The Chenille Sisters: Making Rhythm

A Michigan trio with voices like angels and devilish wit, the Chenille Sisters not only make glorious rhythm in this PBS-affiliate aired concert, they also make viewers laugh out loud. In "Name Droppings," a funny and occasionally saucy play-on-words using people's names, the sisters ask "Who gave Roberta Flack?" and "Whom did Mother Goose?" Or, in "I'm Turning Into My Parents," the women poke fun at the fact that as we grow old, we tend to move into the cautionary (or downright grumpy) mode which characterized our parent's response to anything we asked to do which involved fun. On a more serious note, the song "Plastic Roses" offers a haunting reverie about a young widow who is compelled to talk about her loss, and point out the bouquet of plastic roses ("the kind that never fade") her late husband gave her. But the happy songs outweigh the sad, and I was delighted to hear a rousing version of "Suzy" (originally performed by the now defunct band Uncle Bonsai). Fans of the Roches will delight in the exceptional harmonizing of Cheryl Dawdy, Connie Huber, and Grace Morand, three "sisters" who aren't related by blood, but whose voices all seem to flow from the same sweet well. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)