first two albums were collaborations with other producers, Marie’s third album was her first self-produced effort. Irons in the Fire’s first single was the infectious bop, “I Need Your Lovin’. Before Marie sings a note, she pulls us into a groove. You can’t help but tap your feet when the track’s chorus arrives.
“I need your lovin’ and that’s the bottom line
I need your lovin’ or just a little time
I need your lovin’ and that’s the bottom line
I need your lovin’ or just a little time, this will do
Just a little lovin’, this will do
Just a little lovin’ this will do
Just a little lovin’ this will do
Just a little lovin’, me and you”.
Marie went to the ballad bag for the second single, “Young Love.” Lady T was twenty-four when she wrote the song. And hearing the lyrics, she writes from a standpoint anyone can relate to. Marie croons:
“I remember back in school
When I first laid my eyes on you
I saw your smile and knew right then and there
You reached out and touched my hand
And two became just one person
And no one could have stopped our love affair
But lately, we can’t even see each other, no
Without acting just like distant lovers
We’ve even took to fighting under covers
What a shame, baby, who’s to blame
Young love
Why you want to grow old on me now
Young love
Why you want to grow old on me now
Don’t say goodbye my love, no, no, no, baby
Just one more try, young love”.
The rest of the album somewhat foreshadows the sounds Marie would give us down the line. “First Class Love” and “Chains” finds Marie dipping into a rock sound that would turn “Lovergirl” into a hit. While the Latin flavors of “You Make Love Like Springtime” are arguably a precursor to “Portuguese Love.”
The reaming tracks on the album are two intense ballads. Up first is the album’s title track, where Marie pays homage to her late father. While “Tune In Tomorrow” is a somber slow jam about picking up the pieces after a relationship ends.
Marie was already a vocal powerhouse and talented musician before signing her deal with Motown. If the goal of Irons in the Fire was to exemplify that Lady T didn’t need the input of a major producer to create a quality album, Marie knocked it out of the box.
Final Grade: A-
Irons in the Fire is available on all streaming platforms.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.