It says a lot that in 1979 Rick James turned down a chance to work with Diana Ross so he could produce the debut album from Teena Marie, whom he'd encountered singing and playing piano in Motown’s L.A. office. While Ross represented the glory days of R&B’s past, Teena Marie represented its future. Produced, arranged, and cowritten by Rick James—who also duets on the unstoppable dance tune “I’m a Sucker for Your Love”—Wild and Peaceful helped set the template for female-driven R&B in the '80s and '90s. She had a jazz singer’s fearlessness, an R&B singer’s gutsiness, and a Broadway star’s sense of projection. She was one in a million, and Wild and Peaceful captures her at the dawn of a brilliant career, when she was totally fresh. The material is prime Rick James; no one better blended disco's slick intoxication with the ferocity of inner-city funk. Yet James was entirely willing to cede the spotlight to his young counterpart, who's nothing short of phenomenal on “Don’t Look Back,” “Déjà Vu (I’ve Been Here Before),” and “I’m Gonna Have My Cake (And Eat It Too).”