Music Disc Reviews

True, not counting their Christmas and children's records (1990's We Three Kings, 1994's Will You Be My Friend), they released only two albums after that: 1992's A Dove and 1995's Can We Go Home Now. But counting the various projects that came after that - Terre's The Sound of a Tree Falling, Suzzy's Holy Smokes and Songs from an Unmarried Housewife and Mother, Greenwich Village, USA, Suzzy and Maggie's Zero Church and Why the Long Face - a lot of Roche-like music has gone under the bridge in those 18 years. Which makes it even more satisfying to say, hallelujah! Moonswept is the real Roche thing, already in the running for Comeback of This Year.

After all, following the heights of Speak - including Maggie's haunting "Nocturne," one of her best songs ever - it was difficult to get enthused about the bland confections that dominated Dove and Home. By that time, the Roches had mostly abandoned their own eccentric acoustic guitars in favor of backup musicians who, though skilled, simply toed the line in Stewart Lerman's wimpy, glossy pop production. It didn't help that the songs were getting progressively midtempo until, on Home, a couple of tracks were so downtempo that they each dragged on for nearly 9 minutes - including Maggie's story about "My Winter Coat," which, back in the day, would've been played for a quick laugh. C'mon, ladies, why the long, long phrases?

Well, we could forgive the Roches for being downbeat, as their father had just died while they were on tour. (Can We Go Home Now indeed.) But to hear them go out with a whimper was difficult for dedicated fans to take. I remember one of the Roches, early-to-midcareer, saying that they didn't realize how difficult it would be to maintain a career. Just look at Maggie alone, the onetime rock of the Roches: She singlehandedly wrote half of the debut's ten songs, but then she was down to three, then two, and then, by the time of 1985's Another World, zero (although she co-wrote a handful of tracks). She had a major resurgence on Speak but started fading away again on Dove and Home - at which point, when the harsh reality of life, death, and maintaining a career as a trio switched on its light so glaringly, the Roches scattered. Suzzy and Maggie did reunite for their pair of albums, but Zero Church, though admirable, was a theme record (adapting prayers and hymns), and Why the Long Face had a heavy dose of covers - including, for some reason, two self-covers, "One Season" (from 1980's Nurds) and "La Vie C'est La Vie" (from the 1986 EP No Trespassing).

SWEPT AWAY

So hearing Moonswept - 11 of whose 14 tracks are fresh originals - is to hear the Roches getting their groove back big-time. Alas, Maggie hasn't gotten her songwriting back: She only contributes the music for "Family of Bones" and "Stop Performing," but the former tune is richly elegant, the latter nice and sly. And everywhere on this album, Maggie is the anchor for the three-part vocals that, at long last, recall the adventurous ubiquity of the harmonies on The Roches and Keep On Doing.

Thankfully, in the absence of Maggie's pen, Terre and Suzzy have risen to the challenge with some of their strongest work. It's particularly wonderful to hear Suzzy, who has been known to get rather twee, writing fully mature music and lyrics. Appropriately, she leads off Moonswept with "Us Little Kids," at once a childhood recollection and an adult reconciliation. It's instantly likeable, as Suzzy displays newfound knacks for hooks and clarity. In fact, on "Family of Bones" and the title track, her lyrics have not only sharpened but damn near haiku-ed.