Album Review

Steve ''Spaz'' Schnee [allmusic.com]

The Nylons' performing career began in 1980 at a time when a capella outfits were not in vogue. The fact that the Nylons were unlike any a capella act on the scene made them stand out and earned them accolades and a devoted audience almost immediately. The band has existed in one form or another for 25 years, but it is the original quartet of Claude Morrison, Arnold Robinson, Paul Cooper, and Mark Connors that created their most beloved recordings. One Size Fits All, their second album, was released the same year as their debut, in 1982, and remains one of the finest modern a capella albums released since the genre's heyday in the '50s. With production and arrangements provided by Peter Mann, the quartet steps out of the semi-restrictive constraints of a capella and creates its own sound. On this outing, their strong voices blend together even more tightly than on their debut, and their performance is warm and soothing. Connors' treatment of ''Town Without Pity'' is stunning, breathing emotion and life into a song that hadn't sounded this good since Gene Pitney's hit version nearly 20 years before. Claude Morrison proves that not only is he a fine vocalist, but also a great songwriter, with ''Heavenly Bodies.'' Paul Cooper, who wrote or co-wrote some of their finest songs, shines here with ''Bop Till You Drop'' and the opener, ''That Kind of Man'' (the U.S. CD suspiciously edits out the original intro to the song which mentions ''discos and gay cabarets.''). Robinson's fantastic lead on ''Silhouettes'' is one of the album's real highlights. The most exceptional track here is ''Please,'' a gorgeous ballad written and passionately sung by Connors and Cooper. Fans of AOR, doo wop, rock, pop, soul, and jazz will be fully satisfied with what the Nylons offer on this sophomore release, a rare case of the second album being better than the first.