Customer Reviews

The Flirtations

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This cd is one that every a cappella-lover should have in their collection. With lovely ballads (like Breaths and Wallflower), classics (Blue Moon and Lida Rose), and fast or funny tunes (Santa Maria and The Flirt Song), this one has something that everyone will like. Two songs, Everything Possible and On Children, will touch your heart - they're gorgeous! The Flirtations obviously had fun making this one, and it's a great, harmony-packed group of songs - you won't regret getting it.

This has become my favorite CD after rediscovering the Flirtations a few weeks ago. The songs are all worth listening to over and over again. I thought I wouldn't enjoy it because I don't ever listen to a capella, but they are all so talented that I'm sure instruments would take away from their great sound. The Flirtations should also be hailed for their activism and their ability to mix humor with serious social messages. Anyway, this is a great CD, and I strongly recommend it. Also check out their other CDs, if you get the chance!

The FLIRTATIONS (Jon Arterton, Michael Callen, Aurelio Font, TJ Myers, and Cliff Townsend) were an openly-gay acapella quartet in 1990 when they released this album, and it is a charming but uneven effort. The singers are obviously talented, and their material ranges from doo-wop to a gospel sound. Some of the tracks are nothing less than delightful -- a gay version of "Surfin' USA" that works better than it seems like it would, and the gentle power of pride in songs like "Everything Possible" and "Something Inside So Strong." Yet some of the tracks sound a bit amateurish, maybe a little sloppy. But all in all, it's very moving and important, and also a lot of fun. And it's one of the few recordings of Michael Callen's remarkable voice and charisma.

Funny and original, touchingly personal, yet familiar and comfortable, unobtrusive and inventive, and sometimes heartbreaking, THE FLIRTATIONS is the most effective a cappella recording that I have heard. As thrilling as great voices can be, this record is great enough to raise goose-bumps whenever I hear tracks like "Breaths," "Wallflower," or "Everything Possible." Doo-Wop classics sit elbow to elbow with standards and remarkably original songs that will echo in your own life; this collection is everything you expect and more. This beautiful record is a wonderful document of hugely talented MICHAEL CALLEN's powerful and gifted instrument: his voice. It's also a document of Jon Arterton, Aurelio Font, TJ Myers, and Cliff Townsend. I believe TJ Myers left us before Michael Callen. THE FLIRTATIONS' live album is also very enjoyable. Any fan of a cappella should own this album.

"Those who have died have never ever left, the dead have a pact with the living..."

When I need music to revive my drooping spirits, listening to this fantastic group sing "Something Inside So Strong," a South African fight song, does it every time: "The higher you build your barrier, the taller I become." Then there is "Breaths," that the group Sweet Honey in the Rock has also recorded. I used to have a friend who wanted that one sung at her memorial service. The other two that I listen to over and over are "On Children," music that should be required listening for parents who want to run their children's lives, and "Everything Possible," a song that will put chills on your spine with the message that it is okay to be gay: "You can be anybody that you want to be/You can love whomever you will/You can travel any country where your heart leads/ and know I will love you still" if I got the words right.

There are other less serious songs on this CD: "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" as well as "To Know Him Is To Love Him," "Housework," and "The Flirt Song." I also like "Santa Maria."

This group sang in the movie "Philadelphia," for those who did not know that. And Michael Callen died of AIDS before I ever saw this group perform in Atlanta and Ogunquit. The singer Suede sang with them for a short time and made one recording with them. They are no longer singing, but for a brief time the Flirtations warmed out hearts and brought us much hope with their heavenly a cappella music.

A really fine CD.

I met Michael during the 1980s when he traveled extensively on AIDS projects and conferences, speaking engagements and also with the FLIRTATIONS. I spent twenty-six years as a massage therapist, and on numerous times that he flew into Dallas-Fort Worth, he would call and ask for an appointment. Not only was he a kind and creative and bright spirit, but he always loved my personal and caring massages. As with all win/win situations, I in turn found a creative mind, clever, genuine and always a sparkle about his life. Along with enjoying his music the rest of my life, I'll always cherish the memories of time spent in his presence.