photo by michael persico
Few band names are as literal as Sisters 3. On the other hand, the Sadler Sisters is a little too country, and the Sapphires--the name under which AnnaChristie, Cassandra, and Beatrice Sadler debuted as young children--is a little too girl-group-y. Sisters 3, then, takes care of the family tree and also fits the trio's heart-on-sleeve coffeehouse folk.
That said, the Sadlers are dreamier than you might guess on their polished debut Star Spangled, produced and released by Canadian knob-twister Glen Marshall (of Feist and Apostle of Hustle fame). Thus, potentially straightforward tunes like "Giggling Gremlins" and the homage "Patsy Cline" meander and bloom with a gauzy blend of keys, strings, harmonies and handclaps. It's the sonic equivalent of comfort food, making you feel warm, sated and sleepy after listening.
The band is led by AnnaChristie, who sings lead with a smoky lilt and plays guitar. (She self-released a solo album, Elixir for the Human Heart, a few years back.) Her sisters sing too, with Cassandra playing keys and Beatrice handling percussion. Mike Bardzik, a fixture of West Chester's punk label Creep Records, chips in on drums at times. And much credit must be given to Marshall, who fleshes out a threadbare sound until it feels almost as busy as one of the Broken Social Scene offshoots he's produced.
Sisters 3's visibility has been increasing for a while now, from appearances at Mountain Stage and the Philadelphia Folk Festival to contributions on albums by fellow locals Hoots & Hellmouth and Sharon Little. (A song from the latter was featured on the A&E show The Cleaner, highlighting the siblings' delicate harmonies.) Now that Star Spangled--which came out in Canada in March--has finally arrived Stateside, Sisters 3 will soon be even harder to escape.
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