The Living Sisters

Love to Live

The Living Sisters may be the most experienced "new" group you've ever heard. Los Angeles-based singer/songwriters Inara George (The Bird and the Bee), Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond) and Eleni Mandell have cumulatively spent decades writing, recording and singing around the world with their respective groups. Now, after years of seed-planting, the accomplished trio has finally recorded their Vanguard debut album, Love to Live as The Living Sisters.

"I met Becky at a bar somewhere in L.A. in 2005 and I told her I wanted to have a harmony group," recalls Mandell. "We talked about it and she said, 'Okay, it'll be called the Living Sisters' and we immediately started performing right away."

With George on board the following year, the vocalists discovered their mutual love of country, soul and other traditional styles of music and began showcasing their vocal talents in the L.A. area while still pursuing their individual artistic visions. "When we were recording the record, we were all super busy, so it was like stolen moments," says George. "It was basically whenever we could all get together."

It was worth the wait. Produced by the songwriters themselves with co-production by Sheldon Gomberg, the self-titled debut nods to classic country harmony groups like The Louvin Brothers and The Delmore Brothers, but also showcases the singers' roots in gospel ("How Glad I Am"), soul ("Good Old Wagon") and doo-wop ("Double Knots.") Connecting and anchoring these disparate styles are the trio's harmonies themselves, which, depending on the track, can be subtly suggestive, childishly playful, or earnestly heartfelt.

For the already experienced singers, making this record was both a labor of love and learning experience. "I tend to hear things in a super simple way to the point of abstraction," admits Stark. "When Eleni and Inara wanted to add instruments and textures, I don't really hear music that way, but I'm really pleased with how we were all able to bring our different perspectives to the record."

To record the album, each member began writing songs individually, bringing their tracks to group later on to collaborate on harmonies. After much trial and error, the trio recorded each track simultaneously using one collective microphone, adding minor vocals afterwards, yet ensuring each song retains a raw, immediate quality. Listening to the ethereal lullaby of "Cradle" or gorgeous ascending harmonies of "Hold Back," one quickly realizes this is unfiltered singing in its purest form.

Love to Live is just the latest in a string of accomplishments for the vocalists. Eleni Mandell's sultry voice has been a L.A. staple since her 1999 debut album Wishbone, with her latest, Artificial Fire, receiving widespread critical acclaim. As the frontwoman of Lavender Diamond, Becky Stark's mix of pop and chamber music has been described by Allmusic as "effortless, timeless-sounding songs." And as one-half of The Bird and The Bee, Inara George has built up a cult following with the group's love of jazz, pop and tropicalia.

 In the end, though, The Living Sisters are all of that and none of that, a group whose whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. "I love my band, but there's something about us three singing harmony that is almost like religion," says Mandell. "It makes me think, 'Oh yeah. This is why people talk about God,' because when your voices are resonating together, it's a very spiritual feeling."