The Secret Sisters – “You Don’t Own Me Anymore” (2017)

Label: New West Records

Review by Warren Mayocchi

Before going through some difficult times Laura and Lydia Rogers (a.k.a. The Secret Sisters) created two albums. Their new effort, “You Don’t Own Me Anymore”, is the result of loyal collaborators and a PledgeMusic campaign. The hard times come through lyrically – “Once my tears had all run out/I learned how to live without/Pieces left behind in tow/I took to the hard road/Strangers know the songs I write/They come to hear me sing at night/They don’t know I’ve paid the cost/They don’t know what I lost” – but the songs are alive with a sweetly innocent tone which could have come from the middle of last century. Officially The Secret Sisters refer to themselves as Americana and traditional country. The former is a particularly apt choice, though the genre covers a lot of territory, but so does the sister’s sound. From a country drawl in “Carry Me”, the smooth big band energy of “You Don’t Own Me Anymore”, the slow blues of the “The Damage”, the melodic harmonies of early pop in “‘Til It’s Over”, and not to mention the banjo twang used on many songs. Each song has a personality, then there is the American imagery which comes with songs mentioning Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Dixie and cotton. It is easy to get an idea of what you will find on “You Don’t Own Me Anymore” with music videos for “Tennessee River Runs Low” [here], “Carry Me” [here], “He’s Fine” [here], and “You Don’t Own Me Anymore” [here]. Of those my preference would be “He’s Fine” because of the catchy song and the imagery showing the sisters at work. The album includes the hymn “Flee as a Bird” and a cover of “Kathy’s Song” originally by Simon & Garfunkel. In everything written so far I have not even mentioned my personal favourites, but you will probably have enough already to know if “You Don’t Own Me Anymore” is for you. A lingering question could be whether the album is too sweet to bear repeated listening. In my experience the answer is no, this is a solid album with sufficient variety and colour to hold up over time – perhaps the sisters have imbued it with the strength they have gained over the past few years.

Rating – 93/100

Tracklist

1. Tennessee River Runs Low
2. Mississippi
3. Carry Me
4. King Cotton
5. Kathy’s Song
6. He’s Fine
7. To All the Girls Who Cry
8. Little Again
9. You Don’t Own Me Anymore
10. The Damage
11. ‘Til It’s Over
12. Flee as a Bird

Links

twitter.com/thesecretsister

facebook.com/thesecretsisters

secretsistersband.com/