192. Teedra Moses Discusses D'Angelo, Voodoo

Singer-songwriter Teedra Moses, who has written pop and R&B hits for Christina Milian, Trina and herself, visits YMAAA to introduce Al to D’Angelo’s 2000 album Voodoo. Teedra talks about why she has frequently listened to Voodoo since its release 25 years ago, and why the album represents “church” for her. She also discusses how the album has had both an emotional and an intellectual impact on her. Teedra also talks about her debut album Complex Simplicity, which is enjoying its 20th anniversary, and new work that will soon be released.

Al mentioned a review of Voodoo written by Questlove. It is still accessible online via the Wayback Machine…you can read it here: https://web.archive.org/web/20080430011914/http://www.okayplayer.com/theroots/viewreview.jsp?rid=6.

To keep up with Teedra, including her upcoming live dates and releases, be sure to follower her on social media in the following places.

@teedramoses on Instagram

@teedramosesmusic on Facebook

@teedramosesoffical on TikTok and YouTube 

Also be sure to check out Teedra’s website! teedramoses.com

If you want to donate to the GoFundMe that Teedra created for her sister Tamia Moses (who was displaced by the fires in Altadena), you can do so here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-restore-family-after-Eaton-Canyon-Wildfire.

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. You can support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.

IMPORTANT UPDATE! You, Me and An Album will soon have additional offerings on Patreon. More information will be coming soon. To sign up, go to patreon.com/youmealbum.

1:40 Teedra joins the show

2:36 Teedra explains why Voodoo is a comforting album for her

5:05 Teedra wants to build on the lineage that was moved forward by Prince and D’Angelo

8:07 Teedra talks about how she and Durand Bernarr share a love of the Prince/D’Angelo lineage

10:50 Listening to Prince when she was growing up was an eye-opening experience for Teedra

13:16 Teedra notes the rebellious nature of the themes presented on Voodoo

15:46 An album review by Questlove helped Al to appreciate and enjoy the album even more

17:31 Over time, Teedra came to hear Voodoo as a political album

22:54 Teedra shares her reactions to the album’s closer “Africa”

26:21 Teedra talks about the impact stardom may have had on D’Angelo

29:34 Teedra considers how she would respond if she ever met D’Angelo

31:07 Teedra explains why “Send It On” is a special song for her

33:58 Teedra used to watch the movie Belly on an almost daily basis

37:50 Teedra appreciates how cohesive the album is

40:22 Al and Teedra share their final thoughts about things they like about Voodoo

43:48 Teedra talks about the difficulties she went through at the time her musical career took off

48:32 Teedra recalls when the love of making music came back for her

51:22 Teedra is able to experience Complex Simplicity more fully as a listener now

54:26 Teedra discusses how Complex Simplicity has been finding a new audience

56:33 Teedra talks about her upcoming set of EP releases and other projects

1:00:17 Teedra discusses her family’s situation in the aftermath of the Altadena fires