Back in 2008, Harlem-bred
Teyana Taylor was a teenager signed to Star Trak. While with
the Neptunes' label, she released only one single, the
Jazze Pha-produced "Google Me." It was an attitudinal trifle that barely scraped Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Apart from some background moves, like the co-writing of
Chris Brown's "So Cold,"
Taylor's career stalled. During a meeting to appraise some couture obtained by
Kanye West, she got to hear the rapper/producer's in-the-making
My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy and added her own runs and embellishments as she listened. When
Taylor left the premises, she had recorded vocals for some of the album's tracks.
West eventually signed
Taylor to his
Def Jam-supported GOOD label, then had her appear on three Cruel Summer tracks, including compilation highlight "Bliss," where she duetted with
John Legend. In June 2014,
Taylor released "Maybe," her second proper solo single and likely what she'd prefer to call her real debut single. The slinking, atmospheric slow jam is filled with as much attitude as her 2008 single but replaces youthful swagger with something more grown. Her newly refined approach is seductive and don't-you-dare-cross-me at once. More importantly, the song made it evident that she was no joke as a singer. "Business" and "Do Not Disturb," additional previews of
VII, followed as singles. The former is particularly great, with its creeping bassline, lurching drums, and gauzy effects -- co-produced by
Brian Kennedy and Mr. Franks, presumably not Zen songsmith
Michael Franks -- an ideal frame for
Taylor's response to involvement in a mutually on-the-rebound tryst. The part-reggae "Put Your Love On" comes off like an
Estelle castoff, but
VII otherwise sticks with high-quality slow jams where
Taylor's casually commanding, faintly coarse approach is in full effect. There's evidence that she has studied the classics, like the point in "Broken Hearted Girl" where she quotes
Teena Marie, and the quietly dazzling,
Janet Jackson-like way in which she conveys longing throughout "Request." At the same time, she leaves a mark of her own with this, one of 2014's superb debuts. ~ Andy Kellman