Totally Tata : Expanded Edition

Tata Vega's sparkling debut Full Speed Ahead is surpassed in firepower by Totally Tata, her second album on Motown's Tamla label. Totally Tata features the full-bodied ballads "Blame It on the Sun" and "Deep Inside," as well as blasters like "Mr. Troublemaker" and "It's Too Late," all done in Vega's unique, animated vocal style. The piece de resistance is the mercurial "Come in Heaven (Earth Is Calling)," which starts slowly and dreamily with a male vocalist shadowing Vega's pleading lead, then whips into a bubbling frenzy propelled by a Bootsy Collins clone on bass. "Come in Heaven (Earth Is Calling)" should have been a monster but did poorly due to a stingy promotional budget and straight neglect. It's surprising that the song -- religious with a secular mask -- has not been re-recorded by any of the new wave of contemporary gospel artists; Vega was doing what they're doing now, but it just wasn't happening at the time. Totally Tata is a marvelous production by Winston Monseque; kudos also to Al Johnson for the inspired arrangements. ~ Andrew Hamilton