Photo Credit: Janice Vogt
Could SistaStrings’ kind of artistry exist if the Milwaukee duo’s members weren’t actual siblings? Perhaps, but the blend of cellist Monique and violinist Chauntee Ross’ stringed instruments and vocals might be all the more sympathetic for their genetic proximity.
The Ross sisters have become enough of a sensation in their hometown to draw a large, enthusiastic crowd to Shank Hall Saturday, Dec. 28. They shared the night with another local acoustic duo, with whom the Rosses have become regular tour mates, and another Milwaukee performer who added electronic elements to the evening, as well as a vocal approach that isn't quite singing.
The Sistas’ aesthetic uniqueness lies in their ability to fold disparate genres into a seamless whole. Their choices of bowed instruments speak to their classical music training. Their soulful, sometimes mournful singing comes from their church background and their pastor dad. They also benefit from an eclectic enjoyment of folk, pop, R&B and Broadway show tunes.
The siblings might be at their best when they take soul gospel’s accommodation for affirmation and complaint to non-sectarian uplift and grievance. “Her Name Was” softly builds to an expression of self-acceptance; conversely, “Goodbye” resonates with anger and sadness over injustices that may be immediately personal as they could be broadly racial. Whatever its genesis, Monique plucked an ominously memorable bassline for it over which she and Chauntee nigh moaned a deep woundedness.
Nickel&Rose, the show’s openers, were considerably more explicit in singing about matters of race. Guitar-playing singer Carl Nichols, the Nickel of the pair, straightforwardly expresses his dissatisfaction with the way some folk treat people of their color. His latest digital single with upright bassist Johanna Rose, “Another Man,” equates Stand Your Ground laws to Ku Klux Klan lynchings. “Americana” finds Nichols turning the name of a genre his and Rose's music can fit into an indictment of what he sees as the unacknowledged pilfering of African American music by European American performers. The pair were as incisive when not singing from points of protest, Rose’s girlish, slightly twangy delivery especially complemented “Dog River” and the public domain “Red Rocking Chair.” For the former, Nichols and Rose brought out SistaStrings for additional accompaniment.
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That last song also provided a preview of the last portion of the concert where the two twosomes shared the stage with fellow 2019 Radio Milwaukee Award winner Klassik. The singer-rapper’s staccato, hyperventilated flow accentuated songs originating from both duos and was allowed to shine in a couple of other contexts, too. His peculiar mash-up of “Amazing Grace” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” bore the mark of Kanye West’s experimentation with electronic effects on vocals, to artistically impressive results. Arguably more moving was his and Rose’s collaboration on Guthrie’s “Ship in the Sky.”
SistaStrings ended the night on another of unity, as they and Nickel&Rose gave a sort of benediction to the audience with a rendition of the Impressions’ “People Get Ready.”
