The Ruppes

Sweet Forever
Spring Hill Music

When you’re waiting for the service to start and scanning the program for anything out of the norm, you’ll occasionally see “Special Music” — when you do, you know you’re about to hear something like The Ruppe girls.

The Ruppes — mother Brenda and daughters Heather and Valerie — are church music. There’s just really no other way around it.

It’s not an insult, not even a backhanded attempt at implying that theseladies are easy to look at (Valerie is a dead ringer for Rebecca Romijn) but dulling to the ears (because I always like the Special Music).

It’s just the best way to describe them. “Sweet Forever” is 11 “Special Music” songs, songs the choir director sets aside for his favorite altos and sopranos.

There is enough Dobro and mandolin later in the record to warrant the Spring Hill association, but for the most part, I hear choir robes.

But they are nice, fancy choir robes.