AMG Review of Street Corner Symphony

Bruce Eder
All Music Guide

Street Corner Symphony is an awesome a cappella release, a soaring assembly of songs that slide across the time-line, evoking the 1950s and the 1970s with equal ease, commercial R&B and the most devout gospel music, and even the commercial pop and singer/songwriter influences surrounding them ("Medley," which includes "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" and "You've Got a Friend"). Their "Tempts Jam" will dazzle any Motown devotee, freely mixing the group's songs in what is much more of a musical stew than a formal medley, and their version of "People Get Ready" is a fascinating "recomposition" of the Curtis Mayfield/Impressions classic. The only flaw is that it dates from 1991 -- fairly early in Collectables Records' history -- and is lacking in some of the presence that a modern digital transfer would have -- this is one recording that is long overdue for an upgrade.