SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE WOMACK SISTERS – THE WOMACK SISTERS

THE WOMACK SISTERS
THE WOMACK SISTERS
DAPTONE RECORDS

Zeimani, BG, and Kucha are The Womack Sisters. The granddaughters of Sam Cooke, the daughters of Cecil and Linda Womack of Womack & Womack, and the nieces of Bobby Womack, their lineage is absolutely steeped in soul. However, on their debut, eponymous album, The Womack Sisters prove their worth as singers and songwriters who can stand proudly on their own, side by side with the legends within their bloodline. The Womack Sisters follows nearly a decade of singles and their 2022 EP, Legacy, but here they establish themselves as a leading force in a new soul revival.

Opening with “Chauffeur,” the listener is greeted by lush strings, warm backing vocals, a loose shuffle and a trio of stunningly powerful lead vocals. This combination, let alone the style of performance, instrumentation, and arrangement building, immediately puts The Womack Sisters in line with the greater Motown tradition – or rather, in line with the Daptone sound of the last decade. Regardless, “Chauffeur” is an arrestingly vintage song that highlights all three sisters’ incredible voices, while setting the tone for the album. This is continued on the following track, “If You Want Me,” as the song opens with a gentle drum fill and a melody played on a vibraphone. The track grooves hard with a much more open arrangement that builds with the lyrical narrative throughout the verse before opening right up in the chorus. Between the opening two songs, it is clear that there is an equal dedication to both performance and songwriting, something that further separates The Womack Sisters from modern R&B and connecting them with an era of music long gone.

From the emotional longing behind “I Just Don’t Want You (To Say Goodbye)” to the affirming album closer, “My Sisters And Me,” The Womack Sisters is a striking album driven by the exceptional vocal prowess of Zeimani, BG, and Kucha. While their voices, as soloists, each provide their own unique timber and flavour, demonstrating vigor, control, range, and power, when the three come together in harmony, there is something truly remarkable. Without a single moment of weakness throughout the 11 songs, highlights include the Latin rhythms of “If I Let You,” The upbeat “Laughter And Tears,” and the strutting “You Went Away Too Long.”

Like Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley before them, The Womack Sisters have delivered a body of work that is simply unlike anything anyone else is currently producing. Their self-titled album is a soulful revolution that feels in tone with that of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, The Supremes and Stevie Wonder. As such, The Womack Sisters is a beautiful album and a thrilling listening experience, like stumbling upon a lost gem in a crate of vinyl. Genuinely, this should be among the greatest albums of the year and should leave listeners excited for what is to follow from The Womack Sisters.

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