Newhouse Wire

The Roches "Moonswept" (429 Records) THREE STARS

It's so good to have the three Roche sisters singing together again that, in a way, their first new album in 12 years almost seems secondary.

Between 1979 and 1995, Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche released 10 albums, including several radiant ones, before going on a long sabbatical. But sisters should never stay apart too long, especially sisters with a gift for harmonizing and crafting clever, unforgettable songs.

It sounds like the siblings have lost nothing with time, and their close familial harmonies are as distinctive and as mesmerizing as ever, starting with the appropriately nostalgic opening song, "Us Little Kids." There are some very captivating cuts along the way, such as Suzzy's title track, the amusing "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane," and Terre's moving New York tale, "September 11th at the Shambhala Center."

There has yet to be a Roches album without a couple of very quirky cuts that listeners will either love or loathe. On this disc, the two that come to mind immediately are both penned by a New York teacher known as Paranoid Larry. One wonders whether he was doing the sisters any kind of favor by contributing the offbeat "No Shoes" and "Jesus Shaves" to an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable comeback recording.