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| | Piece of Mind | | | Music Artist : | | Tela | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Draper Inc | | Release Date : | | 2003-02-11 | | Store Price : | | $12.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $12.98 | | Usually ships in 1 to 2 days | | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Intro
2. Twisted
3. Tired of Ballin
4. Strange - Crime Boss, Tela
5. Success
6. Let It Rain
7. Sho Nuff - MJG, Tela
8. Time
9. Blackhaven
10. Suave House
11. Cell Call (Interlude)
12. U Can't Tell
13. All About the Money (Interlude)
14. Survival
15. Piece of Mind
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 Inconsistently enjoyable
Submitted on: 2008-03-12 |
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Houston rapper Tela signed with Memphis label Suave House to release his debut "Piece of Mind" in 1996. Never reaching the national acclaim of 8Ball & MJG, Tela attracted a regional fanbase, especially after he moved to Rap-A-Lot for his sophomore LP. Tela embraces the southern baller persona of his labelmates on "Piece of Mind," rapping about street life and urban struggle. I like his delivery, and he has some cool style. The production on "Piece of Mind" is interesting. The best songs have a cool southern funk, and many have a mysterious, uneasy feel. There is an element of spacey soul that imbues much of the tracklist as well. The album's flaws lie in a steady amount of filler and too many forgettable tracks that mostly fall flat. Tela's debut does not stand among the best of Suave House's mid-90s catalog, but for those who already enjoy 8Ball & MJG and South Circle's discographies, it is worth a listen. Other listeners will instead be satisfied with the standouts "Let It Rain," "Twisted," and "Sho Nuff."
After the intro, the LP opens with "Twisted," which interpolates a bassline from Run-D.M.C.'s classic "Rock Box" for a good opener. "Tired of Ballin," "Strange," and "Success" each have a weird vibe but are followed by the album's highlights. By far my favorite song is "Let It Rain," which has a rich, soulful funk and the best production. Tela also lends a nice performance, with thoughtful and emotional lyrics. The 8Ball & MJG-aided single "Sho Nuff" is a space-age club track, with a great beat produced, surprisingly, by Jazze Pha prior to his rise to fame. The weak "Time" and R&B interlude "Blackhaven" prelude the worst song "Suave House," a bad posse cut. "U Can't Tell" would have been better if it were three minutes instead of six and a half, and the forgettable "Survival" closes out the album with the decent title track.
The highlights of this album are songs that should be heard, but there is some filler and uninspiring material. Tela had the tools to make a great album, but the execution wasn't right. If a bloated running time and filler aren't deterrants, then "Piece of Mind" will appeal to you, otherwise, just spring for the singles. |
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 Ummm
Submitted on: 2003-10-12 |
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| This album was one that lifted my lyrical contents up a notch. Song's like "Success", "Let it Rain", "U Can't Tell". Briliant, Realistic, Encouraging, Spiritual and Raw. I foremost, would like to give shout outs to one of the producer on their i was feeling the most. Slicse Tee, who wasn't mention but would definitely be recognized as a wizard behind the productions.......... too. Jazze Pha came through too. With 2 hit songs that were recognized deeply within the streets. "Tired of Ballin" (which we all are sometimes) and "Sho Nuff" T-Mix likewise "Strange". Which is the title of a song that was knocking my 15's out the box. I had to reposter and reconnect wise everyday. U !elohssa. One Shadik, I'm outya hair. Cop this ! |
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Tela's first album!
Submitted on: 2003-07-13 |
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| "Piece of Mind" is Tela's debut album and it was recorded while he was on Suave House (later he moved to Rap-A-Lot Records). And like all the albums by this label, it's a classic. The production is on a whole new level, beats that you'll hear nowhere else (Handled by Jazze Pha and Mo-A-Suave productions). They have an R&B feel to them, but don't get the wrong impression - it's down-south rap at the highest level. And so is Tela's rapping. His style is different, he's gota very smooth voice and his flow is unstopable. On some songs he's laid back and on others his rapper has a hard edge. Lyrically he'also much better than most rappers in the game. In fact, he reminds in so many ways of his label-mates, the Memphis rap pioneers Eightball & MJG. Yet he remains special in his own way. On the album you get impressive guest appearences by all Suave House artists - Crime Boss, Mr. Mike, O.C., Eightball, MJG (on one of the albums many highlights "Sho Nuff") and all the rest of them. It's an album you can play from the beginning to the end without skipping even one track. On this remastered edition you get two bonus songs, but you can only play the second one ("Riders" which is one of the best). The first one is recorded in a very poor quality, you can barely hear it (and it's a just a different version of track # 3 Tired of Ballin'). Bottom line - one of the best albums to come out from the South. It's one of those albums that just make you feel good, it really relaxes you. It's some playa... with a gangsta twist. Don't sleep on Tela, he always comes out with much heat! |
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