The redoubtable Keepsake have consistently impressed with their musical fluency and extensive barbershop vocabulary. The richness of the voices melting into and enveloping the notes, shaping them into the perfect creamy consistency-the satisfaction of a fully-realized barbershop chord! "Once Upon A Time" includes many classic tunes such as "Roses of Picardy," "Sweet Georgia Brown," and a dynamite "Ring Out the Bells in Dixieland," making it their most traditional recording to our ears. However, the melody of "Easy Street," with it's flatted non-diatonic "blue" notes, (heralding the fusion of jazz and blues that would become doo-wop) is fresh, and along with "Chances Are" and "I Only Have Eyes For You," gives an added dimension that is of equal enjoyment.

Songlist: There's A New Gang On The Corner, I'll Be A Song And Dance Man Again, Rain (Medley), Is This Just Another Song About Love, Chances Are, Last Night On The Back Porch, I Loved Her Best Of All, Moonlight Brings Memories, Easy Street, Ring Out The Bells In Dixieland, Roses Of Picardy, Sweet Georgia Brown, I Only Have Eyes For You, How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life/ It's A Sin To Tell A Lie (Medley), Once Upon a Time

Hailing from Florida, the much-acclaimed Keepsake are an exciting addition to our catalog. They have dedicated this recording to Charles "Bub" Thomas of Walt Disney World's "Dapper Dans," and a marvelous tribute it is. Winners of the 1992 Quartet Championships, the group's stellar sound is sublime. The group's use of dynamics, the arrangements (by a who's-who of arranging talent) and their choice of material-most impressive all. Their exquisite "Lost In the Stars" (written by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson) is a fondant of perfect notes. "Blue Velvet" is similarly rendered and has a signature coda; speaking of which, the ending of "How Deep Is the Ocean" is a show-stopper. The traditional barbershop fare, including "Make 'Em Laugh," "I Love a Piano" and "The Entertainer," is of course flawless. Don't miss this one!

Songlist: Make 'Em Laugh, Penthouse Serenade, Eyes Medley, Lost In The Stars, I Love A Piano, (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons, Heather On The Hill, Blue Velvet, Drivin' Me Crazy, My Romance, Royal Garden Blues, Somewhere, The Entertainer, How Deep Is The Ocean

Florida's mighty Keepsake have received the musical baton from their progenitors the "Suntones" and the "Buffalo Bills." "Without a Song" (the CD) takes its title from the song of the same name, which was performed, first by the Bills, and then the Suntones, as a signature piece in their repetoire. In addition to that aforementioned gem, which closes the CD, thirteen other examples of Keepsake's artistry, including the all-American "When The Saints Go Marchin' In," "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" and "Down Where the Swanee River Flows" are performed. "I'm Going to Live Till I Die" features one of the many audacious Keepsake tags, where the tenor voice soars in a holding pattern over the remaining three, floating, seemingly without effort, on an endless supply of air. Finally, as the four voices join together in the final glorious chord, the sun breaks through the clouds in all its magnificence. This is barbershop at its best.

Songlist: When the Saints Go Marching In, Sweet, Sweet Roses of Morn, Lullaby In Ragtime, 'Way Down Yonder in New Orleans/ That Aint' Heaven, That's New Orleans, Down Where The Swanee River Flows, My Melancholy Baby, I'm Gonna Live Till I Die, Mona Lisa, Blue Skies, May I Never Love Again, I'll Fly Away, I'll Walk With God, Bass Part, Without a Song