We have here a Coats CD recorded in 1992, two years before their win at the 1994 Harmony Sweepstakes Finals, and long before they changed their name due to the Columbine disaster. But we can clearly hear the talent and the roots of stardom in these 12 songs: "A Cappella," "It Turns Me On," an original by Jamie Dieveney of the group, who also wrote "We'll Make History," the Beatles' "Come Together," the raucous "Elvira," the Doobie's "Joy to the World," James Taylor's "Is That The Way You Look," "A Tribute to Vanilla (Ice)," "Some Kind of Wonderful," "X-Mas Wrapping," "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and a real-world, drunken cover of Randy Newman's "Mama Told Me Not To Come." What we've always liked about the Coats, be it in their live performances at the Sweeps or the West Coast Summit or in one of their many CDs, is the fun and humor they bring to the music. "Turns" is a necessarily a time capsule, but also an amazing piece of early work by one of our favorite groups of all time. |