By Mark Savage
Copyright bbc
If it seems odd that these fiercely talented, independent women are so preoccupied with marriage, it helps to understand the overwhelmingly supportive and loving environment their own parents created.
The sisters talk glowingly about growing up in the embrace of the church, where their father would teach them piano and their mother encouraged them to sing in the choir.
But the biggest praise is reserved for grandma Agatha Dawson-Amoah, who moved from Ghana to help raise the family.
“She used to carry my cello home from school on her back while pushing me in the pram,” reminisces Absolutely.
“Lauren would just be toddling along at the side and I’d be walking ahead, pretending I’m all independent,” adds Raye.
“And we’d all be eating jam and cheese sandwiches,” Amma laughs (the delicacy being a result of Agatha misunderstanding the composition of a ham and cheese toastie).
“Grandma was our best friend, and our rock,” says Raye.
In fact, she even makes a cameo on Where Is My Husband!, promising the star, “Your husband is coming soon”.
The song is projected to top the charts next week, and Raye is justifiably proud of the track – which she worked on right up to the wire, only delivering the final mix eight days before the deadline to get it pressed to vinyl.
It turns out the song had a troubled gestation as the pressure of following up Raye’s Mercury Prize-nominated album 21st Century Blues hit home.
“When you haven’t written for a long time, you start being extremely self-critical. So I was hating everything I was coming out with, and then I had to have a pep talk.
“Mike [Sabbath, producer] and I went for a walk in the woods and talked about life, and did no work for a whole day.”
The chorus for Where Is My Husband! arrived, unprompted, the next day.
“It was so exciting,” she says. “And then we just began chip, chip, chipping away at it.”
Her sisters are totally enamoured with the song and spend a good few minutes trying to sing the tongue-twisting bridge before giving up and breaking into Sister Sledge’s We Are Family instead.
They’ll have plenty of time to perfect it next year, though, when the whole clan set off on tour together, apparently oblivious to the fact that most family road trips end in disaster.
“Back in the day, we’d have war zones over hairbrushes,” says Raye. “But now we’re just very close.”
So, could a joint album be on the cards? Maybe even a Christmas record?
“A gospel album would be better,” says Absolutely. “Somewhere where we can experiment and have fun and push boundaries.
“I think it’ll happen in like five or six years,” Raye suggests.
“Five or six?” Amma says, shocked. “I bet you money we’re gonna do it before.”
“OK then,” replies Raye. “Once I’m married and I’ve got my baby.”
With a final, sisterly eye-roll, Amma sighs: “Oh my gosh, you and your baby!”
