Magnificent
By Marc Twang
This is my favorite Roches album. It contains "The Hallelujah Chorus", a staple of their live shows, and the luminous "Losing True", one of Maggie's most heartbreaking songs. I've always felt these sister's astonishing harmonies were best showcased in settings with minimal accompaniment. On "Nerds" Roy Halee had muffled them with more conventional arrangements. So I was delighted to see Robert Fripp return as producer. As on their debut, he presents them in a stark space, allowing their voices unfettered reign over the soundscape. But unlike the "audio verite" of their debut, here the sound is crystalline, beautifully engineered. They never sounded as good as on this record.