Don Julian & The Meadowlarks - Heaven & Paradise (2011)

Tracklist
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01. Heaven and Paradise
02. Love Only You
03. I Got Tore Up
04. Untrue
05. Oop Boopy Oop
06. Boogie Woogie Teenage
07. Blue Moon
08. Pass the Gin
09. Always And Always
10. Embarrassing Moments
11. L F M S T Blues
12. Thrill Me Night And Day
13. Please Love A Fool
14. Big Mama Wants To Rock
15. I Am A Believer
16. Real Pretty Mama
17. This Must Be Paradise
18. Mine All Mine
19. I Got Tore Up (Alternative Version)


Anyone who's suffered through the sound quality of Collectables Records' Golden Classics should seriously consider Ace's collection as an alternative. The Meadowlarks' best work on Dootone, RPM, and Original Sound are all represented. The sound isn't perfect, but it is very, very good, and all of the songs from Golden Classics are here, along with ten more that are just as good. This CD covers a wide range: hauntingly ethereal slow ballads such as "Heaven And Paradise," "Untrue," and "Devil or Angel" (the latter previously unreleased); upbeat dance numbers like "Love Only You," "Oop Boopy Oop," and "Boogie Woogie Teenage"; and rip-roaring rockers like "I Got Tore Up," all of them impressive in their vocal dexterity. Perhaps the best track here is "Blue Moon," a reverent yet bluesy harmony rendition that might've charmed even Richard Rodgers. Some of the stuff leans toward conventionality, such as "Doin' the Cha Cha," but even it is so surprising in its sultry vocalizing, that's it's well worth the three-minute digression. On the other end of the spectrum is the endlessly witty, comical "Embarrassing Moments," the epitome of teenage libido in action. The moody "L.F.M.S.T. Blues" and the presence of some highly detailed annotation kind of seal the deal; this is the CD to get on the Meadowlarks.

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