The Puppini Sisters

The Puppini Sisters – Christmas at Home (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:33:25 minutes | 965 MB | Genre: Vocal Jazz, Christmas
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Bart&Baker Music

What is more magical than a Christmas album by a trio of female singers who execute close harmony to perfection? Briefly, close harmony is a singing technique in which the voices are very close to one another and remain confined to a single octave. In this regard, The Puppini Sisters are heiresses in a long and prestigious line of vocal music groups, the most famous undoubtedly being The Andrews Sisters, a trio who entertained Americans in the dark years of the 1940s. The Puppini Sisters took the same comforting approach when they conceived this album, recorded in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, or more precisely, during the 2020 holiday season. For Marcella Puppini, the group’s founder, this record, exclusively available on Qobuz, wasn’t solely about the music: “It was about reaching out and touching the hearts of our fans when they needed it the most. The joy we received in return was the best Christmas gift we could ask for.” Recorded in front of a live audience (reduced to follow safety measures) at Premises Studios in London, this album consists of classic, essential Christmas songs, from “Jingle Bells” to “Let It Snow”, “O Holy Night”, and many in between. Such a selection, paired with this vocal technique, inevitably immerses us into waters that are decidedly retro. The British trio revisits the past with sparkling enthusiasm, and sometimes, a touch of irony. To this end, the mischievous Puppini Sisters have also chosen more unexpected tracks, like George Michael’s “Last Christmas”, to which they bring a delightfully jazzy sensuality. They have also made sure to give a nod to Marcella’s Italian roots, covering “Ba Ba Baciami”, a bouncy foxtrot created in 1940 by Roman Alberto Rabagliati. Accompanied by a piano, an accordion, a bass, and, obviously, bells, The Puppini Sisters recreate the spirit of Christmas in all of its warmth, color, and joy. – Nicolas Magenham

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The Puppini Sisters – Christmas at Home (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:33:25 minutes | 967 MB | Genre: Jazz, Jazz vocal
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover

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The Puppini Sisters – The High Life (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 44:11 minutes | 500 MB | Genre: Contemporary Jazz, Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Millionaire Records Ltd

The Puppini Sisters’ fifth studio album, The High Life, is the trio’s first with Emma Smith joining original members Marcella Puppini and Kate Mullins. Aside from new membership, the vocal group stays the course, offering more of their close-knit, three-part harmonies on versions of big-band classics, a couple of original songs, and swing era-inspired rearrangements of more contemporary hits. The trio holds a few surprises in its selections of the latter, such as a medley of the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” and Sia’s “Chandelier,” and a fluid cover of Missy Elliott’s “Work It.” Their take on “Rapper’s Delight” works especially well, riding the original’s natural swing. The bass-driven medley eases back and forth between the rap classic and 2014’s “Chandelier” with scatting and melodic percussion, and proves to be a highlight of The High Life. Not as much fun is their David Bowie cover, a piano-led, rim-clicking arrangement of “Changes” that comes off more like an exercise than a reinvention. They’re back in form on “Material Girls Medley,” though, which includes pieces of several female-led, money-themed songs, including Meghan Trainor’s “Dear Future Husband” and Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money.” All of the above are worked into the set list alongside expectedly capable versions ’30s and ’40s classics, such as Arlen-Mercer’s “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” and the even earlier Brazilian work with many versions including a film appearance by Carmen Miranda, “Tico Tico” (aka “Tico-Tico No Fubá”). Ultimately, as on past albums, the Puppini Sisters thrive on the original tunes, which were written with their distinct delivery in mind. “Is This the High Life” employs a clarinet, piano, bass, and drum combo to support a rhythmic melody that slides between solo vocals and full three-part harmony, and for a taste of the women at their most Andrews Sisters, don’t miss “We Love to Bebop.” – Marcy Donelson

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