About the Album
On this album you will find intimate versions of covers and original songs, performed with mainly two guitars, two voices and the occasional percussion or blues harp.
All songs were initially recorded for the MLT Club, a part of this website where you can find lots of exclusive content, a look behind the scenes and special music releases like the video versions to all of the songs on this album. Find out more about how to join the Club and all its features here: https://monalisa-twins.com/mltclub/
Performance, Engineering, Production and Album Design/Photos: MonaLisa Twins
Album Name: The Duo Sessions
Album Type: CD – 15 Tracks (Downloads included)
Release Date: 26 June 2020
A must have album!
Thomas Randall (verified owner) –
Another MonaLisa Twins must have is the “Duo Sessions”! The girls love the 60’s and here is even more proof of that! Fantastic renditions of some of the greatest 60’s songs ever made, everything from The Beatles to The Kinks to Patience and Prudence to Pink Floyd to The Who to John Lennon to Manfred Mann / Mark Barkan to Joni Mitchell and even several of their own great original tunes!
As always the sound quality of this CD is perfect and the girls have never sounded better! Their amazing harmonies are on full display and of course the musicianship is top notch! They even designed and drew the CD cover!
Go ahead, order it! You know you want to! Thank me later! See you in the MLT club!
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Superb top notch album, comes highly recommended
Jung Roe (verified owner) –
The MonaLisa Twins Club Duo Sessions album is especially special and close to the heart for me because these are all of the acoustic version songs Mona and Lisa released exclusively for the MLT Club since the Club started in October of 2018. And it is very rewarding and proud to see this album come together like this after so many months (20) made up of all these songs the Club members joyfully celebrated with Mona and Lisa as they released them individually over the many months through the life of the Club.
Each song is so intimate as it is stripped down to just Mona and Lisa’s beautiful vocals and 2 guitars, so raw and pure, really spotlighting their individual rich and diverse vocals and their incredibly beautiful and moving harmonies, and all this matched to their superbly talented musicianship with intricate guitar work and other instruments like the blues harp makes for an absolute second to none brilliant album. I personally think what makes Mona and Lisa stand out from “the pack” including their heroes, the Beatles and other legends, is their incomparable breathtaking and beautiful harmonies that is captured in abundance in this album. The flow from song to song in the album is also so perfectly arranged like a bridge across them all, it makes you believe it wasn’t just coincidence.
Each and every song on the album is a gem that can stand on its own as the best performed version ever with the covers, and their originals are some of the finest new rock/pop songs written period.
Some of the highlights on the album for me are:
“Both Sides Now” – Joni Mitchell cover and “Imagine – John Lennon cover: As a singer, Lisa is one of the finest and most diverse female singers ever with vocals of remarkable depth and beauty. It really shines in “Both Sides Now”, as well as John Lennon’s masterpiece “Imagine”. I love her range going from the lows to the highs; her vocals have wonderful color in the realm of a Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez. Lisa’s lead vocals does proud justice to these two songs, and I personally prefer MLTs version over the originals.
“Sweet Lorraine” – MonaLisa Twins original. This is one of my favourite songs on their Orange Album, and I’ve been waiting for ages for their video, but their acoustic version of this on the album and Duo Session video to come at the MLT Club more than satisfies, and I enjoy this version even more! It has a captivating guitar beat riff right off the bat, quickly taken over by Mona’s exquisite lead vocals with so much character. She can do any rock songs ever created since the 60s and do cool magnificent justice to them like the Kinks “you Really Got Me”. Mona is one of the finest female rock/pop singers ever, what a duo with her sister! Lisa’s superb guitar riff continues throughout the song until toward the end when it’s taken over by the most wonderful howling guitar riffs, in place of the brass instruments in the studio version, and the guitar is so effective, and love Lisa’s harmonies that join in. I think this song can be a chart topper everywhere, and this acoustic version has the extra charm to do it.
