Description
Many will be aware of The Sisterhood, the project Sarah Jane Morris and Tony Remy unveiled in 2024, in which ten of the most notable female singer-songwriters of the Twentieth Century were the subjects of a unique song cycle - Morris and Remy were already aware that ten was insufficient - others had to be included. The momentum of writing and creating did not falter, and by the time of its earliest performance "The Sisterhood" had become twelve, with ink-undried songs for Patti Smith and the then so recently and so tragically departed Sinead O'Connor being added to the ten originals. Since then, another nine have been written. Peggy Seeger, Etta James, Joan Baez, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Armatrading, Janis Ian,Tracy Chapman and Amy Winehouse have become part of the project, brought together in a second volume of unsurpassed quality.
Morris says that there are three qualifying factors for a singer to be included in The Sisterhood. First, all must be artists of excellence and originality. Next, they must be writers as well as interpreters. Lastly, almost all have understood that talent and success give them voices to communicate on subjects of conscience. They have accepted the responsibility which goes with opportunity, to act as witnesses, spokeswomen and champions for those whose voices are unheard. All possess courage and lead by example.
Sarah Jane Morris and guitar-player, co-writer and co-producer Tony Remy are artists at the peak of their abilities, and each one adds to the other's lustre. Morris is aware of the power and quality of her vocal instrument, undiminished as she commands the stage through her fifth decade as an internationally acclaimed singer. Her dramatic training enables her to deliver extended, super-demanding lyrics with flawless intelligibility. Remy is much more than the foil for her vocal star-turn. This album is an extraordinary musical achievement, a collaboration between singer and instrumentalist of spell-binding range and quality. Morris and Remy have been friends and colleagues since the nineteen eighties. They know each other so well, a mutual recognition of superlative standards and world-class practice, that their work proceeds with smooth understanding and absolute trust. Tony has long been regarded as one of the leading and most versatile guitarists anywhere in the world; he once replaced Clapton in Jack Bruce's band, is a master of Soul, Jazz, Funk and African Blues and is a composer of invention and originality. His role in The Sisterhood as co-writer and co-producer is the other half of a magical equation - the voice, the words, the guitar, the shared expertise, the endless knowledge of what is needed, and where to go for the answer to that need - Morris and Remy have it all, and The Sisterhood 2 is their latest masterwork. According to Sarah Jane, The Sisterhood is all about the passing of the torch from sister to sister. As we listen to these wonderful songs, we are quickly convinced of Sarah Jane as a bearer of that torch, and that this project is the definitive evidence of her rightful place among the very best.
