In Vietnamese, “nhip” means a musical bar or measure. However, Nhip Am Girls was not a Vietnamese group; rather, they were students at UCLA. In 2010, the collegiate singing ensemble went co-ed and now goes by the name The AweChords.
The incorporation of dance steps and tap elements into their routine leant some satisfying kinetic energy to their performance. It would have been nice to have heard even more of that energy arc into their otherwise competent harmonies.
This girl group from the Great North is in no danger of displacing The Guess Who, The Band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Neil Young & Crazy Horse or Rush on the short list of Canadian bands most Americans can count on one hand. Still, the young ladies have established a regional reputation in their native Ontario.
The quartet of Canucks are longtime friends from formative years spent at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School, and the alumnae still manage to reunite to add to their repertory of Doo-Wop covers (although their arrangement of “O Canada” is apparently their most requested tune). For the time being, a hit is something the 4Qs get on their fan page or YouTube, but they appeared on a compilation CD of Doo-Wop artists from around the world. Their version of “Sh-Boom” comes bundled at the end of a medley. The execution is earnest and wants to please but the sound is a bit thin and doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity to be more daring.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7qA72LhMO0&list=RDk7qA72LhMO0
James Keyes, Claude Feaster, Carl Feaster, Floyd F. (“Buddy”) McRae, and James Edwards shared credit for writing the early Doo-Wop classic “Sh-Boom.” Collectively, they were members of the Bronx-based R&B vocal group The Chords, who had their only hit with the song in 1954.
“Sh-Boom” appeared on Billboard’s R&B and Pop charts (reaching the #2 and #5 spots, respectively), a rare crossover phenomenon in that era. That same year, “Sh-Boom,” in a paler pop arrangement, was a #1 hit for The Crew-Cuts, a Canadian quartet, backed by Dave Carroll’s Orchestra.
Some people consider “Sh-Boom” to be one of the first “Rock and Roll” songs (although references to “rocking” can be found as early as 1947). I simply think of “Sh-Boom” as one of my favorite songs. Lately, I have been wondering how well “Sh-Boom” has been holding up to the test of time.
My survey begins on the Left Coast in Los Angeles with Street Corner Renaissance, a five-man a cappella group, all of whom quit their day jobs to pursue their musical muses. Their debut album, appropriately enough titled Life Could Be a Dream, came out in 2011. When last heard from, SCR was playing to big crowds in Dubai. These cats made a smooth cover which I thoroughly enjoyed.