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This is the saddest and loveliest of all the Roches’ albums, as befits a trio of sisters who hadn’t recorded together in a full decade. It also feels like a bookend to their 1979 debut, which brought some punkish smarts and irreverence to the folk world. The subject matter on Moonswept is bittersweet and decidedly grown-up; most songs are about revisiting childhood or accepting the uncertainties of adult relationships. (They went to an outside writer for the two quirky novelty songs, which the album doesn’t really need). Even guest singer Lucy Wainwright Roche (the daughter of Suzzy Roche and Loudon Wainwright III) sounds suitably world-weary on “Long Before,” which seems to be the latest in a handful of songs about Loudon’s failings as a dad. The return of soprano-voiced Terre restores their gorgeous vocal mix (she was missed on the albums Suzzy and Maggie recorded as a duo), and Stewart Lerman’s production echoes Robert Fripp’s work on the early discs: no pop crossover, just acoustic guitars and natural room sound. They get in a double shot of undertow toward the end: Suzzy and Terre’s “Instead I Chose” is full of romantic regret and Terre’s “September 11 at the Shabhala Center,” written for the one-year anniversary of 9/11, is poetic enough (and ultimately hopeful enough) to avoid the sentimental pitfalls of such songs. If that sounds heavy, it’s offset by the pre-rock tune “Naughty Lady of Shady Lane,” which might be the best in their series of left-field covers. And the sisters’ collective personality proves as winning as it was in ’79.
