Album Feature : Ruby Boots – Don’t Talk About It
By Joshua Wallace
The Australian born singer Ruby Boots returns with her second release and Bloodshot label debut titled Don’t Talk About It. This album carries a different sound from her first record, Solitude which was released in 2016. Don’t Talk About It features more of an edgier sound with a lot of variety thanks to The Texas Gentlemen being the backing band for the entire record. Ruby Boots has struck paydirt with this combination as she has created an album and sound that is unique and familiar at the same time.
You can hear the new sound right away in the album’s lead track and single “It’s So Cruel”. It’s a rock fueled track that still carries as much twang as it does attitude. That carries out through the whole album with The Texas Gentlemen providing an amazing soundscape for the record. The title track “Don’t Talk About It” is a Nikki Lane co-write that also features her on guest vocals on one of the more twangy tracks.
A favorite of mine on the album is “Easy Way Out”. I don’t know if the influence is intentional, but this song reminds me of something Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers might have done in their prime. Another good rock track is “Somebody Else”. This song has The Texas Gentlemen and Ruby Boots flexing their indie rock muscles with a bit of fuzzy guitar mixed in.
I love the A Capella track “I Am a Woman”. It showcases Ruby’s talents without the trappings of The Texas Gentlemen. This track also highlights the themes of social inequality that run throughout the record. Finally, another favorite is “Infatuation” which brings back the pounding rock rhythms mixed with the twangy guitars and Ruby’s amazing voice. It’s a great tune about how true love never comes from a one night stand.
If you were a fan of The Texas Gentlemen’s 2017 release TX Jelly, or a fan of Ruby Boots’s 2016 album Solitude, you will enjoy this record. It’s a melding of both styles that works well. The Texas Gentlemen shape the sound of the record and Ruby goes out of the comfort zone she found herself in on her debut record. It creates a soundscape that will leave any listener in a fuzzy twangy haze. I highly recommend this album for anyone looking for a new sound in the alt country genre. Ruby Boot’s Don’t Talk About It is available everywhere from Bloodshot Records on February 9th, 2018.
Favorite Tracks : Easy Way Out, Don’t Talk About it, Somebody Else, Infatuation
Ruby Boots – Don’t Talk About It (2018)
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It’s So Cruel
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Believe In Heaven
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Don’t Talk About It
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Easy Way Out
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Break My Heart Twice
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I’ll make It Through
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Somebody Else
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I Am A Woman
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Infatuation
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Don’t Give A Damn