The sweet sounds of Tres Chicas

“It was just about as informal as it gets,” says Caitlin Cary of the formation of Tres Chicas, the Raleigh-based country trio she founded with fellow musicians Lynn Blakey and Tonya Lamm. “One night the three of us happened to run into each other at a show—actually we were all in the bathroom at the same time—and we talked about ‘uniting forces’ and doing some shows together.” Soon after, the three got together and began singing songs, both originals and covers, at Cary’s Raleigh home, and the Tres Chicas were born. “We could tell it sounded good because my two dogs curled up and went to sleep, which is high praise from dogs.”

Though their June 2004 release Sweetwater is their debut album, the three ladies of Tres Chicas are not newcomers to the world of country music. Cary, who along with Ryan Adams was once a part of the popular, alt-country group Whiskeytown, has released two solo records on Yep Roc since 2002. Lamm was a member of the successful group Hazeldine, and Blakey is still a member of Glory Fountain. All three wrote songs for and sing on Sweetwater—an album that sounds like the work of women who have played together their entire lives.

Sweetwater is an album of honest country music. The Chicas’ beautiful melodies and vocal harmonies give their songs a warm, familiar feel. They stay close to traditional country, covering songs by Loretta Lynn, Lucinda Williams and George Jones—songs Cary says she admires less for their traditional sound and more “for their simplicity and their candor, which fits with the kind of women we are and the kind of songs we write.” This attitude is evident on Sweetwater, in songs that range from string-filled, straight-forward ballads like “Am I Too Blue” and “Desire” to slow, rocking pop like “Heartbeat,” the title track. Above all things, the Chicas’ vocals drive the album with impeccable choruses and soaring harmonies. “When Was the Last Time,” the only song on the album written by all three artists, is the most powerful example of their sweet vocal stylings.

The Tres Chicas are a welcome departure from the Clear Channel pop-country that dominates today’s airwaves. Cary remains optimistic about the state of country music in general, citing the rise of independent labels, the Internet, and the iPod for the rise of genuine country music as people revolt against the world’s Shania Twains. The Chicas themselves, however, are not concerned so much about genre. Says Cary: “The important thing is that we serve the songs and give them the treatment that they call for—that's all I've ever cared about, and I think it's more or less the guiding principal for the Chicas as well.” It is this philosophy that makes their debut an earnest, catchy collection of great country songs with a soft beauty that will have your dog falling asleep in no time.