Lady T (Expanded Edition)

After her first album's success, many assumed that Teena Marie was a showpiece for the talents of producer Rick James. She disproved those theories with her sophomore effort, Lady T. She produced and cowrote it with Richard Rudolph, who'd written and produced several classic albums for his late wife, Minnie Riperton. In a way, Teena Marie was like a sauced-up version of Riperton, whose astonishing vocal range and creativity immediately differentiated her from her peers. Though it contains a string of dance floor rave-ups in the form of “Lonely Desire,” “You’re All the Boogie I Need,” and the flawless “Behind the Groove,” Lady T is a much more diverse affair than Wild and Peaceful. With the acoustic ballad “Now That I Have You” and the piano-accompanied “Aladdin’s Lamp,” Rudolph was obviously trying to show the richness of Teena Marie’s voice by putting it in a variety of settings. Regardless of the material, her irrepressible passion was always visible, and the quieter arrangements helped show that she wouldn't, shouldn't, and couldn't be simply classified as an R&B singer.