"Let Me Be the One" by Five Star

Song#:  2612
Date:  02/08/1986
Debut:  94
Peak:  59
Weeks:  9
Genre:  R&B, Dance-Pop



Pop Bits:  This British family group started to break through a bit on the US charts with the #16 R&B track "All Fall Down" (#6 Dance, #65 Pop). The song was taken from their debut album Luxury of Life as was this follow-up single. This one did better and it got the group their first R&B Top 10 with the song hitting #2. It would also become their second Dance hit getting to #9. The single crossed over to Pop, but like than their previous release, it stayed in the bottom half of the chart. A third single, "Love Take Over," would be their second R&B Top 10 getting to #9 while making a minor impact at Dance (#30). It failed to reach the Pop chart.

ReduxReview:  This pretty much stays within the lines drawn by their previous single except it has a little more funk. The groove is fine and the tune is better than "All Fall Down," however, it's nothing that really grabs my attention. While certainly capable singers, their vocals don't make much of an impression either. It's all good, just not great or very memorable.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  This song (not to be confused with the 1987 #7 hit of the same name by Exposé) was covered later in 1999 by pop singer Mandy Moore. It appeared as a track on her debut album So Real. That album featured the #41 single "Candy." The album would be certified platinum and she would follow it up with two more gold albums. Moore began to transition into acting in the 2000's. She appeared in many films and TV shows and has done voices for animated films like 2010's Tangled. These days she is mainly know for her role as Rebecca Pearson in the hit NBC TV show This Is Us. What's odd about this is that her character's last name is the same as that of the siblings that made up Five Star.

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