It’s been 20 years since Teedra Moses dropped her classic debut album Complex Simplicity. She hit this milestone earlier this year in July, and she’s still celebrating the project that put her on the map and in the hearts of R&B lovers. Moses has been on a Complex Simplicity 20th Anniversary Tour this fall, and she recently brought the celebration to Washington, D.C. to perform selections from the album on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert.
Teedra was giving ’90s fine and twinning with Phylicia Rashad while she flaunted her style in a fetching red ensemble. Her outfit was a callback to the red dress she wore on the Complex Simplicity album cover. Not only did she look incredible, her mic was on and she sounded amazing from her first note to her last.
The songbird began her set and set the tone with a pristine rendition of “Caught Up.” After singing the song in its entirety, she performed a briefer version of the title track next and shouted out Complex Simplicity’s executive producer Poli Paul who was in attendance in the audience. Also on hand were Tiny Desk alum Durand Bernarr who served as creative director and joined her longtime supporting vocalist J. Black and Amanda Mikkel on backgrounds.
The setlist included a medley of a few of the album’s tracks that showed her range. In short order, Teedra sang snippets of her very first single “You’ll Never Find (A Better Woman),” “You Better Tell Her” (which she dedicated to all the “sophisti-ratchet women” in the audience), “No More Tears” and the love song “Take Me” featuring J. Black singing Rapahel Saadiq’s verse on the beautiful duet.
As her performance neared its climax, Teedra got to the sexy portion of the album to sing the sultry number “Backstroke.” She shared a personal confession about the song and jokingly quipped, “I’ve been d**kmatized.” Moses ended her Complex Simplicity showcase with the most well-known track from the collection, “Be Your Girl,” singing both the OG version and the Kaytranada remix.
Watch Teedra Moses make her stunning Tiny Desk debut singing songs from her beloved debut album Complex Simplicity right here. And if you know like we know, you’ll make a beeline to see Teedra Moses live in concert on her Complex Simplicity 20th Anniversary Tour.
