Elysa Gardner of
USA Today, in a 3/4 star review proclaimed, "The soul survivor gives praise to mature virtues here: stability, dignity, faith and, yes, love. Of course, with her spiced-honey vocals and guests such as George Duke, Howard Hewett, Faith Evans and MC Lyte, Lady T can't help but bring a sensual edge to the socially and spiritually conscious material." Eric Henderson of
Slant in a 3.5/5 star review wrote, "Marie’s album, which was in part inspired by her newfound connection with her New Orleans roots, is unforced, breezy, and utterly comfortable in its own skin. While she doesn’t shy away from co-opting trendy production flourishes (yes, she
Auto-Tunes in “Milk n’ Honey”) and slightly less trendy collaborations (
MC Lyte,
Faith Evans,
George Duke), there’s something extremely settled and comforting about Congo Square that makes up for what it loses in pop-culture primacy." Andy Kellman of
Allmusic in a 4/5 star review exclaimed, "Inspired by discovering that some of her family roots are in
New Orleans, a city with which she has long felt a deep spiritual connection, Teena Marie frames Congo Square around the Crescent City...Like her two prior albums, Congo Square is a long, sprawling set of songs with plenty of room left for guests who share, never steal, the spotlight...What is most remarkable about Congo Square is how Marie continues to fly around in her private orbit, indulging her ambitious whims, while sounding every bit contemporary." Doug Wallen of the
Philadelphia Inquirer, in a 3/5 star review noted, "A slinky R&B affair at once retro and modern, it opens with duets with MC Lyte and Faith Evans. Marie wrote, produced, and contributed guitar, keys, or percussion to every song, her famously soul-informed vocals still dripping with confidence. Aside from bold come-ons and fraught cooing, Marie here looks to
Aretha Franklin and
Sarah Vaughan for inspiration, while the New Orleans-set title track lingers on jazz heroes." == Track listing ==