Teena Marie: Starchild (Epic)
Laura Fissinger, Record, February 1985
LIKE PRINCE, Teena Marie is her own producer, writer and arranger. Such autonomy is impressive considering Marie's age (mid-20s), gender and race. Her situation is one of pop's strangest: this isn't a white person predigesting "black music" for a white audience, but a white person creating a real blend of black gospel, funk and soul that has already sold well to a black audience and was, until 1982, issued on Motown.
Total word count of piece: 279
