The sixth volume of
Bear Family's doo wop history Street Corner Symphonies chronicles the year 1954 -- a year when the style was starting to hit its stride just as R&B began to bubble up elsewhere. Certainly, some crossovers can be heard, particularly in the lewd "Work with Me Annie" from the Royals,
the Clovers' loose "Lovey Dovey," the frenetic rhythms of
the Chords' "Sh-Boom" and, especially,
the Robins' rollicking "Riot in Cell Block #9," but even the dreaminess of
the Penguins' "Earth Angel,"
the Moonglows' "Sincerely," and
the Spaniels' "Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite" have an earthiness the post-
Platters doo wop lacked. In other words, the times were changing, and it's possible to hear that on this sixth volume, where the sweetness still outweighs the swinging, and where there are still plenty of neglected gems to be discovered among the standards. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine