Before today, I had never heard of Laura and Lydia Rogers, aka the Secret Sisters, but after one listen (thanks to our pal Ray Reed) to their LP, Silver Threads And Golden Needles, we have confirmation that a real treat is on the way within the year. Not only have the Rogers sisters teamed up with Jack White and a slew of Third Man Records cohorts (more on that in a sec) for their first 7″ 45, but they’ve also been recruited by the great T Bone Burnett for the release of the aforementioned full-length debut.
“[Y]ou can hear the history of rural American music from the 1920s and a reverence for every musical genre since,” Burnett said of the Muscle Shoals, Alabama duo, adding later that he and fellow producer Dave Cobb enlisted plenty of vintage equipment to make the record “as close to ‘pure’ as it gets.”
While their LP includes originals, as well as a cover of Frank and Nancy Sinatra’s “Something Stupid,” the pair’s Jack White-produced single features renditions of 1958 Johnny Cash song “Big River” and traditional folk tune “The Wabash Cannonball.” White and the Rogers sisters weren’t the only performers in the studio for the 7″, however, as their backup band included My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel, Raconteurs/Greenhornes Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler, Jackson Smith (Mr. Meg White/son of Patti Smith), and others.
The Secret Sisters’ “Big River”/”Wabash Cannonball” 45 is due out August 16, via Third Man (pre-order here), and their debut album, produced by Dave Cobb (Burnett is billed as executive producer) will hit shelves October 5, via Universal Republic.