"With one of the most distinctive and diverse vocal sounds in the modern musical spectrum, the Roche sisters -- Maggie, Suzzy and Terre -- weave barbershop harmonies, traditional Irish melodies, doo-wop, bee bop and a dozen other styles into a sound wholly their own on their acclaimed 1979 release, The Roches. Featuring ten original songs written by the trio singly or in various combinations, The Roches spotlights the wry humor, subtle arrangements and consummate musical craftsmanship that has brought the group both critical and popular acclaim.
Maggie and Terre Roche first began singing together professionally in the late '60s, when both left school to pursue a musical career. In 1970, they were recruited by Paul Simon to sing backup on his best-selling LP There Goes Rhymin' Simon. Shortly thereafter, the duo released their own LP, Seductive Reasoning (1975). After relocating briefly to Louisiana, the pair appeared as a duo for the last time at the Women's Music Festival in the summer of 1976.
Suzzy Roche, who had been attending college in upstate New York, joined her sisters that same year. Now a trio, The Roches immediately earned a loyal following on the Greenwhich Village club scene, where their wide ranging musical tastes and penchant for lyric wordplay garnered critical raves. Signed to Warner Bros. Records in late 1978, they began work immediately on their debut album with renowned producer and conceptualist Robert Fripp.
The result is The Roches, produced in "Audio Verite" and featuring such standout cuts as the introductory "We," "The Married Men" (subsequently covered by Phoebe Snow), the moody "Hammond Song" and "Pretty And High.""

"Wer die neue Gilde der Folk-Damen von Tracy Chapman bis Tanita Tikaram bewundert, die Schwestern Roche aber noch nicht kennt, der hat einige der vergnüglichsten Hörerfahrungen noch vor sich. ..vor allem der "Hammond Song" vom 1979er Debüt gehören längst zu dem Klassikern der neuen Folk Music."

(F. Schöler in Musik Express 11/88)

"On the debut album, producer Robert Fripp weaves a hypnotic ambient lull through the quirky, yet grounded harmonics of Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche. From such beguiling (and mysteriously opaque) songs as "Hammond Song", 'The Roches' envelops a listener in a stunning pure sound."

(ROLLING STONE ALBUM GUIDE ****)