Customer Reviews

Love To Live

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's been three years since my favorite living three-part-harmony sister act, The (incomparable) Roches, released their most recent album, the lush and shimmering "Moonswept"; and while I enjoyed the not-really-related Puccini Sisters for a little while, their basic gimmick (rock-era songs arranged for The Andrews Sisters) quickly wore on me. I was very much in need of a harmony fix when I happened upon "Love to Live", the debut collection by The (also-not-really-related) Living Sisters. Neither as transcendent as The Roches nor as nudge-wink cute as The Puccinis, this alt-folk supergroup (apparently Inara George, Becky Stark and Eleni Mandell are all indie goddesses, but I'd never heard of them before) reminds me most of another not-really-related sister act, The Chenille Sisters. Which is not a bad thing, by any means.

There's a mid-tempo sameness to the songs, whether original (the Suzzy Roche-ish "How Are You Doing") or cover (the Bessie Smith blues, "Good Old Wagon", Nancy Wilson's early-60s pop hit, "How Glad I Am"), which, along with the Sisters' all-but-identical pretty-but-edgeless soprano voices, makes "Love to Live" a bit sleepy. I've played it as dinner party background music; and while no one asked that I turn it off, neither did anyone ask who was singing.

After three listens, I'm still enjoying this music. But in all candor, at least one of the four stars is just because I'm glad these young ladies recorded "Love to Live" at all. At a time when I find myself complaining (often and loudly) that Country music is the last bastion of real singing (as opposed to rap and AutoTune) and real songs (as opposed to "jams" and, again, raps) in American pop music, "Love to Live" is a collection of nice songs, sung nicely. In "You Make Me Blue", they actually sing "shoo-wop doo-wop", just like in "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos. That's cause for celebration in itself. "Love to Love" isn't quite an antidote for all that makes me cringe in current music; but it's a soothing salve.

This CD reminds me of past summers many years ago when the music defined the summer.
Songs by the Beach Boys, the Drifters, and (fill in your favorite) made things right.
These girls own this summer for me. Great music!

These women have harmony down. I find this album easy to listen to, fairly upbeat,and the voices soothing. I heard about them on NPR, otherwise I never would have found them.

I have found that you can't really go wrong with ANYTHING Inara George is involved with, and this is yet another stunning example. There is plenty of talent to go around here, and each of the three compliment one another in rich harmonies and soft tempos ... Can't get enough of it!

I heard the Living Sisters interviewed on Public Radio and ordered their "Love to Live" within a day. Their well-rehearsed close-harmony singing is so nostalgic! And so well done. It does my musical ear a favor to realize that there are musicians making this kind of "tight harmony" music again. I strongly recommend their CD.

Ron

Sweet Harmony's is a must have for a good singing group and The Living Sisters bust out a ton and then some more. To get familiar with this super cool folk group you need to know the members and you will probably guess each one after finishing their first names. Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond, Inara George of The Bird and the Bee, and solo artist Eleni Mandell. It may be best to hear original songs to get an idea of what artists are good at, but The Living Sisters can even prove how great they are on covers like on there album Love to Live with Nancy Wilson's You don't Know How Glad I Am. Their original pieces sound just as if the heart of soul, folk, and rock music came together and let out primal scream that you instantly know that's The Living Sisters. The women are the complete package for someone wanting to listen to modern folk music. Check out all the songs on Youtube. The videos are mostly live recordings but it doesn't take away from the magic these gals make together.

I heard an interview on NPR, and was entranced by the beautiful sound. When I got my album and actually paid attention to the lyrics, I was blown away.

I am only reviewing this on what I was told from the reciver of this gift...it is just as wonderful as Inara's other works, solo or group.

The Living Sisters are Eleni Mandell (a solo artist in her own right), Inara George (of The Bird and the Bee, as well as a solo artist, and daughter of Little Feat's late Lowell George), and Becky Stark (of Lavender Diamond). Love to Live is nothing like these women's respective recorded catalogs. Rather, it's a cotton-dress hopscotch back into close, doo-wop-and-country harmonies whose nearest cousin is probably the dense vocal work of the Roches. However, where the Roches go quirky, the Living Sisters go perky. A curious tidbit is that the Living sisters' label Vanguard is a subsidiary of The Welk Group (as in Lawrence). This is pure, sweet nostalgia for anyone who remembers when voices didn't need compression, auto-tune, and other studio tricks to make music.

I heard their music on WMLB 1690 AM, check out the station on the internet. Great station. I heard the one song and decided to buy the CD. No other song jumps out and says, "Listen to me!" It's okay, but it's not "Yeah!"