Bobby Vinton - Sealed With A Kiss (1972/2018)

Bobby Vinton forms a bridge between the teen idol pop of the early '60s and the adult contemporary pop of the early '70s on Sealed with a Kiss, revealing their similar musical values. Both genres echoed the traditional pop music of the '50s and earlier with their attention to melody and lavish orchestration, while borrowing enough from rock & roll to seem contemporary. Sealed with a Kiss seamlessly mixes songs from both eras, from the title track (a hit for teen idol Brian Hyland) and the Fleetwoods' "Come Softly to Me" to Neil Diamond's "Song Sung Blue." "Somebody's Breaking My Heart" shows how little this variety of pop music had changed through the years, as Vinton leads a huge-sounding mixed chorus through a singalong melody that is aside from a few modern production touches practically identical to Ronnie Dove in the '60s, or Bob Beckham in the '50s. Only the wah-wah guitar on "Our Day Will Come" and "I'm Leaving It All Up to You" brands the album as a product of the '70s. "Sealed with a Kiss" was a substantial pop and easy listening hit for Vinton and the album charted in the Top 100.