“Close To You” – MonaLisa Twins original. Another favourite from the Orange Album, a very intimate song of lost love and something we all go through in life, the realization that “good things don’t last” forever. The melody and lyrics are moving with a sense of pain and longing that resolves to peace with the consoling sentiment that it’s just natural, “good things don’t last”, in life just as we are born and we die. People come and go in our lives that we have no control over sometime. The poetic lyrics in this and other MLT originals like Count On Me remind me of a Bob Dylan kind of inspired poetic magic. Mona and Lisa’s beautiful singing and harmonies, and sweet guitar sounds throughout evoke much emotions in great beauty. Can really feel the passion and emotion in Lisa’s singing on this one, and beautiful matching harmonies from Mona. Another treasured gem from the inspired brilliant Orange original album
“I’m Looking Through You” – Beatles cover. This is one of the lesser known gems on the Beatles “Rubber Soul” album, that Mona and Lisa took, removed some of the rough edges in the Beatles original and replaced it with their graceful vocals and harmonies, raising it to another level. It’s transformed into an elegant rock song while staying true to the raw spirit of the original, making it all their own. The guitar riffs throughout are awesome, mated to their wonderful harmonies, and the unique ending is a nice touch. Cover is brilliant!
“Tired of Waiting” – Kinks cover. Apparently Ray Davies of the Kinks heard both MLT’s cover of this and “You Really Got Me” on the BAM 3 album, and was impressed enough to reach out to Mona and Lisa and ask them to do a cover of “Lola” to mark the 50th birthday of this song earlier in June 2020 (video on youtube). Enough said? As with any cover the ladies do, they have a knack at transforming a famous classic, breathing new life into it with their magic, making it all their own and elevating it to new heights for the world to rediscover. MLT have done that here with “Tired of Waiting”. I love Mona’s passionate lead vocals, Lisa’s superb guitar work, and those sublime harmonies. I love MLTs version!
Many of the songs in the awesome album are featured in Duo Session performance videos exclusive only for MLT Club Members. As you’ve seen from some of the Duo Session videos that were released on Youtube, these performances are like live private recitals where you get to see all the passion in Mona and Lisa’s facial expressions as they play in a rare intimate setting. You get to see and feel every intricate guitar note played , witness their musicianship at their finest. The MLT Club is worth it just for the Duo Sessions, and I highly recommend it to everyone. There is so much rich top notch exclusive content. Don’t miss out on this part of Mona and Lisa’s musical journey rise to fame, you may kick yourself for not being part of it later.
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love it
John Rieberger –
I have all their CD’s they just keep getting better. thanks for the memories
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Excellent album
M Farlow (verified owner) –
I bought a copy of this album and have listened to all the songs [from download]. With some MLT originals mixed in with very fine covers, this is an excellent album worthy of a place in just about any collection let alone that of an MLT fan.
EDIT:
I did not have time to do a track by track earlier – here it is;
Track by track;
Good day sunshine – Beatles – Cover
This is a very jolly cover with a sense of fun in the vocals. The cover is confident and competent as is always the case in a MLT cover.
The kids are alright – The Who – Cover
This is a very well covered track! There is something about MLT singing this song that is just so right. There are a few differing versions of the song by The Who that are, as one would expect excellent. As a cover of the song it seems to me that this MLT version stands tall among others and taller than some.
It ain’t me babe – Dylan – Cover
The Bob Dylan original of this song is a track that held a special place in my mind! This MLT cover has joined the original. I have heard other versions of the song where I have had to stop listening a short way in as they don’t ‘work’ for me. The way that MLT play the tune is, for me at least, an interesting twist.
Close to you – MLT – Original
There is a certain joy in this song. The lyrics are playful and somewhat cheeky, yet serious enough. The tune kind of sways and is quite groovy in the MLT style. There is a clear 1960’s type vibe in the song too.
