Harmony is Real - Songs for a Happy Holiday
The Living Sisters
Vanguard 78431-1
2014
This album spent a lot of time on my turntable this past Christmas season. It only has three traditional Christmas carols on it, but for me that is a plus. Given how long the Christmas hype has become, I'm generally tired of the traditional songs well before Christmas rolls around, so the abundance of original songs on this album appeals to me. Becky Stark's "Harmony is Real" opens the album but it is not a Christmas song. It celebrates harmony, both the vocal kind and the fellowship kind. It could be the Living Sisters' theme song since they are among the most harmony oriented groups in contemporary music. As is often the case with Stark's work it has a childlike simplicity in its melodic structure although the horn arrangement gives it some musical sophistication. Eleni Mandell's "Kadoka, South Dakota" celebrates an old-fashioned small town Christmas. The swinging song evokes memories of the Andrews Sisters or other vintage female pop ensembles but Jeremy Drake's jumping guitar lines give the song some rock and roll oomph. It is one of my favorite tracks. The Sisters' version of "Jingle Bells" similarly mixes vintage harmonizing with a western swing style arrangement featuring some lively guitar and piano work. Inara George's "Merry Happy Christmas" combines heartbreak with Christmas cheer in a striking manner. George's lead vocal is full of emotion in the verses but the song has a more cheerful 1950s doo-wop flavor in the ensemble chorus. Alex Lilly's "Skip the Sugar (Good Girl)" is about being good to please Santa although it is given an adult twist with references to not breaking hearts or stealing party dresses. In keeping with the eclectic sound of the album, this track has a punchy reggae flavor to it. Lilly and George co-wrote "Christmas in California" which is a slightly satirical celebration of spending Christmas in California although the content of the song seems more specific to Los Angeles. The elaborate, rocked up arrangement of the song reminds me of Phil Spector's "A Christmas Gift for You." The rock and roll sound continues on side two for Mandell's "Baby Wants a Basketball for Christmas" which veers between vintage piano and guitar driven verses and music hall style choruses. The song cleverly mixes gift giving references with sexuality in describing the give and take of a relationship. "Little Drummer Boy" is given a traditional arrangement that showcases the Sisters' vibrant ensemble harmonizing. Mandell's "Neon Chinese Christmas Eve" provides a Jewish perspective on the holiday as she describes taking her Christian boyfriend to Chinatown for a Christmas Eve dinner. It is a slow, but lovely song enlivened by an engaging horn arrangement. Mandell extends the Jewish theme with her "Hanukkah" which humorously celebrates the Jewish holiday. The Sisters take turns singing the lines and the song sounds wonderful. It channels 1950s pop music and vintage harmonizing. It is another one of my favorites. "Silver Bells" is right in the Sisters' wheelhouse and sounds gorgeous. The album concludes with Stark's "Don't Go To Sleep" which like her other song has no references to Christmas. Apparently the holiday is not her thing. It has a simple melody driven by Stark's piano lines and some beautiful vocalizing. It gives the record a romantic but also rather somber finish. Mandell is the star of this record. She wrote almost half of the original songs on the record and her contribution is the most diverse and liveliest of the music on the record. I'm a big fan of the Living Sisters and I adore this album which should to appeal to anyone who likes ensemble singing. The record is pressed on snow white festive vinyl and is handsomely packaged. Recommended to fans of the Fleetwoods and the Chordettes.
