We Three Kings (The Roches album)

We Three Kings is an album by the folk trio the Roches, released in 1990.[3][4] It is a collection of Christmas songs.[5][6] The sisters wrote two of the album's 24 tracks.[7] We Three Kings is considered a classic of unconventional Christmas music.[8][9][10][11]

We Three Kings
Studio album by
The Roches
Released1990
GenreFolk, Christmas music
LabelParadox/MCA;[1] rerelease by Rykodisc[2]
ProducerThe Roches, Jeffrey Lesser
The Roches chronology
Speak
(1989)		 We Three Kings
(1990)		 A Dove
(1992)
Alternative cover
Cover of the 1994 reissue by Rykodisc

MCA Records allowed the album to go out of print; it was reissued by Rykodisc in 1994, after the label had signed the trio.[12][13] For years, the sisters performed selections of the songs at their annual Bottom Line shows.[14][15]

Production

The album was produced by the Roches and Jeffrey Lesser.[16] It marked a return to the sisters' roots, as they had first sung together as carolers in Manhattan.[17][18] Due to their familiarity with the carols, the sisters did many of the songs in one take.[19] We Three Kings was recorded in New York City during a July 1990 heat wave; the sessions were slightly delayed while Maggie Roche got over laryngitis.[20][21]

Most of the tracks are sung a cappella; it took the Roches six weeks to obtain the vocal strength to get through "For Unto Us A Child Is Born".[22][23] "Star of Wonder", written by Terre Roche, was composed after a friend died in the Lockerbie bombing.[24] Suzzy Roche wrote "Christmas Passing Through".[25] "Winter Wonderland" is sung using stereotypical New Jersey accents; "Frosty the Snowman" employs a chorus of children.[26][27] Other songs incorporate elements of Middle Eastern music and Caribbean music.[28]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[29]
Robert Christgau(neither)[30]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[31]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[7]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[2]
Ottawa Citizen[23]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[32]
Seattle Post-IntelligencerA[33]
Spin Alternative Record Guide7/10[34]
Windsor StarB+[35]

The Globe and Mail thought that "the avant-garde folkies play it pretty straight this time out, using their sisterly harmonies to wade through a generous selection of Christmas favorites."[36] Newsday stated that the Roches "adorn two dozen yuletide standards with their trademark harmonies, skating vocal figure-eights around each other with the navigability of Dancer, Prancer and Vixen."[37]

The St. Petersburg Times deemed the album "wonderful listening" and "an instant classic."[38] The Boston Globe determined that "the sometimes silly sisters take their tongue out of their collective cheek and come up with a classic."[39] The Windsor Star noted that "We Three Kings, while containing the obvious, is definitely not-so-obvious in its arrangements."[35]

AllMusic wrote that "when they put their formidable vocal chops to work on tunes as potentially complex as 'Angels We Have Heard on High' and 'The Holly and the Ivy',' the results can be as gorgeous as they are unique."[29] The Rolling Stone Album Guide concluded that the album "finds the group returning to its (true) roots as seasonal carolers in Greenwich Village."[32] The Times called the title track "lushly gothic, augmented with a tender oboe and, yup, restless country guitars ... The swooning 'Oooohh' that leads up to the chorus is utterly thrilling."[40] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer deemed it "a perfect showcase for the trio's crystal-clear harmonies and offhand humor."[33] Reviewing the 1994 reissue, the Rocky Mountain News opined: "No doubt about it: We Three Kings may well be the best holiday album of the year."[41]

Track listing
  1. "Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light"
  2. "For Unto Us A Child Is Born"
  3. "Angels We Have Heard on High"
  4. "Deck the Halls"
  5. "Christmas Passing Through" (Suzzy Roche)
  6. "Sleigh Ride" (Mitchell Parish, Leroy Anderson)
  7. "Away in a Manger"
  8. "Here We Come A-Caroling"
  9. "The Little Drummer Boy" (Katherine Davis, Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati)
  10. "The Holly and the Ivy"
  11. "Frosty the Snowman" (Walter Rollins, Steve Nelson)
  12. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Noël Regney, Gloria Shayne)
  13. "We Three Kings"
  14. "Star of Wonder" (Terre Roche)
  15. "Winter Wonderland" (Richard Smith, Felix Bernard)
  16. "Joy to the World"
  17. "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
  18. "Good King Wenceslas"
  19. "Jingle Bells"
  20. "The First Noel"
  21. "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen"
  22. "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"
  23. "O Come, All Ye Faithful"
  24. "Silver Bells" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston)

Personnel

Musicians[42]

  • Maggie Roche – vocals, keyboards, hooves, whistling
  • Terre Roche – vocals, guitars, piano
  • Suzzy Roche – vocals, guitars, keyboards
  • Vince Cherico – drums, drum programming, percussion
  • Paul Ossola – bass guitar, upright bass
  • Victor Lesser – saxophones
  • The Hallmarks (David Roche, Jeffrey Lesser, Vince Cherico) – vocals on "Silver Bells"
  • Lucy Roche, Jeannine Schmeltzkopt, Dara Schatt, Lucy Lesser, Kelsey Lesser – vocals on "Frosty the Snowman"

Technical[42]

  • Jeffrey Lesser – producer, engineer
  • Jeff Lippay – assistant engineer
  • Teddy Wainwright – executive producer

