Customer Reviews

Wrestling Over Tiny Matters

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is incredible. Edgy, raw, gentle, melodic, and just absolutely brilliant. Sister 7 beats the pants off of the majority of rock n' roll music being produced today. Lead singer Patrice Pike's vocal work is absolutely astonishing and guitarist Wayne Sutton's hooks and melodies, a thing of beauty--diverse and rivoting. Sean and Sean on drums and bass provide the framework to effectively and professionally complete the rhythmic circle. There is not a weak tune on this album. By the third listen I was completely hooked. I disagree with the Cheryl Crow comparison--Pike out-performs Crow at so many levels...but this is not a competition, it's rock n' roll and Sister 7 is one hell of a rock n' roll band. See them live and get this album! You will not regret it.

I've been a Sister 7 fan since their very early days, when they were known as Little Sister, and this album doesn't disappoint. This album expands upon the sounds of their first 2, bringing a bit more diversity to their delivery. In some cases this works amazing, as in the Zeppelin-esque "Elijah,"; the acoustic-tinged, Top-40-r&b-feel of "Nobody Knows"; and the Summertime funk of "Kiss Me Baby." There are a couple of mis-steps: the Sheryl Crow impression of "the only thing that's real" disappoints. It's a GOOD Sheryl Crow impression, but Patrice and Co. are capable of so much more than that. Also, if you get a chance, SEE THEM LIVE! They are without a doubt the best live band I've ever seen.

The new Sister 7 album exceeded my already high expectations. Not only does the album include some memorable Patrice Pike melodies, but its rock tunes groove with a high degree of sophistication. The alternating 4/4--6/4 bars of the chorus from MY THREE WISHES, for example, strike just the right balance between Aerosmith's mid-70s peak and early Police, all the while sounding highly orginal. I can't recommend this album strongly enough for those who are looking for a record which is simultaneously rockin' and challenging.

In 1997, Sister Seven released their 2nd album, This the Trip--an irresistible mix of hard rock, blues, funk and just enough of a tinge of hip-hop to give it all an ultimately modern sound. The staff here at The Night Owl loved the album so much, it ended up on our list of the top five CDs for the year. Since then, we've all been waiting for a follow-up to arrive. Well, the folks at Arista slipped this one right by us a couple months ago with little or no fanfare at all. Because of that, we're going to review it for our loyal readers now.

Tiny Matters gets off to a great start with "Fallen Angel," a rocker that picks up right where Trip left off. The next three songs--"Polishing the Looking Glass," "Under the Radar" and "The Only Thing That's Real"--sound a lot like an obscure (here in the US they're obscure; in Europe, they're huge) band from Scotland called Texas. All three songs are acoustic based, pop, power ballads. "Elijah" is the next highlight, and shows the band can rock with the best of them.

The disc gets into a bit of a lull on the next two cuts, but bounces back with another rocker called "Loaded." Unfortunately, things way down with "Nobody Knows." It's almost as if the band's trying to appeal to the Britney & Christina fans, with its hip-hop/R&B/pop thing going on. There's a nice acoustic guitar solo on the track, but it's not enough to save this one from being the low point on the CD. The last three tunes bring the `music quality level' back up again though. "Superman" is the best of the three, and one of the few new tunes that still gets the funk into the mix.

The CD also includes some multimedia content: an interview with the band, live clips of three songs, plus photos and a link to the band's website. Musically, the new disc doesn't quite measure up to the last one, but there is enough good music here to make it a worthy addition to your collection.

This record rocks! I can't decide what my favorite song is ! Patrice's vocals are in amazing form and the rest of the band are, as always, unbelievably tight. The guitar's soar and dive all around the basslines and the drumming is soooo on. It's been a long wait for this album but it's well worth it. Pick it up and don't miss them on the tour... they are amazing live!

Unless you're a fan, I bet you've heard Sister Seven in the supermarket and not even known it. That's ok, because "The Only Thing That's Real", also found on the soundtrack to Bounce, is one of the least notable songs on this album. Once you hear the rough "Fallen Angel", it will be impossible to forget the voice of Patrice Pike. The lyrics are wise, the music just flows..."Under the Radar" and "Polishing the Looking Glass" are sweet and addictive, and the mood just jumps in "My Three Wishes". "Loaded" and "Elijah" are strikingly socially aware...and you can't help but listen to them over and over. The only unfortunate thing about Sister Seven's studio work is that it fails to show you how much they ROCK onstage. To top it all off, they are a down-to-earth band who make it obvious that they truly appreciate their fans. Don't hesitate in buying this album.

I always wonder how Sister 7 will be able to match their previous work. They have accomplished that task and more with Wrestling Over Tiny Matters. I bought the album in April when it first hit the stores and it remains in my car CD player even now.

The great thing about Sister 7 is that they are not overplayed on the radio and the music remains fresh. This album seems to stray a bit from the group's earlier funk sound, but I welcome the change of pace. It demonstrates the versatility of the band and their ability to either amaze you by their sweet sound or rock the house down.

One final note: The band sounds great on CD; a live show is absolutely incredible. Check tour dates in your area at sister7.com.

These guys play circles around any pop/rock band. Musically they are about as solid as they come and you can hear so many different influences on their playing (although I disagree with the Sheryl Crow comparison): Wayne Sutton has such incredible talent rivaling any world-renown guitarist, Darrell (bass) and Sean (drums) are the smoothest rhythm section of anyone I've ever seen or heard (you should see Darrell's solos), and Patrice has got a set of pipes that will knock you flat on your arse. Just listen to "Loaded", "Elijah", or "Under the Radar" to find out what I'm talking about (my personal favorite so far is "Leave This Love Behind"). More than anything, though, go see them live as soon as possible!

Patrice Pike voice is more powerful than ever. I didn't think any of the new tracks are quite as catchy as This is the Trip, but they all rock. See their shows if you get a chance, buy their albums if you can't.

Based on reviews alone, I bought Wrestling Over Tiny Matters without having heard any music from Sister Seven before. Initially this album didn't do much for me, and I buried it in my CD collection. Months later I pulled it out again, and I have been thoroughly enjoying these tunes ever since.

Wrestling Over Tiny Matters is loaded with chord-heavy guitars (electric and some acoustic) and the powerful, dynamic vocals of Patrice Pike. To me the music on this album sounds strikingly similar to stuff you'd hear from Melissa Etheridge. Besides the guitar-driven rock, Pike's pipes resemble Etheridge's hearty voice, except Pike sounds cleaner, without the rasp for which Etheridge is known. I find Pike's vocal performance to be the strongest element of this album, although there's also some great songwriting.

I was surprised to hear that Sister Seven split up shortly after the release of this album. Suffice it to say that this initial exposure to Patrice Pike has encouraged me to investigate the subsequent album she created with her new band, the Blackbox Rebellion. While this album doesn't cover any new ground musically, Wrestling Over Tiny Matters is nonetheless a fine display of talent by Sister Seven's very promising lead singer.