Run For Cover
The Living Sisters
Vanguard 79269
2013
A mini-album from my favorite pretend sisters. I had mixed feelings when I read that the Living Sisters were releasing a covers album. These women are first-rate songwriters and all my favorite songs on their debut album, "Love to Live" had been self-penned. A covers record seemed like a regression to me. On the other hand I saw these ladies deliver some spectacular Patsy Cline covers back in 2011 at Disney Hall so I knew they had the chops to deliver a quality covers record. Thus I bought this as soon as it came out and I have to admit that my first instincts were correct. I was a little disappointed by it. It is beautifully sung but it doesn't engage me that much. It opens with "Make Love To Me" which was a big hit for Jo Stafford in 1954. The Sisters give it a western swing style arrangement which is a big improvement over Stafford's big band version. Most of the song is sung jointly by the quartet, but they also trade solo vocals for some lines which is their style for the entire album. The song has humor and energy, it even has a swinging guitar solo. It is easily my favorite track. Surprisingly the ladies take on George Clinton next with a cover of Funkadelic's "Can You Get To That?" Predictably it is a lot less funky than the original despite some greasy guitar work. The Sisters' style is to smooth over the rough spots and although I admire the creativity and skill of their vocal arrangement, I'm not convinced this was a good idea. It is interesting though. Side one concludes with a glacially slow cover of the Doris Day classic, "Que Sera, Sera." I'm not a big fan of the original, but it is more propulsive and lively than this cover. I like the prominence of the rhythm section in this arrangement, it does rock in a way and there is no denying that the singing is fantastic, but I find the track rather dull and I lose interest well before its nearly 6 minute running time expires. Side two opens with a cover of Patsy Cline's 1956 single "A Poor Man's Roses." Cline's original was country with sophisticated pop touches, the Living Sisters' version is sophisticated pop with country touches. It sounds wonderful but Cline's version has a bigger emotional punch. Next up is an a cappella arrangement of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." It is a remarkable piece of ensemble singing showing the Sisters' mastery of harmony vocals. It really sends me but it lacks the urgency that Parton brought to her original version. The side ends with another Patsy Cline cover, her immortal performance of Don Gibson's "Sweet Dreams." It is my favorite Cline record and no one is ever going to make a better version, not even great vocalists like the Living Sisters. Their version is certainly beautiful but it lacks the heart that Cline brought to the song. There is much to like about this record. The quartet's taste in covers is eclectic and tasteful, a mixture of the familiar and the obscure. The singing is impeccable, you don't hear these kind of harmonies in pop music anymore. However the record does leave me a little cold, I feel it is an exercise in style and technique and doesn't express much. I know from their solo work that these women have plenty to say and I'd rather hear another album where they do their own songs. Recommended to Linda Ronstadt fans.
Incorruptible Heart
Lavender Diamond
Paracadute 9116-2
2012
Lavender Diamond is one of my favorite live acts, I saw them three times last year as they previewed the songs on this, their second full length album. Their shows are always magical for me. Picture some dingy bar/club near their Echo Park/Silver Lake homebase. The room is full of hipsters, their faces illuminated by their smart phones as they blather away over the tunes spun by the DJ. Then the band appears, looking more like a jazz trio than an indie rock band. The giant piano player with a great shock of unruly gray hair, Steve Gregoropoulos, resembles a bouncer more than a musician, it is hard to believe those big hands can play with such grace and beauty. The guitarist Jeff Rosenberg is always the best dressed dude in the room. The diminutive drummer Ron Regé Jr. looks more like a comic book artist, which is exactly what he is when he's not pounding the skins. Then Becky Stark steps up to the mike wearing one of her vintage-style party dresses. She radiates innocence and sweetness. You would think some Sunday school teacher on a date has wandered into this den of iniquity by mistake. Over the din of hipster chatter she announces "We are Lavender Diamond" and then she gestures to the crowd and adds "and you are Lavender Diamond." I wince expecting the cool cats around me to devour her alive, but then the band lurches into a song and Stark cuts loose with that amazing voice of hers and the audience becomes silent, entranced by the stunning beauty of the