"Hand Me Downs" by Someone’s Sister
by Chris S. Witwer
Gaywired.com
Tuesday Aug 2,
2005
| While compilation CD’s often donate a portion of their
proceeds to charity, its pretty rare to find a debuting duo donating
their dinero. Someone’s Sister is doing just that—they’re dedicated
to raising both money and awareness to combat child abuse. While
their fight against wronging the innocent is a big part of their
lives and their music, Someone’s Sister is a lot more than a
fundraising music group. They are a genuine, musically-talented,
beautifully harmonizing duo who craft their songs with precision and
passion.
Someone’s Sister is comprised of two women, Georgia
Winfree and Katherine Jones, who met in college over a decade ago.
But it wasn’t until 2002 that they decided to combine their musical
skills to create change. The result, Hand Me Downs, is first
rate.
Hand Me Downs is a well-rounded and inspiring
collection of folk and acoustic rock stitched together with gorgeous
harmonization and instrumentation. Guitar and mandolin licks take
center stage in between vocals, but it is the singing—the
voices—that makes this CD such a gem.
Georgia Winfree’s
vocals are strong, precise, and smooth as butter— though she’s fully
able to channel some of that Amy Ray vocal anger when a song’s
meaning calls for it. Katherine Jones’ voice is pleasant and sweet,
with just the slightest hint of smokiness. When Katherine and
Georgia harmonize together, you’ll swear you’ve died and gone to
womyn’s music heaven. They’re that good.
Fans of Allison
Krause and Liz Phair will appreciate their style, as will those who
enjoy Bonnie Raitt’s ballads and early Indigo Girls harmonies. An
odd collection of musicians to compare to? Maybe. But after you’ve
heard Someone’s Sister, you’ll get it. And you’ll love
it.
Hand Me Downs is a CD made from Jones’ and Winfree’s
personal life stories. It is a poetic, soulful, unbridled and
passionate tribute to the women they’ve been and the women they have
become. Songs with pain, songs with joy, words that heal. It’s all
here. Couched in such musically simple framework, each song feels
like a friend’s confession over a cup of hot tea on a cool
afternoon. Warm and homey, while always smart and
sophisticated.
The group’s name, Someone’s Sister, stems from
the fact that each of us is somebody’s daughter, someone’s family,
somebody’s sister. We’re all family here, and we’re all different.
Yet our relationships to ourselves, our lives, and our loves share
common themes. And that’s where Someone’s Sister’s music seems to
focus—on relationships. Not the standard girl meets girl or girl
meets boy cheese we usually here, but real relationships in the
deeper, purer sense of the word. Hand Me Downs is a beautifully
written, delicious musical offering that belongs in mainstream
rotation.
Someone’s Sister is currently enjoying gigs on the
US’ East Coast and has been featured on NPR’s “All Things
Considered”. Expect to hear more from them as they continue to
perform and record great music while supporting a great
cause.
For more information, visit http://www.someonessister.com/
Copyright Gaywired.com. Used by permission.
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