There are portions of The Other Women that ask the musical question, "What if the Indigo Girls were profane, hard-drinking chicks with -- gasp -- a sense of humor?"
They're not really blood relatives, these Corn Sisters. One of 'em is Carolyn Mark, best known for her work with the Room-mates. The other is Neko Case, who has been enjoying more and more attention since her second solo album, Furnace Room Lullabye, came out a year ago. And they don't really sound all that much like the Indigo Girls.
While Case and Mark still perform their singin' gal act when their busy schedules converge, The Other Women is vintage stuff. Recorded live at a small Seattle venue nearly three years ago, it nonetheless sounds vital, current and fun, with the Sisters twanging their way through a sixteen-song set like a pair of horny, tipsy Mandrells. A mixture of covers and originals, the album is heavy on the emotions. At one end of the spectrum there's the fan-favorite faux tragedy of "Too Many Pills", which tells the story of the (fictional) car crash that claimed the life of Neko's (fictional) eldest son, Carl Sr., while Leiber and Stoller's sweet "Love Me" sits prettily on the "happy" side (and also on the "Elvis" side).
A particular high point is the Sisters' rowdy-yet-faithful take on Loretta Lynn's git-offa-my-man anthem, "Fist City". In addition to being a perfect song for the Corn Sisters, it's a great tune to play for people who see Lynn as prim and proper, rather than a gal who's not only willing to stand by her man but will flatten any woman who tries to come between them. I wouldn't be surprised if the Corn Sisters' version of "Fist City" sells a few copies of Lynn's Coal Miner's Daughter: Live.
Other highlights include a spirited, jangly take on Lucinda Williams' "Howlin' at Midnight" that boasts some really pretty Case/Mark harmonies (it's moments like this that inspire the joking Indigo Girls comparisons). There's also a delightful version of Nick Lowe's "Endless Grey Ribbon" and a marvelous set-closing rendition of "This Little Light of Mine". I gather from the press materials that it's not unusual for Neko and Carolyn to be pretty thoroughly soused by the time they get to "This Little Light", though they seem sober this time around. Whether that's a good thing or a disappointment is your call.
To their credit, Mark and Case's own compositions, which include "Too Many Pills" and their theme song, "Corn on the Cob", stand up extremely well against the covers and classics. Only the songs that, to some degree, everybody knows -- specifically, "Love Me" and "This Little Light" -- really eclipse the less familiar material.
As this is a live album, we're left with no idea what The Corn Sisters could accomplish on a studio recording. However, given the fact that the Sisters' act apparently follows the grand, Brigid Murphy-esque tradition of being as much performance art as music, a live album is probably the best possible way to make their acquaintance. Though I get the impression that The Other Women cherry-picks the best and strongest tracks from multiple performances at the same venue, it retains the spontaneity of a single show.
Let's hope that, as Case and Mark's careers continue to gain momentum, they can still to find time to be Sisters. I'm looking forward to hearing more from them.
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