Teena Marie may be gone, but she left the world an incredible musical legacy. That legacy will be completed with her 14th and final album “Beautiful” which was almost done before her untimely death in 2010. With most recording complete, “Beautiful” was finished and mixed with the assistance of Marie’s 20-year-old daughter, Alia Rose, and will be out this week.
Rose took over the recording with the assistance of Marie’s longtime musical director Doug Grisby, along with Eriz Zobler who recorded and mixed “Beautiful.” Rose accompanies her mother on “Rare Breed,” which Rick James’ daughter Ty also appears on, and on a remake of the Curtis Mayfield chestnut “Give Me Your Love (Love Song).” To pay further tribute to her mother Rose and Odd Future’s “Sydtha Kyd” opened a recording studio in Hollywood called Chateau Marie. Much of Marie’s home studio equipment is now there.
“It was a very dark and emotional time for me,” Rose told Urbanbridgez.com. “The project was a bittersweet thing. I knew that only I could get it done, but I almost didn’t want to finish because I knew it would be the last time I’d get to work on it.If you listen to the lyrics, it’s almost as if she was making that transition to the spiritual world as the record was being made, which is incredible. It’s like we’re going on this journey with her.”
