The evocative debut album from
Petra,
Rachel, and
Tanya Haden, the daughters of legendary jazz bassist
Charlie Haden, was recorded in front of a single microphone in
Tanya's living room, and produced by guitar legend
Ry Cooder. Bluegrass great
Ricky Skaggs picks the mandolin on three tracks, renowned bass man Rene Comacho supplies the low end, and
Cooder's son
Joachim rounds out the ultra-refined supergroup on the drums, but it's
the Haden Triplets and their untouched yet effortless harmonies, the kind that can only be derived via the preternatural harmonic instinct shared by siblings, that provide all of the chills (the good, non-flu kind). Steeped in tradition yet bereft of the sense of calculated authenticity that can sometimes seep into similarly sepia-toned projects,
the Hadens have spent so much of their lives absorbing every instance of American music, from folk, country, and bluegrass to jazz, blues, and gospel, that the souls of the songs are in their very breaths, and in choosing to tackle covers for their first project together, they managed to unify three very distinct creative voices. Whether they're emotionally dissecting an old
Webb Pierce number ("Slowly"), invoking
the Carter Family and the Kossoy Sisters ("Single Girl, Married Girl"), or reminding listeners what damn fine songwriters
Charlie and
Ira Louvin were ("When I Stop Dreaming"), it's clear that the mission is emotional verisimilitude. They're not just repackaging the Dust Bowl and selling it back to its great-grandchildren at a higher price; they're reminding listeners what it was like when the radio was the TV and music was the glue that brought the family together. ~ James Christopher Monger