L.A.-based indie supergroup The Living Sisters —Inara George (The Bird and the Bee), Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond), Eleni Mandell and newest ‘sister’ Alex Lilly — have followed up their critically adored 2010 album Love to Live with the standards collection Run for Cover. The six song EP, with its intricate retro harmonies and righteously old-school instrumentation from the likes of drummer Don Heffington (Lone Justice, The Jayhawks) and pedal steel master Greg Leisz, provides listeners with some perspective as to the various sources of The Living Sisters’ zesty musical recipe, which “weave[s] together ’40s pop vocalizing, ’50s doo-wop, jazz, folk and country elements in a seamless mélange,” according to the L.A. Times’ Randy Lewis.
The six selections on Run for Cover range from a sublime a cappella take on Dolly Parton’s folk classic “Jolene” to a wildly imaginative reinterpretation of Funkadelic’s “Can You Get To That?” The harmony-laden EP, which also contains covers of songs associated with Jo Stafford “Make Love to Me” and Doris Day “Que Sera, Sera,” features two songs made famous by Patsy Cline “A Poor Man’s Roses (Or a Rich Man’s Gold)” and “Sweet Dreams.” In 2011, The Living Sisters hosted ‘A Tribute to Patsy Cline’ at Los Angeles’ Disney Hall as part of the L.A. Philharmonic Songbook Series.
Run for Cover is the latest in a string of accomplishments for these all-stars, who have been collaborating off and on since 2006 while conducting their respective individual careers. Mandell’s sultry voice and inventive songs have made her a modern-day L.A. treasure, and she has once again captivated the critics with her latest LP, 2012’s I Can See the Future. Stark’s mix of pop and chamber music in Lavender Diamond has been described as “effortless [and] timeless-sounding.” As The Bird and The Bee, George and her partner Greg Kurstin have built a cult following with their heady fusion of jazz, pop and tropicalia. And singer/multi-instrumentalist Alex Lilly’s band Touché has been cited as “scintillating pop music that tickles and rolls all over the flesh with a blend of beats and guitar and keys that feels fresh and new.”
Musically Amusing 