Tonight you belong to me – Rose and David – Cover
Many will remember this as a Frankie Laine song – he sang it slower. The song also featured in the movie ‘The Jerk’ with Steve Martin on Uke and a fun ending with Bernadette Peters on trumpet. This cover is closer to the Lennon Sisters or Patience and Prudence versions. I could not help but chuckle when I first heard the song sang this way and I think the MLT version is excellent. This version is fun and cheeky in a way only MLT can achieve.
Both Sides Now – Joni Mitchell – Cover
Yes! I know many will remember this song performed by Judi Collins it was originally wrote by Mitchell though. There are many good covers of this song but for me this is one of, if not the, best. The speed of this cover seems closer to the Collins version. The way MLT cover the track is exceptional.
Imagine – Lennon – Cover
There is something wonderful about this song that many have debated about – both good and bad views. For many, including me, this is considered as one of the best songs ever. The way MLT cover the track is simply marvellous. Yeah! As a fan of MLT I would write that. I mean it though. Many people seem to go through the motions with hardly a spark of empathy or real feeling when singing this. In this version, I can here passion and confidence and the singers come across as meaningful [sorry cannot find other word for that].
All about falling in love – MLT – Original
The song is a beautiful tale of hope fuelled by loneliness. This is a song, no doubt, influenced by the Beatles covers that MLT have made with clear instrumentation, great harmonics and a gentle flow. I would recommend watching the video of this track available online too.
Tired of waiting [for you] – The Kinks – Cover
I have to say that my favourite version of this song is the original by The Kinks. Sorry girls! That written, this is a very competent cover that is a lot better than others I have heard. This cover is quite close in style to the original and very well done.
Baby’s in black – Beatles – Cover
This, simply put, is a very fine cover of the original. The cover is very ‘sound alike’ and sang with a seeming ease that many would find hard to emulate. The twins sing this so very well with fantastic harmony.
Pretty Flamingo – Manfred Mann – cover
This song is such a good option for MLT to cover and they do so really well. It would seem easy for me to be negative on a side by side comparison because the original is such a favourite of mine – well not really as I find this MLT cover fantastic.
A bit of trivia; this song was actually written by Marcus [Mark] Barkan who was a song writer and producer. Mark was also a musical director for a whacky TV show called ‘The Banana Splits Adventure Hour’ that many of us ‘older’ MLT fans have a great fondness of memory for.
Sweet Lorraine – MLT – Original
Catchy and fun, this song is very well written both in lyrics and the music. From the MLT album ‘Orange’ this is one of the best songs the girls have written – then again all of their originals are great. This song is also very much influenced by 60’s ‘rock’.
I’m looking through you – Beatles – Cover
This cover has a somewhat different sound to the original but it is close! The MLT cover seems softer to me and I like it. The girls play and sing this song very well.
Wish you were here – Pink Floyd – Cover
This beautiful song is beautifully covered. I cannot find the words to describe how much I like this cover other than just beautiful.
Here comes the sun – Beatles – Cover
Who has not covered this? The song is very well played and sang by MLT. The harmony from the girls is amazing and their playing skills are to be held in high esteem.
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Duo sessions
Robert Fendt (verified owner) –
Really happy to have received my copy of the Duo Sessions CD it’s brilliant I love it. Fantastic album and the album art is super Mona and Lisa x
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Perfection........again!!
Leroy Vogrich (verified owner) –
the Twins are fantastic. Their harmonies hit me the right way, and a musical journey that I never thought could happen certainly does. Their Getting Better all the time (and cuter) So, So glad I got this album in my collection.
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Merril Stouder –
Loving your sound and music !!!!
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MonaLisaTwins play the live fantastic!
Frank De Giacomo (verified owner) –
Mona and Lisa release an album that is just the two of them playing live. The musicianship easily rivals the Beatles’ attempt at live recording with their Let It Be sessions. I can’t recommend highly enough joining their MLTClub to see the videos of them playing these songs as they’re recording. The vocals, guitars, drums and other instruments are simply fantastic, and the range of songs they cover with such talent is amazing. A splendid listening time is guaranteed for all!
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