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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

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