McGarrigle Hour

To say the least, the eighth album by these French Canadian folksinging sisters is decidedly a family affair. Like one of those old Osmond family TV specials that the album's title parodies, the McGarrigles rally their kinfolk (Kate's ex-husband Loudon Wainwright III, their exceptionally talented kids Rufus and Martha) along with some high-profile pals (Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt) for a glorified after-supper sing-along. Serving up everything from Stephen Foster and Irving Berlin standards to such Kate and Anna classics as the exquisite "(Talk to Me of) Mendocino," the McGarrigles and company prove more than worthy of the title First Extended Family of Folk. --Michael Evans