Not a Little Girl Anymore

by Amy HansonThe title says it all. No matter how well-loved Linda Lewis was during her days at Reprise, still the focus of both marketing and material was on the sheer youthful glee with which she attacked every performance. Her debut at Arista, however, was built around her determination that, at last, she was going to be treated like an adult, a vow that proved to have been fulfilled long before you reached the sultry, resolute title track. Packing more covers than any of her earlier albums, Not a Little Girl Anymore nevertheless emerges as Lewis' most well-rounded and, perhaps, personal album yet. Cat Stevens' "(Remember the Days Of) The Old Schoolyard," a somewhat forced exercise in nostalgia in its writer's hands, is here imbibed with a genuine sense of emotion and regret. However, there is no time for maudlin reflection as "It's in His Kiss (Shoop Shoop Song)," a wily cover of the Betty Everett classic, simply erupts out of the song's closing notes with a rambunctious passion that suggests kissing is only the first thing on Lewis' mind. From there on, and to paraphrase one of the album's other prime cuts, Lewis rollercoasters through a succession of moods and styles, ranging from the emotive soul of Gwen Guthrie's "This Time I'll Be Sweeter to her own (stylistically, aptly titled) "My Grandaddy Could Reggae," a reminder of the versatility that past albums occasionally allowed to overwhelm content, but which here is balanced with delicate precision. And, as you approach the end, the gentle "I Do My Best to Impress" leaves the listener with one thought. You succeeded.