Let Me Be Your Angel: Expanded Edition

Stacy Lattisaw was only 13 when, in 1980, she made her commercial breakthrough with her second album, Let Me Be Your Angel. Not surprisingly, the fact that she was just barely an adolescent got a lot of press; the black teen magazines that had given the Jackson 5 and the Sylvers so much coverage were quick to run articles on Lattisaw. But Let Me Be Your Angel isn't a bubblegum record, and Lattisaw doesn't go out of her way to be cutesy. If anything, she sounds like a younger version of Deniece Williams or Rose Royce's Gwen Dickey -- girlish, certainly, but substantial and not without grit. Although Lattisaw had some developing to do in 1980, this is a fairly promising sophomore effort. Narada Michael Walden, who produced the LP and wrote or co-wrote all of the songs, doesn't treat Let Me Be Your Angel like a teen record. More often than not, he gives Lattisaw solid material to work with, and that includes infectious dance-funk items like "Jump to the Beat," "Don't You Want to Feel It (For Yourself)," and the hit "Dynamite!" as well as sentimental soul-pop ballads such as "My Love" and the title track. Let Me Be Your Angel isn't perfect; again, Lattisaw still had some growing and developing to do back in 1980. But it's a respectable offering that has more plusses than minuses, and those who gave the LP a serious listen realized that Lattisaw wasn't a mere novelty. ~ Alex Henderson|