Tell My Sister (Remastered)

iTunes Review

When the Canadian duo of Kate and Anna McGarrigle emerged in the ‘70s, they had a different set of influences than most of their folkie peers. Growing up near Montreal, the siblings drew on Quebecois traditions and were clearly influenced by parlour songs and American standards. Their first two albums, Kate & Anna McGarrigle and Dancer with Bruised Knees, demonstrate just how good these two singer/songwriters had become. (Kate passed away in 2010.) 2011’s Tell My Sister contains those albums — both produced by Joe Boyd — and includes a third disc of demos and unreleased recordings from the early ‘70s. The duo’s particularly fine debut includes “Heart Like a Wheel” (a hit for Linda Ronstadt), the old-timey “Jigsaw Puzzle of Life,” the jaunty “Complainte pour Ste-Catherine,” and a solo Kate performing the moving “Go Leave.” Dancer with Bruised Knees contains the masterful “Southern Boys” and “First Born”; arrangements of two traditionals, “Blanche comme la neige” and “Perrine était servante;” and the church-y “Kitty Come Home.” And it’s great to hear the unvarnished demos, too.