Ruth Fenisong

Polaroîd/Romans/Photo Review by Rolf Semprebon
Thierry Muller, who previously released a couple of avant-garde electronics records as Ilitch, came back in 1985 with this new project, Ruth, which oddly enough does not include Muller's Ilitch collaborator, Ruth Ellyeri. At first glance, Ruth's pop sensibilities and up-tempo rhythms seem to be a 180-degree about-face from the bruising soundscapes of Ilitch, and yet there is still a heavy use of electronics and certainly a lot of creativity to make this more than just dance music. A similar analogy might be Cabaret Voltaire's shift in the early '80s from its original distorted industrial music to much cleaner sounds with a dance beat and female vocals, often spoken, but still retaining some earlier avant-gardisms. Ruth's music falls somewhere in the new wave techno-pop dance music camp, though with enough oddness that it doesn't come off as some slick sellout. "Waiting for Mabelle" from Ilitch's 10 Suicides is even reworked here as an upbeat avant disco number, smoothed of all the rough edges. Marc Duconseille's horn arrangements on the opening track, "Thriller," as well as the title track, add a cinematic quality to the music. The haunting cover of Can's "She Brings the Rain" focuses more on textures, as the intensity builds through the song, hinting more at Muller's earlier work, as does the much longer track "Tu m'Ennuies," with spoken word over keyboard squall. The CD also throws in some bonus tracks. Of these, the piece "Sans Mot" as well as the short hidden track at the end of the CD are in the experimental vein of Ilitch, and both quite good, whereas the two versions of the title cut, one an early demo of it without vocals, seem more like filler.

Wanderer is the long-awaited new solo album from Canadian singer-songwriter Ruth Moody, founding and current member of Billboard charting and JUNO award winning folk trio, The Wailin' Jennys.

Help A Good Girl Go Bad is a 1989 compilation album by Ruth Brown. Originally released under the title '65 in 1965 on Mainstream, this edition was remastered by Steve Hoffman and released on DCC Jazz.

These Wilder Things is full of timeless tunes from the haunting gospel sounds of Trouble and Woe to the bluegrassy One Light Shining (featuring Jerry Douglas) to the Irish-flavored Life Is Long. This recording delves deeper into darker, indie-pop sounds, especially on songs like the moody title track or Pockets, featuring iconic roots-rocker Mark Knopfler on guitar and vocals. The nine originals on this record prove Ruth is a first-rate songwriter along the lines of Gillian Welch, while her stunning makeover of Bruce Springsteen s Dancing in the Dark would even leave The Boss s jaw on the floor. Appealing to indie fans as well as lovers of folk and Americana music, These Wilder Things confirms that Ruth Moody is indeed one force to be reckoned with.

Wanderer is the long-awaited new solo album from Canadian singer-songwriter Ruth Moody, founding and current member of Billboard charting and JUNO award winning folk trio, The Wailin' Jennys.