Designed as an aural souvenir of
the Boston Pops
' annual Fourth of July concert,
A Splash of the Pops
is another celebration of America and Americana. Although it contains a handful of new orchestral pieces, such as
"With Voices Raised,"
it is primarily a celebration of classic American music, both classical pieces and pop songs alike. Of course, there's not a whole lot of pop songs -- the
"Overture to State Fair,"
"Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy,"
and
Paul Simon
's
"America"
are chief among them -- but they fit in well with
"The Star-Spangled Banner,"
"Stars and Stripes Forever,"
"1812 Overture,"
"America the Beautiful,"
"Lift Every Voice and Sing"
because
Keith Lockhart
's arrangements and conducting give it all a uniform style that is distinctly, undeniably
the Pops
. It's to
Lockhart
's credit that he keeps the tradition of
alive while subtly developing his own style; this is certainly a
Pops
record, but he's infusing the group with his own taste, such as
. And that's what makes
so entertaining -- not only does it capture the feeling of a
Fourth of July concert, it sounds contemporary, as well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine