The Doodletown Pipers
embody '60s soft
pop
at its most white-bread and wholesome -- and that's not necessarily a bad thing, truth be told. There's something weirdly but undeniably charming about music this defiantly straight-laced -- the arrangements are elevator-ready and the harmonies seem ported directly from a Lutheran choir performance, but just try listening to these dull-as-lint readings of
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin',"
"A Lover's Concerto,"
and
"Under the Sea"
without cracking a smile. The blame, such as it is, lies more with producer
Al Capps
than it does
the Pipers
themselves -- the material is completely unsuited to the group's candy-floss approach and can't help but suffer in comparison to the original hits. Still, yesterday's atrocity is today's ironic pleasure, and on both counts
the Doodletown Pipers
deliver in spades. ~ Jason Ankeny