Customer Reviews

Chirpin

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
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This could be the greatest of all The Persuasions' albums,in my humble opinion. The harmonies come so thick, they sound like a chorus. "Papa Oom Mow Mow" is a tour-de-force for Joe Russell, who also does one song, "To Be Loved,"all by himself. It is a torrid and moving performance by Joe that he has never surpassed, as far as I'm concerned. Of course, this has the very moving Persuasions' autobiographical theme song, "Looking For And Echo," and bass man Jimmy Hayes singing lead on the Persuasions concert staple,"Sixty Minute Man." Rolling Stone called this album one of the top 100 of the entire 1970s, and I agree.

Gadzooks! Greatest vocal album ever made. Virtuosic. Powerful. Heartbreaking. Gorgeous. Percolating. Scintillating.

If you are a devotee of -- OK, a sucker for -- a cappella doo-wop, you can't do much better than "Chirpin'," one of many fine releases from the legendary Persuasions.

The album is completely free of musical instruments, unless, of course, you count the four members' voices, the combination of which makes anything else unnecessary. Their harmonies are flawless, and they sing with a confidence in the material and each other that makes each song a chapter in a superbly told story.

The range of their power is illustrated by their ability to inject energy into a dust-covered chestnut like "Papa Oom Mow Mow," hold you spellbound with the musical narratives of "Wille and Laura Mae Jones" and "Johnny Porter," and wrap you in the pure romanticism of "Moonlight and Music." And those are not to mention their tasty dollops of R&B ("Women and Drinkin'", "Sixty Minute Man").

But for me they capture the spirit of doo-wop in its purest form with "Looking for an Echo," a wonderful evocation of the street singing that is at the heart of the music. If you have only heard the Kenny Vance version of this tune, you'll be surprised by how much more the Persuasions do with it. It's on the relatively short list of pop tunes that I have played over and over again without ever getting tired of it.

Excellent CD to get if you are coming on the Persuasions for the first time.

Wonderful work; I just miss Jayotis Washington's voice on this album. And they still don't have a band because they never, never need one.

This CD was exactly as advertised and was shipped in a timely manner. I am completely satisfied with this transaction.