"I had some shows lined up where I needed a backup vocalist," says Lisa. "She came to visit and then..."

"It was like, lock the doors!" Roberta chimes in.
"We were ready to do it," adds Lisa on a more serious note. "We were finally more secure with ourselves."

The hired help was less secure -- until, that is, about six years ago, when guitarist David Spencer came into the fold. "I had been dating David ... no, scratch that," says Lisa. "He hates that -- he wants to be known for his music."

Originally, the sisters were hesitant to offer Spencer, a relative youngster, a permanent gig with the band. So they decided to hire him temporarily, thinking that a better guitarist would soon come along. A better guitarist never did, and Spencer has evolved into one of the most versatile (he doubles on steel and standard electric), technically accomplished and stylistically accommodating ax slingers in town. Today, his crisp licks, sharp ear and uncommonly good taste are as much an asset to the Sisters Morales enterprise as the rock-steady groove of Tausz and Richards, who've been with the band for more than four years.

Another asset is the input of Clay Blaker, who's become a fast friend of Sisters Morales, not to mention a key collaborator. Two songs written with Blaker's help -- "This Heart's Not Mine to Give Away This Time" and "Let Go of Your Heart" -- made it onto Ain't No Perfect Diamond. Neither would sound out of place in the sort of healthy country music environment Lisa and Roberta Morales have always envisioned, a place where sturdy songwriting, emotional authenticity and a strong sense of one's roots have supplanted the headset microphones, diamond-studded bustiers, conveyer-belt sentiments and studio-generated pop that currently define Nashville. When -- and if -- the climate changes, the members of Sisters Morales plan to be a part of the transformation.

"It's all bubble gum right now," Lisa says. "Eventually, though, there'll be a place for us."

Until then, rest assured they'll be right here waiting -- a little gun-shy, maybe, but a whole lot smarter.

Sisters Morales perform at 8 and 10 p.m. Saturday, October 25, at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk. Tickets are $8. For info, call 528-5999.