music. I'm not a religious person, but seeing this band is like a spiritual experience for me, they renew my faith in the power of love which is Stark's primary message. This is evident in the title and many of the songs on the band's new album. The album opens with the electric piano intro that begins "Everybody's Heart's Breaking Now" and then Stark begins to croon about heartbreak and the end of the world. The song like most of the album features a lot of reverb and a dense musical backdrop with multi-tracked keyboards and strings. It is one of the loveliest songs on the album. "Dragonfly" introduces the synth pop sound that recurs throughout the album much to my surprise. I'm not sure I really approve but it does vary the texture of the music more than on their past records. Stark sings of the ups and downs of love and notes with typical positivity that despite everything "this life is all so sublime." The piano chords that introduce "I Don't Recall" remind me of Todd Rundgren's "Hello It's Me" until the funky Prince-style guitar riff cuts in. It is a bit more uptempo and has a punchier rhythm track than most of the songs on the record which helps make it one of my favorites on the record. Stark sings of missing her love with a voice full of heartbreak like she is channeling the ghost of Patsy Cline. "Just Passing By" covers similar territory in a slow countryish tune with another aching vocal from Stark. She starts singing huskily in a lower register before hitting the high notes in the chorus. "Teach Me How To Waken" features more synth-pop but is otherwise an archetypal Lavender Diamond song as Stark announces that "love is the beginning and love is the end" which sums up her philosophy pretty well. The song features a very dramatic arrangement and a typically powerful vocal. In contrast to the wall of sound of the previous song, "Come Home" is more instrumentally spare, largely driven by acoustic guitar. The song is a plaintive plea for the subject of the song to return to Stark as she describes all the sacrifices she has made in order for that person to return. The nakedness of the song places the focus on Stark's vocal which is the way it should be. Side two opens with "Forgive" which sees a return of the dense musical sound of most of the record. The prominence of the drums in the mix gives the song extra oomph. It expresses a typically Starkian message to "lift the weight from your heart" and forgive others so that you can live in love. They up the beats per minute big time for the joyous "Light My Way" which is one of my favorite cuts on the record. It is synth pop you can dance to, a cross between Blondie and New Order. Naturally it is love that lights her way. I wish they would do more songs in this vein. "Oh My Beautiful World" is almost like a parody of a Lavender Diamond song as Stark gushes over and over how she loves her world. The song features a simple tune suggestive of an early 1960s girl group like the Shangri-Las except for the weird instrumental breaks where she wails over a distorted synthesizer solo that sounds like a different song entirely. In the jaunty "Perfect Love" Stark affirms her confidence that she will find her perfect love. She is joined in the vocals by the album's producer, Damian Kulash Jr. of OK Go and I enjoy their chemistry. If you listen closely you can hear Stark tap dancing. The album's eclecticism continues with the love song "Everybody's Song" which is a mix of country and dixieland in the form of a slow waltz guaranteed to have you swaying as you listen to it. The album concludes with "All The Stars" which I think is the most extraordinary song the band has ever done. This majestic tune bolstered by soaring strings and gorgeous piano playing from Gregoropoulos provides the platform for an operatic flight from Stark that is mesmerizing. When the band does the song live, the audience is stunned by its power, you can see their eyes bugging out and their jaws dropping. I always get chills from it. In contrast to the sunny sentiments expressed by most of the album, the poetic lyrics express an almost existential outlook on the world as Stark examines our place in the universe. It is a great song, a testament to the potential power of pop music when it is played with intelligence and skill. The wall of sound in this song almost convinces me that the band made the right decision to take this heavily produced approach on this record. However having heard a lot of these songs live without all the fussiness on the record, I still have my doubts. Stark's voice is so magnificent that she doesn't need all this support. She provides the power. I appreciate the experiment but I hope they don't repeat it. Anyway with songs this good and a singer like Stark, not even Phil Spector could wreck this music. I recommend it unconditionally to anyone looking to light their way through life.
