Secret Sisters @ The Vanguard,Sydney (20/4/11)

Wed 27th Apr, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The night opened up with Leone Carmen hitting the stage. Carmen played a full acoustic set and she oozed classic country and blues tones. Her voice was pure and her longevity in the Australian music scene is a testament to her talent. Carmen played generous mix of various cover songs and tunes from her latest album It Walks Like Love. It was a pity there where only a few there to enjoy her talents.

Next up on stage were the two girls from rural America and the talent rich Tennessee who recently released a tune Big River a collaboration with Jack White. That single’s superb and somewhat deranged spin on the blues genre was just genius and by the it was time for the girls to start their set and the venue had filled considerably for the main event. The mix of people was eclectic from obvious seasoned country aficionados to young hip professionals interested in the hype surrounding these girls. The Rogers sisters Laura and Lydia have been a revelation since they burst onto the scene a year ago when they where discovered by the legendary T-Bone Burnett. Since that time they have toured and worked with some top class acts such as, Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello (currently touring), Jack White and T Bone Burnett just to name a few.

There girls took the stage calmly and effortlessly. This would be the undertone for the rest of the night. From the outset they positioned the calm relaxed atmosphere and they held the audience there for the whole show. It was great to watch. It was obvious to all concerned from the outset that the girls absolutely embrace their roots from their respect for musicians past and present to their faith and devotion to their home town and family it was nice to get a feel of who they are and where they come from. They started the show with a string of cover songs by country luminaries such as Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline and Robert Earl Keen. They played these songs with such respect and they sounded like a throw back from a bygone era. As the girls said on the night they try to pay homage to 50s country, but they are indeed students and exponents of current times.

The show which was narrated by Laura the older of the two sisters and Lydia was the trusty sidekick and her timing for dry witty humour was fantastic. They introduced each song with a story related to each song which accentuated the relaxed and living room type atmosphere that the patrons where simply eating up. The highlight of the night for me was when they played their flagship song from their hugely successful self titled album. That song was Tennessee Me and this is an original song captivated me and it absolutely stole. The harmonies where spot on and they just filled the room with effortless sweetness.

The showed continued and finished with that beauty and it was really a pleasure to be there. It felt warm, real, cosy and special. Perfect for cold winters night.