References
  1. Caro, Mark (23 Dec 1990). "Carols with a twist". Chicago Tribune. Arts. p. 2.
  2. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 947.
  3. "The Roches Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  4. Alden, Grant; Blackstock, Peter (September 15, 2009). "No Depression # 78: Family Style". University of Texas Press – via Google Books.
  5. Sinagra, Laura (December 17, 2005). "The Roche Sisters Reunited, With Christmas in the Air" – via NYTimes.com.
  6. Buckley, Peter (December 11, 2003). "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides – via Google Books.
  7. December 07, Ron Givens Updated. "We Three Kings". EW.com.
  8. Bledsoe, Wayne (14 July 2006). "Sibiling harmony: Sisters' unique blend charms critics, fans". Knoxville News Sentinel. Preview. p. 5.
  9. "Roches Holiday Twist". New Jersey Herald. Entertainment. December 6, 2012.
  10. Ross, Curtis (December 21, 2007). "The Roches Bring Harmony To Holidays". The Tampa Tribune. Friday Extra. p. 15.
  11. Smith, Andy (March 15, 1996). "Roches have to work at family harmony". The Providence Journal. p. E1.
  12. Wilonsky, Robert (December 8, 1994). "Chestnuts and lumps of coal - Bennett, Buttholes, and John Tesh--these are a few of our favorite, and least favorite, things". Dallas Observer. Music.
  13. Germain, David (February 29, 1996). "ROCHES REMAIN 'WEIRD SISTERS' OF FOLK-POP". Times Union. Associated Press. p. P3.
  14. Conan, Neal (December 9, 1994). "NEAL CONAN INTERVIEWS TWO OF THE ROCHES". Morning Edition. NPR.
  15. "Roche Motets". The New Yorker. 70 (43): 20. December 26, 1994.
  16. Waldman, Amy (26 Apr 1991). "Eclectic Roches crawl all over the musical spectrum". The Milwaukee Journal. p. D1.
  17. Ayers, Anne (26 Nov 1990). "The Roches, We Three Kings". USA Today. p. 5D.
  18. Rawls, Alex (November 30, 2006). "Roches' reunion one that sounds just right". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Entertainment. p. 22.
  19. Valois, Diana (14 Dec 1990). "LISTENING EASY TO BRIGHT SOUND OF CHRISTMAS". The Morning Call. p. D1.
  20. Okamoto, David (December 7, 1990). "Musical Mistletoe - Newest Christmas albums embrace romance of holiday in quirky as well as traditional renditions". The Gazette-Telegraph. Scene. p. 1.
  21. Widner, Ellis (November 30, 1990). "Here we go a-caroling - Roches do songs for season". Tulsa World. p. 1B.
  22. Holden, Stephen (19 Dec 1990). "The Roches' Noel". The New York Times. p. C19.
  23. Erskine, Evelyn (9 Nov 1990). "The Roches We Three Kings". Ottawa Citizen. p. D8.
  24. Kornelis, Chris (20 Dec 2018). "Beyond Bing --- Christmas music for people who are getting tired of Christmas music". The Wall Street Journal. p. A15.
  25. Boren, Ray; Wadley, Carma (December 14, 1990). "CHRISTMAS MUSIC: NO OTHER HOLIDAY INSPIRES A BROADER RANGE OF MELODIES". Deseret News. p. W1.
  26. Nutt, Bill (7 Dec 2012). "Sister act". Asbury Park Press. Entertainment.
  27. Johnson, Robert (December 13, 1991). "Holiday albums run the gamut from blues to folk". San Antonio Express-News. p. 16C.
  28. Mason, Rick (December 14, 1990). "The Roches We Three Kings". Lexington Herald-Leader. Weekender. Herald-Leader wire services. p. 4.
  29. "We Three Kings - The Roches | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  30. "Robert Christgau: CG: The Roches". www.robertchristgau.com.
  31. Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". Omnibus Press – via Google Books.
  32. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 596.
  33. Stout, Gene (December 23, 1994). "RECORD REVIEWS". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. What's Happening. p. 10.
  34. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 334–335.
  35. Shaw, Ted (15 Dec 1990). "Pop". Windsor Star. p. C2.
  36. Niester, Alan (17 Dec 1990). "WE THREE KINGS The Roches". The Globe and Mail. p. C3.
  37. Anderson, John (16 Dec 1990). "Putting Soul Back Into Yule: The Roches get serious about the holidays". Newsday. PART II. p. 15.
  38. Stark, Judy (30 Nov 1990). "THEY'RE PLAYING A FEW NEW TUNES". St. Petersburg Times. Weekend. p. 18.
  39. Sullivan, Jim (13 Dec 1991). "THE SONGS OF CHRISTMAS OLD AND NEW". The Boston Globe. ARTS & FILM. p. 67.
  40. Moran, Caitlin (December 6, 1996). "The first Noel that isn't more like Liam". The Times. Features. p. 38.
  41. "SEASONAL SOUNDS: THERE'S ENOUGH NEW HOLIDAY MUSIC TO PLEASE EVERY AURAL PALATE". Rocky Mountain News. November 24, 1994. p. 40D.
  42. We Three Kings (booklet). MCA. 1990.
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