In the wake of Teena Marie's untimely passing, the label is re-releasing this album on CD in April 2011.

They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but you CAN judge Teena Marie's "Robbery" album that way. I love the neon font and the hot pic of her sitting behind the wheel of that red convertible in that white blouse with the cutouts all over it and her long dangling '80s earrings.

"Robbery" boasts excellent production values, and is slick, glossy '80s R&B/Dance music with a touch of jazz, overall a very classy affair. Those who only know Teena from her "Starchild" album should like this one just as much. There aren't any hit singles like "Lovergirl", but the slow numbers on this one are superior.

"Dear Lover" is arguably her best ballad; it's certainly on par with "Out on a Limb" (from the "Starchild" album). On the reggae-flavored "Stop the World", she employs a cute West Indies accent. "Casanova Brown" is a sophisticated, adult jazzy number. "Shadow Boxing" has an interesting structure as it starts off as a laid-back but beautifully-orchestrated slow number that explodes into a frenzied Latin interlude that gives way to a lush Broadway sequence before it ends with a seductive saxophone and cooing vocals--very unique!

The faster, funky songs are all well-varied. A siren and electric guitar open the fast-paced "Robbery" and the first line is "standing on the corner of rhythm and blues" (the street sign on the LP cover reads just that). Teena whoops it up on this track vocally and it has that "Beat It"-type of '80s rock and dance fusion. "Playboy" is pure '80s dance/R&B with a hint of jazz. The sexy, slinky "Midnight Magnet" features excellent backing vocals and is one my favorites. The fast-paced "Fix It" borrows a few things from the Supremes' "Love Child", but stands great on its own. "Ask Your Momma" is a lush dance number about the problems of interracial romance (like an updated '80s version of Janis Ian's "Society's Child")--it boasts a killer bassline and is easily the highlight of the album. Justin Timberlake stole his signature sound from this single song that Teena was pioneering over 20 years earlier.

I found the two bonus tracks here superfluous. A 12-inch remix of "Playboy" isn't much better than the album version and an instrumental version of "Midnight Magnet" is useful only if you want to be Teena on karaoke night.

Don't let the absence of hit singles stop you from getting this. It's one of those relatively-unknown '80s gems that deserves to be rediscovered. A solid album all the way. Five stars!
In the wake of Teena Marie's untimely passing, the label is re-releasing this album on CD in April 2011. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but you CAN judge Teena Marie's "Robbery" album that way. I love the neon font and the hot pic of her sitting behind the wheel of that red convertible in that white blouse with the cutouts all over it and her long dangling '80s earrings. "Robbery" boasts excellent production values, and is slick, glossy '80s R&B/Dance music with a touch of jazz, overall a very classy affair. Those who only know Teena from her "Starchild" album should like this one just as much. There aren't any hit singles like "Lovergirl", but the slow numbers on this one are superior. "Dear Lover" is arguably her best ballad; it's certainly on par with "Out on a Limb" (from the "Starchild" album). On the reggae-flavored "Stop the World", she employs a cute West Indies accent. "Casanova Brown" is a sophisticated, adult jazzy number. "Shadow Boxing" has an interesting structure as it starts off as a laid-back but beautifully-orchestrated slow number that explodes into a frenzied Latin interlude that gives way to a lush Broadway sequence before it ends with a seductive saxophone and cooing vocals--very unique! The faster, funky songs are all well-varied. A siren and electric guitar open the fast-paced "Robbery" and the first line is "standing on the corner of rhythm and blues" (the street sign on the LP cover reads just that). Teena whoops it up on this track vocally and it has that "Beat It"-type of '80s rock and dance fusion. "Playboy" is pure '80s dance/R&B with a hint of jazz. The sexy, slinky "Midnight Magnet" features excellent backing vocals and is one my favorites. The fast-paced "Fix It" borrows a few things from the Supremes' "Love Child", but stands great on its own. "Ask Your Momma" is a lush dance number about the problems of interracial romance (like an updated '80s version of Janis Ian's "Society's Child")--it boasts a killer bassline and is easily the highlight of the album. Justin Timberlake stole his signature sound from this single song that Teena was pioneering over 20 years earlier. I found the two bonus tracks here superfluous. A 12-inch remix of "Playboy" isn't much better than the album version and an instrumental version of "Midnight Magnet" is useful only if you want to be Teena on karaoke night. Don't let the absence of hit singles stop you from getting this. It's one of those relatively-unknown '80s gems that deserves to be rediscovered. A solid album all the way. Five stars!