The debut long-player from siblings, singers, songwriters, and instrumentalists
Eleanor and
Bonnie Whitmore,
Ghost Stories draws from a wide range of roots music sub-genres, from classic country and Americana to rock, pop, and folk. The pair are hardly strangers to songcraft.
Bonnie has four acclaimed solo efforts under her belt, while
Eleanor has spent a decade spinning richly detailed alt-country gems with her husband Chris Masterson under the
Mastersons banner. Commencing with the lush and stirring "Learn to Fly" -- warmly lit and gently tilted toward a 70's sunset-pop horizon -- the 11-song set deftly walks the line between retro and contemporary. Fans of fellow old souls like
Caitlin Rose and
the Secret Sisters will find much to love here. The past looms large on the aptly named
Ghost Stories, with tales of loss and grief ("Friends We Left Behind," "Greek Tragedy") dovetailing into rowdy songs of affirmation and acceptance ("The Ballad of Sissy & Porter," "Hurtin for a Letdown"). Two choice covers, a lilting rendition of the
Paul McCartney-penned "On the Wings of a Nightingale" and a boisterous,
Rockpile-esque take on
Aaron Lee Tasjan's "Big Heart Sick Mind," help seal the deal. Still, it's the duo's keenly observed originals that stay with you the longest, delivered with hard-won wisdom, gallows humor, and the near-supernatural fluidity of sisterly harmonies. ~ James Christopher Monger