Following in the footsteps of two earlier Doo Wop Boxes--the first of which sold enough to earn a gold record--comes a third set of four CDs dedicated to the street-corner form. Discs one and two collect hits and near-misses that didn't make the cut for the previous volumes. The fact that many of these recordings--including the Cadets' whacked-out "Stranded in the Jungle," the Charts' barely less goofball "Zoop," the Jaguars' lovely nod to Sinatra on "The Way You Look Tonight," and Lee Andrews and the Hearts' gorgeous "Try the Impossible"--stand up to the selections on volumes one and two makes a grand case for the music's depth. (As for the odd embarrassing whitewash such as the 3 Friends' "Blanche," well, someone likes it.)
An interesting twist finds the third disc filled with favorites chosen by the likes of Keith Richards, George Carlin, and Art and Aaron Neville, while the final CD collects two dozen modern tracks that often stretch the boundaries of tribute. Still, it's fitting that the unstoppable a cappella group the Persuasions' 1977 "Looking for an Echo" ends the box. Along with its predecessors, Doo Wop Box III affirms that this blissful strain of American music indeed resonates 50 years after its development. --Rickey Wright
