Teedra Moses
Cognac & Conversation
(Shanachie)

More than a decade has passed since Teedra Moses’ stellar debut, Complex Simplicity. Now the New Orleans-bred singer-songwriter drops a proper sophomore release, Cognac & Conversation.

Blending R&B, soul and hip-hop alongside lyrics on love, life and relationships, Moses has always kept it real in song and, one can assume, in life as well. On “Get It Right” she speaks, “Rather have king than a boss/Rather have a good man than a daddy/Rather ride shotgun in an old school wit’ a cool dude than a rich dude acting badly.” That’s what makes Teedra so likeable; she showcases that kind of vulnerability and vitality throughout the album.

With frequent collaborator Rick Ross appearing on two tracks (“All I Ever Wanted” and the title track), and singer Anthony Hamilton on the beautiful “That One,” Cognac & Conversation reads like a series of reflections and awareness in the love arena. From “Only U” (“I won’t waste another breath on someone who isn’t you”) to “Yesterday Ain’t Tomorrow (“I still believe that love can heal anything”) to the self-explanatory closing track “No Regrets,” Teedra lays her heart all out on this album. But let’s hope it doesn’t take another 10 years before we get another superb project.