Imagine Our Love
Lavender Diamond
Matador OLE 752-1
2007
I recently saw Lavender Diamond in concert. It was a tremendous show, the band did a set of all new numbers, aside from the encore. The new songs blew me away, I can hardly wait for them to put out a new album. That was a real treat since I was wondering if Lavender Diamond would ever make music together again. Inspired by the show, I've been playing this treasured LP quite a bit. I never get tired of it. Becky Stark is an extraordinary performer. When I first started hearing her songs on the radio, I wondered if she was putting me on, if this was some sort of performance art type thing. Her persona, a mixture of Melanie's hippie innocence with Cat Power's emotional vulnerability with Tori Amos' artistic integrity with Joni Mitchell's poetic insight on top of a set of pipes worthy of an opera singer, she just seemed too good to be true. I was wrong though, she is definitely the real thing, an authentic musical treasure right here in plastic superficial Southern California. She is such a dominating, overwhelming figure, I never really noticed how good the band was until I saw them live, particularly pianist Steve Gregoropoulos whose fluid solos are achingly beautiful. There are only 3 guys in the band, but when they get going they really rock. This is a great act, if they ever come to your town, you owe it to yourself to check them out. If you don't leave the show with a giant smile on your face, then you have no heart. As for this record, it ought to put a smile on your face as well. If you just glance at the lyrics, the songs seem almost absurdly simple, yet when Stark sings them, they become powerful anthems. I think Stark's strategy is to write basic, heartfelt songs that have a strong direct appeal to the listener promoting her message of the transcendent power of love. Given that she studied Russian Literature and Semiotics at Brown University, I'm sure Stark is perfectly capable of writing complicated lyrics, but I think she has chosen to emphasize the heart over the brain, for me her songs are like hymns of hope and feeling. In this age of irony and distance, this music has a special value to me. It is not whiny emo or self-absorbed confessional music, it is an artist reaching out to the public with her message of fulfillment through being true to your heart. There is a wide variety of music on this record. There are sad, lovelorn songs like "Oh No" and "My Shadow Is A Monday." There is exuberant sunshine pop like "Open Your Heart" and "Here Comes One" which are guaranteed to lift your spirits. There is a country feel to "Garden Rose" and "Side of the Lord" the latter of which reveals Stark's feminist side and her ambivalence about religion. I believe I read somewhere that her mother is a minister which makes sense when you listen to this song. "Like an Arrow" sounds like a tribal dance song and even comes with dance instructions. When I tried them out, I felt like one of the Supremes! The sound of this album is consistently lovely. "I'll Never Lie Again" has some exquisite string arrangements and the vocals on "Dance Until Tomorrow," "When You Wake For Certain" and the inspirational "Find A Way" are mesmerizingly gorgeous. "Bring Me A Song" is my favorite song on the record. Lines like "Bring me a song,
Something to feel,
Bring me a song,
Please make it real" make this the ideal Lavender Diamond theme song. I think Lavender Diamond is one of the most interesting new groups around and I'm so thrilled they are making music again. Becky Stark is a true original. Recommended to anyone who wants to open their heart with their mind (and ears).
Love To Live
The Living Sisters
Vanguard 78042
2010
This Silver Lake supergroup brings together eclectic singer-songwriter Eleni Mandell, sophisticated pop chanteuse Inara George of the Bird and the Bee, and the unstoppable force of nature that is Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond. When I saw them a few weeks ago at Disney Hall they had added a fourth member Alex Lilly, but when this record was recorded they were just a trio. I bought this album at that concert. I already had the CD but I was so enraptured by the concert experience that I succumbed to the vinyl allure. I'm glad I did, because this is a record I really treasure. Considering what great singers these women are individually, you can imagine how heavenly they sound singing together. There is a remarkable consistency of style and tone on this album considering how many different genres of music the group embraces. My favorite song is Mandell's "How Are You Doing?" which is pure pop pleasure with the singers taking turns singing leads and offering up some gorgeous harmonies. Mandell also provides the country-flavored "Ferris Wheel" which is a style she has explored in her solo work. George's sole songwriting contribution is "Blue" which is a tasty slice of doo-wop as the Sisters channel the Fleetwoods and the Flamingos. Stark takes the podium to deliver the folky "Cradle" which argues against letting your baby cry. I couldn't agree more, our pediatrician told us to let our baby cry and it made me miserable for the short period we tried it. Listen to this woman's advice. This is followed by a cover of Bessie Smith's "Good Ole Wagon" which I think is the only dubious cut on the album. The Sisters take a glossy sophisticated approach on this song that I think was better served with the grit and raunchiness that Bessie Smith brought to it. Side Two kicks off with another pop song from Mandell, "Hold Back" followed by another folk song from Stark, "This Mountain Has Skies" which has some of the prettiest singing on the record. Mandell's fourth and final song is the fun and funny "Double Knots." It makes me smile every time I hear it. A cover of Nancy Wilson's 60s hit "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" comes next. Wilson's original was basically easy-listening pop with a tinge of rhythm and blues, but the Sisters' version is more of a doo-wop/country hybrid and I like it a lot better. All three women sing lead on the closing number, "Don't Let The Sun Go Down," a dreamy ballad by Becky Stark. The singing on this number is just dazzling, a great way to finish the album. This is an astonishingly beautiful record, I don't think I've heard such brilliant ensemble singing since Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris got together for the "Trio" records. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the possibilities of ensemble vocals in pop music.
