SIBLING HARMONY OF THE FORESTER SISTERS

It’s anyone’s guess what kind of sibling rivalry exists between the Forester Sisters, but it may be their sibling harmony that makes them one of the hottest country acts around.

These four sisters from Lookout Mountain, Ga., placed three singles at the top of the country charts last year, and their “Lonely Alone” is currently No. 2.

Their show Monday at the Crazy Horse was enormously engaging, from the pleasantly surprising repertoire to those soaring, glorious vocal harmonies.

With Kathy, June, Kim and Christy taking turns singing lead, the women presented a nifty sampling of their two albums. Backed by a sturdy quintet, the Foresters were equally inspired on the melancholy, deeply aching “Lonely Alone” and the hoedown romp “Just in Case.”

But songs drawn from their LPs constituted only about half of Monday’s set. It was the other half that further showcased the sisters’ vocal versatility as well as the collective personality that makes them so endearing.

It’s one thing to include a tune like “To Daddy” or even “Mister Sandman” (both staples of Emmylou Harris’ live show for years). But the Forester Sisters rounded out the program with such sonic curve balls as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and a medley that included “Boy From New York City,” “One Fine Day” and “Chapel of Love.”

In less gifted hands, this kind of song selection might have reduced the concert to a lounge exercise. But the humor behind both the choices and the delivery was so on-target--and the singing so superior--that the joke was never on them.