If butter melts in your mouth, the Alley Cats arrangement of 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' will melt in your mind! It is beautiful, smooth, and just melts away the bands of every day tensions from around the heart. Then you'll just have to swoon to one of the sweetest versions of 'Only You' which you will ever hear. Thank goodness they launch into a upbeat 'Blue Moon' or you would end up in a emotional puddle on the floor! If you ever were touched by the romantic songs of the fifties and sixties (and a sound alike or two from the seventies), this recording is for you. Frankly, we've never heard a better recording of era's music. The voices are beautiful, the slides into falsetto breaks is seamless, and the arrangements keep true to the originals while filling out the instrumental parts with vocals. The Alley Cats have presented all of the greatest songs of an era, 'Silhouettes,' 'Twilight Time,' 'Earth Angel,' 'Stand By Me,' and more, sixteen cuts in all. The tempos and arrangements vary so you never become complacent and let a tune slide by out of predictability, but rather have to pay attention to each sweet riff. We gush, we enthuse, and we have only this to add, 'yip yip yip yip, mum mum mum mum, get a job!' With your first paycheck be sure to get the Alley Cats, 'Strike 32.'

Songlist: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Only You (And You Alone), Blue Moon, So In Love, Rockin' Robin, Silhouettes, Twilight Time, Stand By Me, Get A Job, Earth Angel, I Really Love You, Remember, Little Bitty Pretty One, At the Hop / Jump Jive 'n Wail, I Wonder Why, You Belong To Me

Pride of Branson, MO, 5-man a cappella band Cat's Pajamas has been sharpening their live show since 2005, and it shows bigtime! These 13 songs are pure entertainment, from soul hits like James Brown's "I Feel Good," pop hits like Del Shannon's "Run Around Sue," "Love Potion Number 9" and "Earth Angel;" Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman" and the Drifters' "Up On The Roof;" Doo-Wop classics like "Stand By Me" and "Blue Moon;" and even a sweet reggae medley of "Kiss the Girl" and Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl"-these are great covers and fun stuff. Enjoy!

Songlist: I Feel Good, Oh What A Night, Love Potion Number 9, Run Around Sue, Stand By Me, Pretty Women, Blue Moon, Kiss The Girl, When The Sun Goes Down, The Joker, Earth Angel, Up On The Roof, My Old Man

Essentials : Oh What a Night   

From that hotbed of a cappella music to the north, Canada, comes a young, high energy quintet who are devoting their harmonious labors on this album to the art of the doo-wop, particularly the early 60's style. 'Sixteen Candles,' 'Runaround Sue,' 'So Much In Love,' 'Come Go With Me,' and 'The Way You Do The Things You Do' are a partial list of the tunes, 14 in all. You can thoroughly enjoy a moment of nostalgia or enjoy those oldies anew as the harmonies are tight and rich, the bass is solid and the tunes are all from an era of great schmaltz and great vocalization, a virtual golden age of acappella. (For spelling information see the Belmont's review) 

Songlist: I Wonder Why, Sixteen Candles, Runaround Sue, Up On The Roof, Denise, So Much In Love, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Earth Angel, Come Go With Me, Lean On Me, The Way You Do The Things You Do, Blue Moon, In The Still Of The Night

The Laferos is Frankie Lafero harmonizing with himself, and we bet he had a good laugh coming up with the 'group' name! You know Frank, from West Philly, who formed Frankie and the Fashions in 1963-well, this gifted performer went into a studio and laid down all the vocal parts on this CD, one by one. There are great covers: 'Earth Angel,' 'Remember Nina,' 'It's Only Make Believe,' 'Sea of Love,' 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me,' 'Dream Lover,' and a treat, two of Frank's originals, 'I'll Never Love Again,' and 'Making Love for the First Time.' We can say without fear of contradiction that the voices on Acappella Serenades are perfectly matched, and although we're not expecting a live tour anytime soon, this is some of the smoothest and sweetest doo-wop we've heard!

Songlist: I'll Never Love Again, Remember Nina, Earth Angel, Sea of Love, O Solo Mio, My Island in the Sun, It's Only Make Believe, This Love of Mine, Maing Love for the First Time, Sit and Hold My Hand, Full Moon and Empty Arms, Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, Dream Lover, I Think of You / Lonely Heart

Lovers of authentic, original remastered recordings of a cappella Doo-Wop will find a rich treasure in "Top 20." Of course we have heard most of these cuts before, but these excellent groups are all new to our ears. The Arrogants' versions of "Sh-Boom," "Get A Job," Who's That Knockin', and "Church Bells May Ring" are top-drawer, as are Norman Fox & the Rob Roys' "Dance Girl Dance" and "Tell Me Why." The Revelations weigh in with "Spanish Harlem," BQE sings "What Time Is It," "Sherry" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight;" John Kuse & the Excellents, Image, Yesterday's Today, Five Kings, Bravado, Dino and the Heartspinners, Lar-Kings, Tokens-the list, and the hits, go on and on. Open this one like a sweet, rich vintage wine straight from the 1950s and enjoy!

Songlist: Dance Girl Dance, Sh-Boom, I Count the Tears, Down on My Knees, Tell Me Why, In My Heart, Get A Job, So Much, Spanish Harlem, Who's That Knockin', What Time Is It?, Peace of Mind, Sherry, Gloria, Earth Angel, Church Bells May Ring, Ship of Love, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Doom Lang, Goodnight From Us To You

For the girls, a medley of four great nostalia tunes: A Teenager in Love, Lollipop, Earth Angel, Sh-boom. Available: SSAA a cappella, ShowTrax CD. Performance Time: Approx. 4:47.

Songlist: A Teenager in Love, Lollipop, Earth Angel, Sh-boom