Music Reviews: Three Stops at the Doo-wop Shop, Plus Maia Sharp and Ted Russell Kamp
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Jeff Burger, BLOGCRITICS.ORG
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Rock has experienced many phases over the decades but to these ears none more lovable than one of its earliest: doo-wop, the harmony-vocal-based music that helped to bridge the gap from 40s R&B to 50s rock and pop.
If you were born too late to experience this genre in its prime, you should get acquainted via the excellent crash course offered by Rhino s Doo Wop Box series, which delivers more than 300 essential tracks on a trio of four-CD sets. After that, though, you ll likely want to dig deeper, and three fine places to do that are new collections from the Ravens, the Larks, and the Harptones. Unlike many anthologies of reissued oldies material, these all feature impressively comprehensive programs and excellent sound quality as well as detailed track information and informative liner notes.