Simon RushworthSecret Sisters – Saturn Return (New West Records)
Imagine if Simon and Garfunkel were girls.
Or First Aid Kit weren’t quite so feisty.
Saturn Return is the sound of dreamy folk and hazy Americana.
And it’s simply beautiful from start to finish.
Secret Sisters fuse evocative harmonising with touching storytelling.
And they frequently do so with charming serenity.
Laura and Lydia Rogers clearly benefit from a keen familial instinct.
But producers Brandi Carlile and Phil and Tim Hanseroth capture so much more.
Carlile’s bold decision to record the sisters singing solo reaps rich rewards.
Previously content to remain in their harmonised comfort zone, Saturn Return sees Laura and Lydia perform individually for the first time – when the time is right.
The juxtaposition of single voices and trademark duetting works wonders.
Late Bloomers channels the Simon and Garfunkel vibe.
But Cabin says Secret Sisters best of all as a subtle piano riff wraps up a perfect package of atmospheric folk
The catch-all country of Tin Can Angle leans on a perfectly pitched guitar solo.
And the haunting Water Witch casts a sonic spell late in the piece.
Set closer Healer In The Sky is a pretty ballad replete with a perfectly poignant pay-off.
Saturn Return was recorded at a time when the Rogers sisters lost both of their grandmothers.
It took shape when both sisters became first time mothers.
And it’s an honest account of a period of flux.
Saturn Return is a welcome return. Surely now the Secret is out?
