Mark e-mailed me this course as I was in the studio recording a line with Rahsaan Patterson. The appointment was 12/29, just 3 years after Teena Marie passed away. I went backwards and forth between listening to this cross on my headphones and hearing to Rahsaan as he laid vocals. Obviously this wasn`t gonna be something I could multi-task, so I dedicated myself to listening to Rahsaan!
But once Rah and I finished our recording, Grant Nicholas (my engineer) and I got a quick edit and rough mix of the tune done and Grant took a check for something he calls "food".
Now I was capable to give myself to this (kinda rare) downtempo track from Mark. I was instantly drawn to the sentimental mood of the guitar line, it sounded like the cross itself was recalling some fond memory. Rah and I had only had a long conversation around the release of Teena Marie and how bad she was, how relevant she remained, how her diction and songwriting was so top-notch_ We recalled the wording of "Lovergirl", esp the vamp "Coffee, tea, or me_" bit. So when I heard Mark`s track, and Rah was already gone, and I was all only in the studio with the lights barely on, I began singing that word from "Lovergirl". I couldn`t think how dead it seemed to fall into the track. I knew right outside that this is what I`d record - a humble tribute to one of my favorite recording artists ever, Lady T.
I looked up the lyrics and only started making mental notes as to how I would structure of the song. I truly liked the thought of starting with "When the fight comes to shove" because that phrase was one of my favorites in the original. I ever loved when Teena would only "speak" lines, ya know? So I had the basic structure completed, in my head. I was set to rock. When Grant returned, I just let him eat his food before I was like "draw up this track, I wanna record something else!" (Sorry Grant. I live I can be a workaholic. Please forgive me. I hope to get more breaks in the future. Grant passed me some french fries because I suppose I, too, need to eat. He pulled up the dog and we began recording.
It took approximately an hour to lay the vocals. Another minute to get a decent rough mix going. Grant and I truly liked the temper of this new "Lovergirl". Lady T`s lyrics and phrasing lent themselves so well to this backdrop, and it all felt like falling into a bed of velvet rose petals. I was beyond sleepy and spent. So I asked Grant if he`d put some horns down at some point (Grant is a multi-talented engineer and musician on keys/trumpet!). We discussed where the horns would go, and I didn`t want to say much because Grant and I get from very similar musical schools of thought. When I woke up the following morning, Grant sent me and Check this_ Mark dug it_ And so it goes_
Thank you Teena Marie for your many contributions to the existence of music. Your performances, your writing, your musicianship and your part will remain, and truly so, eternally in the world of classical music. Soul, rhythm & blues, and beyond. You are always a Starchild. This is for you Lady T. You said, "I only need to shake your world". And that you did.