Ever seen The Richter Sisters? You’d know if you had; all smiles, deep feeling, and sincere lyrics; they shine, with harmonies to die for. To a sell out crowd, they delighted with a wealth of original numbers, earning a standing ovation after 2 hours of heartfelt performance at 49 West.
Pranam Bai and Ruchi Singh are the youngest of 7 siblings. Born into a musical family, these two sisters have clearly decided what they want; a life defined by the music that they create and produce so well together. Performing together as The Richter Sisters for a relatively short time, they are still maturing (albeit quickly) as musicians, but the practice they put in is immediately obvious.
Beginning their set with a smile, and a “thanks for being here”, they knew exactly how to convey their real pleasure that so many had turned out (but for a backstage pass, I had been refused entry as the place was packed). They launch into “Lead the Way”, an empowering song which questions you:
“I challenge you to challenge yourself
To use your light in your own darkness
And when the road ahead is indecisive
Trust your heart to lead the way”
The harmonies are immediately noticeable; the time that these girls have had to perfect their craft together shows in well rehearsed back-and-forth melodies, and harmonies which show off Ruchi’s strong soprano and Pranam Bai’s huge range, ending with an exquisite high octave jump which takes nerve to attempt, especially in an opener like this. Lyrically it shows that despite the clean-cut look that these two sisters cultivate, they clearly are two young women comfortable with who they are. It’s pleasing, the guitar-backing sounds almost mandolin-like, with a carefully-picked solo from Ruchi, and has the crowd behind them from the start, swaying along and clearly wanting more.
Moving later in the set, on request from brother Sammy, is an emotional number “Blue Eyes”, written for their “miracle baby” niece. I’d challenge even the brashest listener to stay dry-eyed, as their lullaby washes over a silent audience:
“One day, one day maybe you will see,
Like a river, my love for you runs so deep;
Underneath these same blue skies,
your bright blue eyes, will open wide,
To see you through”
It’s a good demonstration of the depth with which The Richter Sisters write, the melody incorporating Pranam Bai’s delicately picked guitar style with sister Ruchi’s chords. They love, and they’re not afraid to show it in any way, as vulnerable as it makes them on stage.
My favorite song of the set was still to come – “Show Me”; the sentiment is beautiful and shows a well-spring of emotion beyond their years:
“So show me a little love, and I’ll reciprocate it”.
This one is is a heart-breaker; it’s something which you’d hope that everyone in the room could empathize with. With the now-familiar gorgeous harmonies throughout, it becomes even more noticeable that through the big-hearted smiles, these girls are focused on the lyric, the feeling of the song, pure heart; and it shows in their faces, as serious as the feelings expressed through the song. It’s very hard to pick a lyric from this because the whole song is so well put together, but these are surely my choice:
“I long for you to always see me in happiness;
Hold me close,
And kiss me on my nose,
And tell me you love me while you’re sure you know”
Closing out the set with an anthemic and clearly memorable number “Into Your Love”, they have the audience singing along, and produce a strong version of the song for their well-earned encore. Indeed it is a song which is so heartfelt, a lyric of two lovers trusted in each others’ arms:
“I see my future in your eyes
I long to find my way back to your smile
If this is just a dream, don’t wake me up
I feel I’m falling into your love”
Ironically the “catch” is the “catch me, catch me”, which has the crowd right with them to the end. Memorable, chart-worthy, and for fans of The Richter Sisters, this will be a tag line which will run and run.
I’ll admit to knowing these girls; having opened for them in Winchester (147 North) the night before (where they only played for an hour), I made the 4 hour round-trip to Annapolis to check them out, knowing that headlining, they would deliver something special and worthy of a review. I write here with all of the objectivity that you expect from an unbiased Fish Pond piece; they didn’t disappoint, and as they mature, they will be a band to make us all proud. Everyone who made the trip knows just what I mean. They love, and they are loved in return.
You can find out more about the Richter Sisters on their profile page, here.
Their Facebook page is here, and they also have a YouTube channel here.
By David Mark Smith
