Like a pair of luxurious soft cashmere socks for your ears, the silky vocal harmonies of Emily Miller and Zara Bode are a decadent treat.
The Sweetback Sisters are a group of very uniquely talented musicians whose personal histories are quite varied, diverse and definitely not your typical country music pedigrees. But when they come together on a song, hoo boy it's magic; you'd think they'd been playing together since they were babies (shh, their home base these days is Brooklyn).
With a new album coming out on May 31, courtesy of Signature Sounds Records, entitled Looking For A Fight, the band is sure to woo a huge new fan base. Heck, you don't even have to like the Nashville sound to enjoy this funky pairing of country roots and rockabilly retro. Says Bode: “Sometimes what we deliver is straight out of the '50s; other times it’s BR549 meets The B52s.”
Think "Indigo Girls Meet Sweethearts of the Rodeo and Get Possessed by the Ghost of Patsy Cline While Riding Shot Gun with Bob Wills in a 1939 Ford Pickup," or even "Dale Evans With Attitude and Swagger" and you might be closer to a description of the band's special sound.
For obvious reasons, the Sweetback Sisters' rendition of Laurie Lewis' "Texas Bluebonnets" is a winner for me, as is the original song by Emily Miller, "Run Home and Cry," with its jaunty down home humourous lyrics and finger-snapping melody.
One track was unexpected: "Rattled," which some of you Traveling Wilburys fans will recognize. The band's take on this favorite tune is more retro and more rockabilly style than the '80s version of the original recording. It's a great interpretation by The Sweetback Sisters.
Looking For A Fight has another delight in store for you: The tunes were recorded on analogue tape with vocals sung around an RCA 44 ribbon mic. All this throwback technology is industry-wide known for producing the richest, most pleasing sound of recorded music. Perfect combination for this soulful, yet edgy band.
This CD will be played a lot around our house and on long road trips. It's fun and easy listening with just the right icing of nostalgia on songs your mother should know. Hmm Hmm good.
Article comments
1 - Cowtown Pattie
'Course, I might be a little swayed by the song title!