| It Must Be Magic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 14, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1980–81 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:30 (original release) 63:37 (expanded edition) | |||
| Label | Gordy | |||
| Producer | Teena Marie | |||
| Teena Marie chronology | ||||
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| Singles from It Must Be Magic | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A− [2] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10[3] |
It Must Be Magic is the fourth studio album by Teena Marie, released on May 14, 1981. It was her last album for Motown and the highest-selling of Marie's tenure with Motown. The album peaked at No. 2 on the US Black Albums chart and No. 23 on the Pop Albums chart.
Lead single "Square Biz" became her most commercially successful for the label - peaking at No. 3 on Billboard's Black Singles chart and No. 12 on Billboard's Club Play Singles, while performing moderately on Billboard's Pop Singles, peaking at No. 50, becoming her second single to chart on the Pop Singles chart. This was followed up by No. 30 US Black Singles success for the title track, featuring label mates The Temptations, and the Quiet storm classic "Portuguese Love".
Like Irons in the Fire, it was fully written and produced by Marie herself, and received a positive critical reception, earning the album a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 1982 Grammy Awards.
In 2002, the album was re-released in a remastered and expanded CD edition containing three additional tracks (two of which were recorded during a live concert in Long Beach, California).
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Teena Marie: It Must Be Magic > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (1995). "Teena Marie". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 240–241. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.