Featuring
Paul Petersen's Top 20 hit "She Can't Find Her Keys,"
Lollipops and Roses was about as typical an early-'60s teen idol LP as you might find, if perhaps on the milder side (even considering how mild the style was as a whole). The young
Petersen had a pleasant high if somewhat faceless voice, with polished innocuous backing that sometimes drew from early-'60s pop/rock without ever rocking too hard. For those who (inaccurately) contend that rock & roll died, or at least became emasculated beyond recognition, between
Buddy Holly's death and the rise of
the Beatles, this album has some of the best ammunition available to support the argument. For those without that chip on their shoulder, this is harmlessly fluffy if basically forgettable stuff, sometimes recalling
Shelley Fabares records with male vocals, and getting into a bit of novelty territory with the drawn-out story/premise of "She Can't Find Her Keys" and the silly Twist-styled "What Did They Do Before Rock & Roll." The answer to that question, actually, is that they listened to some of the same kind of tame ballads that
Petersen sings on some of the rest of the LP, like the title track. Brill Building aficionados might be curious to hear "Keep Your Love Locked," an obscure
Gerry Goffin-
Carole King composition that's far below the level of their best efforts. ~ Richie Unterberger