Ruth B, a twenty-year old Canadian singer/songwriter, has been making waves on Vine. The Intro, her breakout EP, was released last November, and features her single “Lost Boy”. Each track on the EP is simply Ruth’s pretty vocals over her delicate piano playing, creating space for listener to fully absorb her voice. The only problem is that every song on The Intro is extremely similar melodically and in tempo – it’s all very relaxed to the point where it becomes difficult to differentiate between the 4 tracks. However, there is something indescribable about Ruth’s music; it reminds me of rom-com movie montages or happy-go-lucky road trip montages and even emotionally draining breakup montages.
“Lost Boy”, The Intro’s single, is extremely whimsical. I couldn’t help picturing cotton candy and feeling a strong sense of poignant happiness mixed with a heartbreaking nostalgia, with lyrics like “And when we’re bored we play in the woods / Always on the run from Captain Hook.” It’s easily the most compelling out of the EP, and appeals to everyone’s inner child that was more than a little in love with Peter Pan. I also couldn’t stop thinking about the scene from Toy Story 2 when Jesse is reliving her life and how she was abandoned. “Lost Boy” has a similar feel to Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams”, which also invokes images of lost love and pastel sunsets.
None of the remaining tracks command attention. “Superficial love” is more passionate, where she sings “And if you wanna keep me, then you better treat me / Like a damn princess, make that an Empress” , but it’s also lyrically much more bitter. “Golden” functions well as a breakup song with fierce lyrics of “Cause I’m not weak, I’m not broken I am bold / And the fire you put me through turned me into gold” while keeping to the quiet and reflective background piano playing.
”2 poor kids” is similarly slow, but is more upbeat and faster paced than the other tracks on The Intro. The lyrics “And we’re just 2 poor kids from a really rich city.” sum up the theme of the song; comparisons between living with a lot of money versus living with little money and how the latter is better.
Overall, Ruth B’s music is not for you to blast at parties or in your car with your friends. She has a cadence similar to Adele, although she falls just short of the fullness of Adele’s voice. It’s for quiet times, for reflection, and it’s great as pretty background music. Download it at iTunes the next time you start to stress out about homework or school drama or being a forgotten toy under a bed.