Three sisters named BG, Zeimani and Kucha have released their debut album: *The Womack Sisters* (Mono). Womack? That’s right: the daughters of Womack & Womack, the nieces of Bobby Womack and the granddaughters of Sam Cooke are making music of their own. And they bring plenty of soul heritage with them.
The Womack Sisters are three of the seven children of Linda and Cecil Womack. Their grandfather, Sam Cooke, is Linda’s father, and Bobby Womack is their father’s older brother.
The sisters practically grew up ‘on tour’ with their parents, travelling between London, LA and Amsterdam, and between Thailand, South Africa and the Caribbean. Their father wanted them to understand how music is created, so he took them to the studio with him during record productions. These influences have borne fruit and blossom delightfully on *The Womack Sisters* (Mono).
The eleven tracks, written with support from the Zekkariyas family (the surname Cecil Womack later adopted) and other artists, are beautiful soul songs. Their lyrics sometimes have a personal connection, as in ‘If I Let You’, which is about getting involved with someone before you know them and the consequences that follow, as Kucha explained in an interview.
The tracks on *The Womack Sisters (Mono)* are delivered with maturity. The sisters mostly share the lead vocals and take turns singing the lead parts, which further intensifies the atmosphere of each song. Zeimani described it as follows: “BG is our Sam Cooke; she has that classic sound. Kucha is our Curtis Mayfield; her songs go so deep. And I’m the Millie Jackson – I sing the rough stuff.”
To kick things off, however, ‘Chauffeur’ introduces all three singers. In one verse each, they recount their experiences as drivers in a limousine service with their passengers – a look back at their own lives, as the sisters financed part of their musical start-up by working as Uber drivers.
On ‘Monster’, BG takes the lead, letting influences of blues and gospel carry her clear voice, whilst on ‘I Just Don’t Want You (To Say Goodbye)’ she weaves in rougher passages too – emotion you can almost touch. Zeimanis, with her rich and sensual voice, makes ‘Didn’t Mean Much To Me’ – amongst others – shine with delicate brilliance, whilst the lyrics disillusion an unknown counterpart. On ‘I Am You Season’, Kucha takes the lead and caresses the notes in a beguiling way with her delicate vocal delivery.
There are still seven more tracks to enjoy, and anyone who fancies it can turn it into a guessing game: which of the sisters, in which of the songs, is the one who whispers, breathes, growls and carries the essence of spirit and soul into the notes.
But why ‘Mono’?
We don’t know. Because *The Womack Sisters (Mono)* isn’t actually recorded in mono, though it creates the illusion. The three singers and much of the rest of the soundscape are arranged quite centrally, but even here a slight spatial variation can be detected. Yet trumpets, strings and other standout elements, highlights and points of interest clearly play from the sides. Perhaps the ‘(Mono)’ in the album title is just a little trick by the label, Daptone Records, as a nod to their penchant for retro sounds.
The Womack Sisters (Mono) is, in any case, an outstanding soul album with wonderful retro charm that honours the family’s legacy without neglecting the present.
It’s lovely that something like this exists. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)
The Womack Sisters