Other than the smash "Mama Said" and its medium-sized follow-up, "What a Sweet Thing That Was,"
the Shirelles' second album had none of their more celebrated tracks. Nor was it geared toward ornate arrangements or standards, as the title
The Shirelles Sing to Trumpets and Strings might lead you to suspect. Instead, it was typical of
the Shirelles' early girl group sound, though the songs surrounding the two hits weren't as strong as the two songs that served as the LP's opening cuts. Its impact is diluted, too, by the use on three numbers of backing tracks that had previously been employed on recordings of the same tunes by fellow Scepter Records artists
Tommy Hunt and
Chuck Jackson. Still,
the Shirelles do sing those items well and bring some of their own personality to them, particularly the dignified chin-up ballad "My Willow Tree."