Picking up in 1958, the tenth volume of
Bear Family's doo wop history
Street Corner Symphonies captures the style at a peak. With rock & roll now in full swing, R&B and doo wop also flourished in the hearts of young America and you can hear plenty of love-struck songs and heartbreak here -- the gorgeous "Since I Don't Have You" by
the Skyliners,
the Crests' "16 Candles,"
Little Anthony & the Imperials' "Tears on My Pillow" -- and you can hear it reach beyond black vocal groups thanks to
Dion & the Belmonts' "I Wonder Why." There are also R&B singles that aren't so strictly doo wop -- Jerry Butler & the Impressions' "For Your Precious Love,"
James Brown's "Try Me" -- but this remains a celebration of all the sweetness and nonsense that made doo wop great. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine