Neo-traditional is quite the buzz word these days in country music, an easy word to use to define the increasing number of bands that veer more towards country than towards pop. However, traditional is a tricky word, cover ever era from the twenties to the nineties with equal weight. It does not take into account a deliberate, willful desire to sound like specific artists in specific eras. For those artists we are left with the term Retro. For female artists, in country music, retro usually defines a tendency to emulate Patsy Cline in the fifties. The Secret Sisters are far from the first artists to fall into this category, following such footsteps as The Corn Sisters and Mandy Barnett. It is a mark in their favor that, on their first album, they manage to distinguish themselves from such illustrative company. The Secret Sisters' self titled debut is that rarest of all kinds of debut albums—a widely publicized album which more than lives up to the hype.
For their self-titled first album, sisters Lydia and Laura Rogers complied a careful collection of traditional classics and occasional originals. The album opens with one such original “Tennessee Me,” a song worthy of Roger Miller sung with an Andrews Sisters gusto. They then bounce into the oft covered “Why Baby Why,” with a sheer joy that leaves even the most hardened toes tapping. This segues into a dark and moody cover of Bill Monroe's lush “The One I Love Is Gone.” Buck Owens gets a cover with his “My Heart Skips a Beat,” but they also cover Frank and Nancy Sinatra as well as the traditional “Do You Love an Apple.” The Sisters delve deeper into country music than many recent cover albums, digging up a the gem “All About You” from David Houston's catalog. The original Hank Williams gets not one but two covers, as the album ends with the bouncy heartbreak of “Why Don't You Love Me,” and the somber hymn “House of Gold.” The commitment to a retro 1950's fifties sound goes deeper than the lyrics, however. The arrangements stay fairly true to the wall of sound that made up Owen Bradley's Nashville sound. And The Sisters further maintain the lo-fi sound quality by recording live to tape, banishing all computers from their recording studio. This is a tricky proposition in a world used to everything in high definition, however, Laura and Lydia Rogers have amazing voices and the album is impeccably mixed and mastered. The Secret Sisters also hold tight to the harmonizing of yesteryear. They occasionally break apart and trade off leads, but a large portion of each song is devoted to the two of them singing in perfect thirds. Its a vocal choice adds a refreshing death to the music, highlighting emotions that might otherwise be glossed over and lifting the most frequently covered songs into the realm of the exquisite. All told, this is an album of perfectly selected songs sung with remarkable grace and ease.
The Secret Sisters have gotten a lot of hype this year, drawing attention and praise from artists as diverse as album producer T-Bone Burnett, the ubiquitous Jack White and Punk Rocker Tom Gabel (Against Me!). This much hype can be a bit worrisome. However, in the case of The Secret Sisters, it has proven to be well deserved. The Secret Sisters is not only an incredible debut album, it is one of the best albums of the year. And much like Neko Case and Carolyn Mark (The Corn Sisters) before them, The Secret Sisters feels like the mark of a band who are just getting their feet under them. As good as this album is, their best days are in front of them.
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