Sunday, May 28, 2017

Back With a Vengeance

Category: Concert Review

The instant I heard the Secret Sisters I fell in love with them.  What isn't there to love?  If you remember the Davis Sisters' hit "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" you know what the Alabama natives' harmonies are like.  Or maybe consider if there had been the Everly Sisters instead of Everly Brothers.  

Then, as suddenly as their budding career took off, it disappeared.  None of this was their fault: they were sued by their former manager; and, despite positive critical and fan reviews and significant gigs such as opening for Bob Dylan or appearing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a tribute to the Everlys, they were unceremoniously dumped by their record label.  The sisters took to "day jobs" to stave off bankruptcy.
Lydia (left) and Laura Rogers harmonizing during
their show at Southgate House Revival.
c.2017 K.F. Raizor




I'm happy to report that the Secret Sisters -- Laura and Lydia Rogers -- are back.  And with a vengeance.  They made a stop at the Southgate House Revival in Newport, Kentucky last night (5/27) to treat fans to what more or less amounted to a live listening party for their forthcoming third album, You Don't Own Me Anymore.

Before they did the title song near the end of the concert, Laura (who did most of the between-song banter, which included several loving sibling digs) explained the tumultuous two years they had endured that resulted in several of the songs.  The title, she said, stems from the fact that they realized that "nobody knows what's best for the Secret Sisters better than the Secret Sisters."

They opened the show with the opening song from the new album, "Tennessee River Runs Low," and thrilled the audience with their gorgeous sibling harmonies for over an hour and a half.  Included in the set was a break, where brothers Cheyenne and Will Medders (who served as the opening act) left the stage to let the sisters focus on stunning, simple harmonies, accompanied only by Lydia's guitar playing.  Among the songs they did during this time were Eddy Arnold's hit "Make the World Go Away" and "Let It Be Me," a tribute to their "all-time favorite family harmony act" ("we can't get away with being on Kentucky soil and not do an Everly Brothers song, right?" Laura asked).

The people in attendance were able to buy You Don't Own Me Anymore two weeks ahead of the "official" release date of June 9.  After the album is out the Secret Sisters will resume touring in support of their music that is just too good to be ignored...or stopped.

Welcome back.

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