The Bevvy Sisters - St James Sessions

(March 2010) 14 tracks: Bevvy Belltone * Oh Mary Don't You Weep * Cow Cow Yicky Ay Ae * Draw The Line * The Way You Know You Do * 1000 Miles * The Littlest Birds * Go Lively, Get Lucky * Man Of Many Valentines * Rock My Soul * Sugarfoot Rag * Old Mother Earth * Fine Lines * Apocalypse.

The Bevvy Sisters are Heather Macleod, Kaela Rowan and Lindsey Black on vocals, backed by David Donnelly (guitar), James Mackintosh (drums, percussion), Emma Smith (double bass) and Donald Hay (percussion). They specialise in melodic alt-country tunes, spiritual songs and a sprinkling of doowop numbers, all laden with deliciously mellow vocal harmonies.

Recorded (in single takes) at The St James Hall in Innerleithen, their debut CD captures the essence of their live sound - the Sisters' harmonies swirling mesmerisingly around the lean and driving guitar and rhythm. Without remixing or retakes, it provides strong evidence of the group's talent, the songs being tight and well-crafted, both the smattering of cover versions and the original compositions which make up the bulk of the track listing.

Opening with The Bevvy Belltone, the St James Session is an impressive, immediately likable recording. Songs such as Oh Mary Don't You Weep and Rock My Soul wouldn't be out of place on a Cohen Brothers soundtrack, so successful are they in evoking the spiritual tones of the deep South.

Other numbers, such as their take on Leadbelly's Cow Cow Yicky Ay Ae and their own composition Draw The Line tread a countrified path, with tales of cowboys, hobos and shattered dreams. There are even a couple of numbers - most notably Sugarfoot Rag, but also the mid-album 'advertisement' for Lucky Beer - which evoke the doowop spirits of their almost namesakes, The Beverley Sisters.

Perhaps strongest of all are those tracks which are pared down to the bone, such as 1000 Miles and Fine Lines. Here, the girls' vocals are given centre stage, and they fill the songs with shivering emotion and soft, seductive beauty. (EdinburghSpotlight.com)