Teedra Moses: Royal Patience Compilation…A Love Journey

No R&B artist right now makes better use of the free mixtape than Teedra Moses. In the six years since her critically heralded, but criminally ignored, debut album dropped, Moses has released 3 mixtapes that have kept her small, but rabid, fanbase salivating for her long-delayed sophomore album, The Young Lioness.

Well, Royal Patience is not that album, but it might as well be. This is the closest thing to a proper album of all the mixtapes Moses has released. It’s also the most romantic album released in a long while, buoyed by terrific production throughout. There’s not a bad song in the bunch, but “All That I Have,” with its languid feel is gripping, and the opening and closing songs (“R U 4Real” and “The Last Song (the jam session)”) are perfect bookends.

Royal Patience also makes more explicit Teedra’s love affair with the sound of mid-80s R&B songstresses like Brenda Russell and Patrice Rushen, as she updates that sound to stunning effect on a few cuts (“International Playboy”, “Kisses Never Taste So Sweet”, “The Only One”)

Bottom line? Royal Patience is easily one of the best R&B offerings of the year and solidifies Moses’ place as the voice of young black woman sophisticates. And I’m confident that when The Young Lioness finally drops, her fans will be more than willing to show the love for all this free music by coppin it.

Download the album for free on her site, www.teedra-moses.com.