MAMA, I WANNA MAKE RHYTHM  -  THE CHENILLE SISTERS

YEAR:  1991
LABEL:  Red House Records
TRACK LISTING:  Chocolate,  La Bamba (An English Translation),  A Change Is Gonna Come,  Roadmaps,  Mama I Wanna Make Rhythm,  The Wind,  Sally's Advice,  Is It True Albert?,  Hummin' To Myself,  A Chill in the Air,  I Am A Can of Tuna,  Big Hair
IMPRESSIONS:  I'm trying to remember when I first heard the Chenille Sisters.  I think it was on Gene Shay's folk music radio programme.  Whether that's right or not, I know which song it was:  "Chocolate".  The Chenille Sisters hymn to the joys of chocolate.  A funny song which also had that three part harmony so influenced by my beloved Boswell Sisters (whom at this point I had only heard in the wacko early 30's musical "THE BIG BROADCAST".  But I loved them and consequently also had to track down the album which such a Boswell-sounding female trio put out.  This I did and the album even contains a cover of a song Connee Boswell recorded ("Hummin' To Myself").  The Chenille Sisters (not actually sisters in the great music tradition) do serious folk songs as well as silly ones and they also cover songs ranging from Sam Cooke's soul hymn "A Change Is Gonna Come" to a comic rewrite of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba".  Also, like They Might Be Giants, they veer between albums recorded specifically for children and albums meant for the grown-ups (this one).  Such recorded schizophrenia perhaps confuses the listening public (it shouldn't) and that's why the Sisters aren't more well-known.  Allmusic's William Ruhlmann makes the point that the song sequencing on this very album may be sonically confusing to the unsuspecting:  "Funny as that song ('La Bamba') is, its placement on the album, following the equally comic lead-off number, 'Chocolate', illustrates the problem the Chenille Sisters still have shifting gears from silliness to sincerity.  The third track is a cover of Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come', and the listener hasn't yet got through chuckling at 'La Bamba' when it comes on, so it takes a verse of the solemn soul song before the realization sets in that on this song the group wants to be taken seriously."  Now, I can certainly see Ruhlmann's point . . . if you weren't already familiar with the Chenille Sisters' modus operandi.  However, if you bought the album in the first place I'm pretty sure such tonal shifts will not come as a surprise to you.  And myself, who is a notoriously "eclectic" song sequencer who routinely programmes playlists where Metallica follows Sarah Vaughan who followed Spike Milligan, I don't see a problem here.  As the aforementioned Boswell Sisters are obviously a huge influence (as they are on the similar-sounding Puppini Sisters), the Chenilles tend to have a sound which recalls the late 20's/early 30's sides made by the Boswells (who actually WERE sisters).  Songs like "Hummin' To Myself", "Mama I Wanna Make Rhythm" and even, to some extent, "Chocolate" are definitely in this oeuvre.  Despite several weaker songs, this album is just a lot of fun.
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  Chocolate,  La Bamba (An English Translation),  A Change Is Gonna Come,  Mama I Wanna Make Rhythm,  Hummin' To Myself,  I Am A Can of Tuna,  Big Hair
FACT SHEET:  MAMA, I WANNA MAKE RHYTHM is the Chenille Sisters' fourth album.  The Chenille Sisters are Cheryl Dawdy, Connie Huber and Grace Morand.  "La Bamba" is a cover of the Ritchie Valens hit which itself was a cover of a tradition Mexican folk song; here the Chenille Sisters write new comedy lyrics.  "A Change Is Gonna Come" is a cover of a Sam Cooke song.  "Hummin' To Myself" was writte by Sammy Fain, Siegel Magidson and Monty Siegel and has been previously recorded by Connee Boswell, Kay Starr and Linda Ronstadt among others. 

THAT'S HOW RHYTHM WAS BORN - The Boswell Sisters

YEAR: 1995

LABEL: Legacy/Columbia

TRACK LISTING: Rock and Roll, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Louisiana Hayride, Shuffle Off To Buffalo, Sophisticated Lady, Song of Surrender, Sleep Come On and Take Me, That's How Rhythm Was Born, The Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia, Coffee in the Morning and Kisses in the Night, Forty-Second Street, Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day, The Darktown Strutters' Ball, If I Had A Million Dollars, It's Written All Over Your Face, Charlie Two-Step, Trav'lin' All Alone, St. Louis Blues, Dinah, The Object of My Affection

IMPRESSIONS: I first saw and heard the Boswell Sisters in the odd little 1932 film "THE BIG BROADCAST" around 1979 on my local PBS TV station and I fell in love with their early-30's girl group sound which obviously had a huge influence on the later Andrews Sisters and countless other female trios. No less a personage than Ella Fitzgerald loved the Boswell Sisters and particularly idolized Connee Boswell; Ella patterned her singing style after her. Born in Louisiana, the Boswells not only had an authenticity but also didn't take themselves too seriously resulting in an easy, relaxed singing style. This cd compilation, which I believe I picked up unsuspecting in a "Nobody Beats the Wiz" store is a solid representation of the Boswells at the peak of their career. And the art deco design of the cover puts you immediately in the proper frame of mind.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Louisiana Hayride, Shuffle Off To Buffalo, Sophisticated Lady, Sleep Come On and Take Me, The Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia, Coffee in the Morning and Kisses in the Night, Forty-Second Street, Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day, The Darktown Strutters Ball, If I Had A Million Dollars, Trav'lin' All Alone, St. Louis Blues, Dinah, The Object of My Affection

GUEST ARTISTS: The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra

FACT SHEET: The Boswell Sisters were Martha (who played piano), Helvetia or "Vet" (violin, banjo & guitar) and Connee (cello, saxophone & guitar) who were renowned for their intricate vocal harmonies and rhythmic experimentation. They recorded for Victor and Okeh Records before cutting sides for Brunswick Records between 1931-1935 which are generally considered milestones in vocal jazz. Connee reworked the melodies and rhythms of popular songs; melodies were slowed down or rearranged, major keys were changed to minor and rhythmic changes were experimented with. The Boswells were one of the few artists allowed to alter popular songs for their recordings as music publishers and record companies pressured performers at the time not to change the arrangements of popular songs. Connee Boswell's legs were paralyzed from a childhood accident and she changed the spelling of her name from "Connie" in the 1940s because it made it easier to sign autographs. The Boswell Sisters signed to Decca Records in 1936 but only recorded three records before ending the group. Connee went on to have a successful solo recording career at Decca. All the recordings on this album derive from the period between the years 1932-1935.