THE CHAPIN SISTERS
A Date With the Everly Brothers
Lake Bottom

www.thechapinsisters.com
 

When the roots of rock are considered, some five decades after the music’s arrival in the mid-1950s, the genre is generally seen as evolving from 1940s Black jump blues and rhythm and blues that followed the big band jazz era. On further consideration, the emergence of the Big Beat owes much to white country artists such as Bill Haley, Buddy Holly and Elvis “The Hillbilly Cat” Presley for their contributions. And in that long-view analysis, Don and Phil Everly (whose parents were popular, Kentucky-based country performers) were key players as well. In fact, the brothers were the most successful “hillbilly” act ever, defining their sound with a long string of radio-friendly, tortured-teen Top 40 ballads like “When Will I Be Loved,” Crying In The Rain” and “Love Hurts,” that featured the youthful duo’s melodramatic, keening, ultra-plaintive vocal harmonies inevitably soaring above noteworthy rock arrangements.

This smartly conceived project features sisters, Abigail and Lily Chapin, singing their favorite Everlys songs (the trio cited above plus eleven more) with the avowed intention of recreating the compositions in their original style utilizing an ensemble of crack New York musicians assembled and directed by Evan Taylor. All the primary recording was done in one long, labor-of-love session, with the results sent to four different mixers (including their father Tom Chapin) to create a variety of engaging, alternately peppy and dreamy soundscapes that range from rollicking country jams (“Brand New Heartache,” “Maybe Tomorrow”) and the lightly yet sprightly rocking “Some Sweet Day” to otherworldly, Santo and Johnny-inspired ballads like the theremin-soaked “Sleepless Nights” and “Dream.” Other nuggets include the folk-oriented “Down In The Willow Garden” and a country-inflected “Maybe Tomorrow.” Those looking to learn more can trace Don and Phil back to their roots with the acquisition of their prescient concept album from 1958, Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, recently reissued by Rhino.

— Gary von Tersch