Customer Reviews

Keep on Doing

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The harmonies of the Roches are singular. Their songwriting talents also are remarkable, and for me, KEEP ON DOIN' is the best of both worlds. Here, find their signature acapella version of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus"; their best original song (by my lights), "Losing True," whose remarkable harmonies combine with tricky but artistically perfect wordplay to create a masterpiece about heartbreak and longing (Robert Fripp's embellishing guitarwork also is wonderful here); "Want Not," a brilliant companion piece (albeit inadvertent) to Tim Miller's HOW TO WANT WHAT YOU HAVE; the stunning rendition of the folksong "On the Road to Fairfax County"; the title track "Keep On Doin'/Jerks on the Loose," which truly is an anthem for any contemporary idealist; well, it goes on and on (the cryptic but evocative "Scorpion Lament" and "Steady with the Maestro"; the hilarious/poignant "Sex Is for Children"; etc.).

I was very, very fortunate to see Maggie and Suzzy in concert at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, PA on 16 December 2000. Although "Want Not" isn't something they perform frequently these days, they tried it (at my prodding) and did a stupendous job. (I also requested "Losing True," but Maggie said she'd "have to sit down" in order to try that one--the harmonies are taxing--but it was not meant to be that particular evening.)

The Roches deserve far more popular recognition than they have received. Check out their entire oeuvre: none of their work disappoints; all of it surprises; and each song is crafted with such love and attention, you'll wonder why you never realized that "The Married Men" was THEIR original song!

The Roches are so hard to categorize simply because they so deftly manage songs that echo mountain music, rock and roll, folk, techno-pop, and beyond.

This album is an excellent example of their polymathic tendencies. On their rendition of Georg Friedrich Handel's famous "Hallelujah Chorus" from "Messiah," they do splendid three-part harmony, keeping totally to Handel's music and lyrics while somehow managing to inject their usual wittiness into the arrangement. When I saw them perform this in Pittsburgh about ten years ago, they enhanced the disconnect between their reputations and Handel's by huddling together, shoulder to shoulder, dressed in black leather jackets and affecting "tough guy" expressions. Their soaring harmonies that night were brought down to earth by the occasional hilarious yawn, eyes rolled heavenward, and meticulous examination of their fingernails--all of which highlighted the casualness with which they can toss off the most exquisitely harmonious music.

True to form, most of the songs herein are written by the Roches themselves. While Maggie usually does the honors in the songwriting department (and acquits herself admirably here with "Losing True," among others), Terre and Suzzy also do a couple of star turns with "Keep On Doing What You Do/Jerks on the Loose" and "I Fell In Love," just to name a couple. "I Fell In Love," especially, has a wonderfully meandering feel to the music while sharply detailing the ups and downs of teenage love:

"I knew there was something about you that I liked, yeah,
But I only realized it when I spied you
At your mother's house last week
I'd only ever seen you on your bike, yeah,
I thought you were a slick affected
Switchblade-flashing motorcycle freak . . .
I fell in love, I fell in love, I fell in love."

On the unfortunately named "Sex is For Children," the Roches take the words from an old A. A. Milne poem about a baby named Timothy Tim and string them together with a wiry, muscular electric guitar sequence that is positively addictive.

Finally, on "On the Road to Fairfax County" (a David Massengill tune finely done in the tradition of traditional gothic romance tunes like "Barbara Allen"), the Roches sound as though they are bunch of witchy Irish sisters, singing around the fire in a peat bog somewhere, applying their seamless harmonies to a gruesome yet musically gorgeous tale of love at first sight and death. The Roches outdo themselves pretty much everywhere on this very, very fine album.

The Roches have always been known for their great vocals, but this time they combine them with lyrics that will amuse and touch you. This for me is their greatest work, and I have all their albums.

This is a great album. If the only Roches album you know is the first one (the Roches), you might be initially disappointed with this one, since the "the Roches" is such an incredible album. But when you start listening to this, you realize bit by bit that the songwriting is still great here. The harmonies and the arrangements are wonderful. I think my favorite tune is actually not written by them, " On the Road to Fairfax County". But they do an amazing job with the arrangement and the performance. If you don't fall in love with Maggie Roche, you may not be listening hard enough.

All The Roches music is equally great: their lyrics touch on pieces of life that no one usually sings about--working in a restaurant, baby for the "unwed" mother, a big guy taking up a two-person seat--the music is captivating, and the harmonies perfectly intricate. Try singing a line yourself and you realize how they pick up each others voices and go running off to unreachable highs and lows. They even make me laugh. If you're scrounging around to find pride in this country like some of us, The Roches do us proud.

"Keep On Doing", a reunion with Robert Fripp, showed the Roches perfecting - to a degree they would never do later - the approach of their first two albums.

