Variety rules on this disc: this established all-male vocal group Cantabile slip easily from Vaughan Williams, Quilter and Elgar to Tom Bahler and Randy Newman. Most of these close-harmony songs, exploring the theme of young men sent off to war and those they leave behind, are a cappella, the rest deftly accompanied by Malcolm Martineau. All but a couple of tracks stay on the dry side of sweet, the Poulenc particularly effective. With four voices – countertenor, two tenors and baritone – compared with the King's Singers' six, the terrain is similarly eclectic and polished, the sound more intimate. Some of the solo work just missed the mark, but overall the programme is lively and enticing.