Dear Sister

Raven Shields and Bri Salmena aren't sisters, but even though they live in separate cities (Toronto and Montreal), they perform together as though this is something they've grown up doing. The two girls have identical deadpan deliveries that perfectly complement the starkness of their arrangements and the dark subject matter of their songs. Two standouts are "Con Man," a brooding tale about a woman who starts a chain of destruction, and the self-descriptive "Cocaine Lady," wherein the girls sing in a cheerfully maudlin way, "Oh, what a mess I've made." The album has sweeter, quieter moments as well, such as "Singer in the Prison" and closing track "Hallelujah," which was recorded live in 2009 at Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, NY. Dear Sister's first full-length release is a solid album and to listen to it is an absolute delight.