The sounds of this album may slightly surprise you if you're familiar with the work of The Three Suns. Not a tremendous, blood-pressure-raising kind of surprise, but a gentle, gee-whiz surprise. They're still dishing out the same kind of lightheated music that they have for many years. But they've varied their instrumentation somewhat on this, their latest effort.

There's still the same nucleus -- Al Nevins on guitar, brother Morty on accordion and cousin Artie Dunn on organ -- but for this one they've added strings: two violins, a cello, a unique bass guitar and that almost forgotten instrument, the mandolin.

In the past few years, The Three Suns have been experimenting with various new sound combinations. From time to time they've recorded with extra guitars, bass, drums, piano, another organ, once even with castanets. But from the point of delightful and imaginative instrumentation, this album tops them all.

Produced by Al Nevins and arranged by Charles Albertine, here are twelve melodious and romantic tunes done with typical Three Suns verve plus the added fillip of this new sound.

On some songs, like Let Me Call You Sweetheart, the gimmick is the bass guitar used in an infectious counter-melody to the accordian. On others, like How Deep Is the Ocean, the two violins get the spotlight, murmuring the melody, with the Suns supplying the rhythm and contrast. And one of the loveliest arrangements here, Do I Love You, has the organ and mandolin singing the melody in a delightful duet. All the arrangements are equally distinctive.

This, then, is LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON -- an afternoon that has the Three Suns shining, with the extra strings adding more warmth to the occasion.

Incidentally, if you're not planning any afternoon love in the forseeable future, don't be discouraged. This album serves just as well for evening romance.
Dick Kleiner
Record Columnist, NEA Service, Inc
(From the back jacket)