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.
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.
