Sisters Of White Chapel
Self-Released, 2023
8/10
Listen to Sisters Of White Chapel
A historic songwriting venture that’s spearheaded by the Alaskan artist Annie Bartholomew, these 9 songs surround the stories of women who came north during the Klondike Gold Rush and hosts Marian Call, Andrew Heist, Erin Heist, Kat Moore and Justin Smith.
The title track opens the listen with Moore’s playful upright bass and Heist’s warm mandolin complementing Bartholomew’s rich voice, and “All For The Klondike’s Gold” follows with harmony vocals from Call and Heist’s thick fiddle for the rugged yet pretty display.
In the middle, the mesmerizing “The Cuckoo” uses meticulous string interaction for the flowing and melodic demeanor, while “Feel My Sin” is quite soulful, and recruits a nearly gospel presence of expressive singing.
“Mountain Dove Song” and “Last Confession” exit the listen, where the former showcases Bartholomew’s powerful voice amid cozy guitar strumming and a bit of breeziness, and the latter unfolds with a retro-folk appeal that discusses life after sex work for the women from this time.
Bartholomew also plays banjo on the record, and Erin Heist and Smith play guitar. Together, they make for a very descriptive and multi-faceted version of folk that exposes the emotional truth of the women from the gold rush, and how they risked everything.
Travels well with: Christine Sweeney- Heart In A Hurry; Nora Brown- Long Time To Be Gone