Currently the Wyrd Sisters, a collective of wonderfully expressive singers and musicians from Winnipeg, Manitoba, consists of Kim Baryluk on vocals, Kiva (a.k.a. Kathy Brown, Crash Test Dummies) on vocals, Julene Gravett on drums, Jen Gibson on vocals and guitar, Marie-Jo Dandeneau on bass and Delina (who is listed on the band's website as a solo recording artist and multimedia artist). But at the time Raw Voice was recorded, back in 1997, the group was more compact, made up of Kim Baryluk, Nancy Reinhold and Lianne Fournier. At that point the group had already been together for nearly seven years, originally forming, according to the band's website, in order to "share their hobby of songwriting."

Surprisingly, there's very little collaborative writing on Raw Voice. Only the song "Untitled," a beautifully haunting melody with understated accompaniment (clarinet, organ and acoustic guitar), is credited to more than one member of the group. The "sharing," it seems, takes place primarily in the harmony department. The combination of three lead vocalists stepping by turns to center stage before returning to the sidelines to support the next songwriter makes for a more diverse recording than any of the three could likely have managed on her own. But the time spent in the spotlight is far from balanced, with Nancy singing lead on seven of the 11 tracks included here. Kim's rich alto is highlighted on three songs while Lianne handles the lead vocal duties on just one composition, "Rain Dance."

Whether this disparity had anything to do with the changes in the band's lineup I'm unsure. But the most distinctive of the vocalists is undoubtedly Kim Baryluk, the only original Wyrd Sister still with the ensemble. While the three voices on this album do work tremendously well together, Kim's alto has a richness and resonance that gives it greater individuality.

At times the arrangements on Raw Voice show some real inventiveness, with Richard Moody providing some terrific viola accompaniment on many of the album's best songs. "Same Old Story," "Night of Her Insistence," "Letter from You" and "Borrowed Time" all benefit from his inspired, powerful bow work. Rather less successful is the use of saxophones. Two of the three songs that feature sax are Kim's compositions and perhaps it's the mix of the instrument with her voice that fails to click, but I also find there's a predictability to the sax arrangements that Moody's playing avoids.

Kim's third song, "Sadie's House," makes use of acoustic guitar, mandolin, organ and EWI (electric wind instrument -- a sort of electronic harmonica) and this combination is a much better one for her expressive, lower register voice. "Sadie's House" is an outstanding song, one of the highlights of Raw Voice. It, along with "Untitled," makes this album well worth searching out.

"I hear a chorus of angels." You can hear them too by checking out Raw Voice. Because the album is an independent release the best way to access it is to visit the discography page on the Wyrd Sisters' website.

- Rambles
written by Gregg Thurlbeck
published 10 September 2005

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