[title subtitle=”review: Marla Cantrell”][/title]
iTunes: $2.97
lennonandmaisy.com
Singing sensations Lennon and Maisy Stella were born in Canada, but Nashville is their home. Not just the city, but the ABC drama Nashville as well. It is there the two young singers play the daughters of the show’s lead star, Connie Britton.
What catapulted Lennon (fourteen) and Maisy (nine) to stardom was their massive YouTube following, particularly their cover song of Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend.” In it, the two sing perfect harmony, sitting together at a table, with no musical accompaniment except their own hands clapping, and intermittently using what looks like empty butter containers more or less as drumsticks. It is such a pure setup for their immaculate voices, with Lennon singing melody and Maisy picking up harmony. To date, that video has been watched more than 22 million times. Soon, national news agencies were tracking the girls down for interviews, and not long after, the two got a gig at the famed Bluebird Café in Nashville. A customer there taped the whole thing, posted it online, and before long the producers of Nashville came calling.
If you’ve not heard these sisters, a quick visit to YouTube will remedy that. There, you’ll hear them sing hits like the “Ho Hey,” a song made famous by the Lumineers. Then check out iTunes, where three of their songs: “Call Your Girlfriend,” “I Won’t Give Up” and “Headlock” are sold as a package for $2.97. And finally, check out The Music of Nashville: Season 2 Volume 1. On it, Lennon and Maisy sing two of the thirteen songs.
And while Lennon and Maisy don’t have an album of their own yet, it’s bound to happen soon. If you listen to them without knowing their ages, you’d never believe these voices belonged to two girls this young. They’re extraordinarily talented, and their mother says she knew they were destined for stardom, she just didn’t expect it so soon.
The sisters spent their earliest years on a 170 acre plot of farmland, without a TV or internet access. Their parents, Brad and Marylynne Stella, performed as The Stellas, singing vintage country, with quite a following themselves. The family’s home was filled with vinyl records, and the girls listened to a lot of Roger Miller and Marty Robbins. It paid off. Just last year, the girls performed at the Grand Ole Opry.
It is going to be fun to see where these two end up. Several TV critics claim the girls are the highlight of Nashville, and when they’re allowed to sing you’ll see why. Theirs is a rare talent, so rich, so soulful, it’s hard to forget them.