Róisín Murphy
Ruby Blue

THE REVIEW

After the Moloko project ended, Róisín Murphy, the talented and seductive vocalist, makes her solo debut with the album "Ruby Blue", an electrifying and refined work, conceived with the eclectic producer Matthew Herbert.
The tracks of "Ruby Blue", some already showcased in the magnificent EP series titled "Sequins", span across electro jazz, disco-pop, and soul, and Róisín's voice, accompanied by elegant arrangements, experimental orchestrations, quirky musical architectures, reaches a new level, more intimate and sensual compared to the productions with Moloko.

The album opens with "Leaving The City", characterized by a tortuous and bizarre sonic backdrop over which the singer performs singular vocal acrobatics, followed by "Sinking Feeling", a track with a swinging rhythm to which Herbert's arrangement and Róisín's voice give a grace and retro style, yet paradoxically innovative. Similarly, with the next song "Night Of The Dancing Flame", the atmospheres become more sinister and nocturnal. "Through Time" is probably the most serene song on the album, distinguished by a brilliant little organ in the background accompanying the vocal. "Sow In To You" is just as original but more energetic, funky, yet unconventionally so, ideal for the dance floor. "Dear Diary" appears like a disco music track but with an unusual and quirky arrangement. "If We’re In Love", the first single, can be considered the sum of the styles and sounds present in the album. "Ramalama (Bang Bang)" appears menacing, obsessive, and decadent. "Ruby Blue", the title track, is acid, uncomfortable but ingenious, while "Off On It" is a sort of electronic blues where the guitar arpeggio is tainted with the most varied and noisy sounds. After the brief "Prelude To Love In The Making", the work closes with "Closing Of The Doors", a beautiful and emotional piano and voice ballad.

The album's artwork is entrusted to Simon Henwood, one of the most active illustrators, painters, and designers in the musical scene and beyond (among his latest works a portrait of Devendra Banhart and Kylie Minogue).

"Ruby Blue" does not disappoint expectations and presents itself as an intriguing, eccentric, unpredictable work, a unique and innovative sonic spectacle made up of music at times complicated but able to reveal itself slowly, to arouse curiosity, to fascinate, and to seduce the listener. Róisín Murphy is the muse, the chanteuse, the diva most suited for such an operation, given that she certainly lacks neither class nor talent.