Whilst all the childlike naivette and understated simplicity of such highlights as "The Death Of Suzzy Roche" from those two albums remains, on "Keep On Doing" the sisters combine it with a degree of infectious energy they would never again equal.

The beautiful harmonies of the opener "The Hallelujah Chorus" are instantly memorable and remind one of a more fiery, stripped-down version of Steeleye Span's "Gaudete", whilst the beautiful "Losing True" and "The Scorpion Lament" wreak with tenderness and feeling, as does the funny yet serious "The Largest Elizabeth In The World", which seems to be a warning against trying to take power for oneself. "Sex Is For Children" was almost funky in its use of electronics, but the way in which the Roches make every note memorable is indeed surprising.

The accessible, hooky "I Fell In Love" showed the band developing its quirky harmonies onto deeply romantic themes, but the intense "Want Not Want Not" with its naive yet remarkably intense, moody, even ecstatic power, is the real stunner here. A motto of indifference, yes, but "Want Not Want Not" seemingly existed in its own time amidst the sisters' remarkably resonant shrieks against the consumerist manifesto of the modern age. The ringing piano adds more than a contrast of tone to the sisters' guitars, as does the impassioned plea "I wish there was a true love" in the middle of the song.

The last album the Roches would record for Warners, its commercial failure (reaching only #183 on Billboard) was hardly surprising, but never would the Roches capture the same degree of power, wisdom and beauty that "Keep On Doing" possessed.

On its own, The Road to Fairfax County is worth the price of admission. And the vocals and lyrics elsewhere on the album sparkle and shimmer. On my list of Roches CD's, Keep on Doing is first equal along with We Three Kings (which also rates as my favourite Christmas CD, from any artist).

When you pair the Roches eclectic folk with producer Robert Fripp's angular guitar lines and sparse production, just like the debut album, you get perfection. "keep on Doing" is exactly that...the Roches with Robert Fripp continuing with that winning formula.

While I'm a huge fan and love anything that they do, there is no doubt that they can sound too precious, the lyrics too pretentious, the songs can be too cute... but...with Robert Fripp at the helm, he balances out the Roches' eclecticism with a sonic rawness and use of noise that invokes the spirit of the Velvet Underground. It's a perfect juxtaposition.

A look at this must start with their phenomenal acapella version of "The Hallelujah chorus". The best way to describe this version is "astonishly acrobatic". It's really tough to understand the extent of the singing talent until you see it performed live and then you realize that this performance has nothing to do with the studio and the Roches are the real deal.

"Losing True" is the epitome of a gorgeous song, gorgeously sang, gorgeously arranged and gorgeously produced. It's a slow- moving love song, just a huge wall of acoustic guitar with a sprinkling of keyboards, with each sister's voice so pronouced in their range, and then unexpectantly punctuated by Robert Fripp's entirely recognizeable electronic guitar lines. This stunningly beautiful song should tame even the wildest beast.

"I fell in love" showcases each sister's voice and then escalates the power of the voicings by combining all 3 voices into a KILLER chorus! When they all join in singing "I fell in love" , you fall in love with this group.

All the songs are terrific and maintain a variety to make this worth always lsitening to thd cd from start to finish.

I have seen this group live twice and they are astonishing to watch. Their musicianship is impressive in that they create these songs through just two acoustic guitars and keyboards. They are much more than just voices.

As much as I am a devoted fan, there is no getting around that their peak is when they collaborated with Robert Fripp. "Keep on Doing" should be coupled with "The Roches" since they are so similar and so great.

I've been spending the last few evenings (actually near a month) storing my albums to FLAC now that drives large enough to store my collection are available. One of the rediscovered treasures was this album again, in total.

The Roches may sometimes surprise but their albums are always works of love and that love shows through. Keep on Doing was the first album of theirs I purchased and still in close competition with Another World for my favorite.

I've brought so many people to live shows by the Roches. I always insisted on not exposing them to the Roches beforehand or explaining what they would be like, just asking those friends to trust me. Everyone came away impressed and loaded with Merch.

I could as easily reach for this album as for "Dark Side of the Moon", "I", "Poses" or "Say I am You"- these are collections which are never tiresome and always relaxing and enjoyable at the end of the week.

Yeah- the album might be close to 20 years old but get it. It's just a few bucks and you may end up discovering treasure you didn't know exist.

"Keep on Doing" is a perfect blend of all The Roches' uniquenesses. "Want Not Want Not" and "Keep on Doing What You Do / Jerks on the Loose" are parables for our times. I like to describe The Roches' lyrics as the offspring of a marriage between Dorothy Parker and Oscar Wilde; this recording is the perfect example of that. The singing is as beautiful as always.