Róisín Murphy - Ruby Blue

Róisín Murphy moves out of the shadow of Moloko (ignoring the fact that she was Moloko's main draw) and into her own spotlight, with Herbert handling the production duties. And the resulting album, _Ruby Blue_, shows both of them at their best. Herbert's glitchy melodies (on "Leaving the City," for example) leaves Murphy's vocals front and center, emphasizing the eccentric quality of both artists. The music is incredibly varied, from the deep jazz of "Sinking Feeling" to the wild New Orleans-on-acid of "Night of the Dancing Flame." But Murphy really gets going with three stunning tracks in a row: first, the sweetly romantic "Through Time," then the straightforwardly funky house "Sow Into You," and finally, "Dear Diary" returns to romance, if slightly more attenuated and more danceable. The deep and mysterious "Rama Lama (Bang Bang)" turns Murphy's vocals into a rhythmic instrument itself, while the title track takes a wobbly approach to melody. The simple romantic sadness of "The Closing of the Doors" ends the album with a wistful sigh. Herbert & Murphy = a match made in heaven.

Róisín Murphy moves out of the shadow of Moloko (ignoring the fact that she was Moloko's main draw) and into her own spotlight, with Herbert handling the production duties. And the resulting album, _Ruby Blue_, shows both of them at their best. Herbert's glitchy melodies (on "Leaving the City," for example) leaves Murphy's vocals front and center, emphasizing the eccentric quality of both artists. The music is incredibly varied, from the deep jazz of "Sinking Feeling" to the wild New Orleans-on-acid of "Night of the Dancing Flame." But Murphy really gets going with three stunning tracks in a row: first, the sweetly romantic "Through Time," then the straightforwardly funky house "Sow Into You," and finally, "Dear Diary" returns to romance, if slightly more attenuated and more danceable. The deep and mysterious "Rama Lama (Bang Bang)" turns Murphy's vocals into a rhythmic instrument itself, while the title track takes a wobbly approach to melody. The simple romantic sadness of "The Closing of the Doors" ends the album with a wistful sigh. Herbert & Murphy = a match made in heaven.

As good as Moloko is, the band oftentimes saddles Roisin Murphy's powerhouse vocals to silly lyrics. On her solo album (with generous help from Herbert), she strikes out on her own. She's still eclectic and humorous (as on the near-tribal “Ramalama (Bang Bang)”), but Herbert's jazz-glitch production gives her work more depth. So while "Leaving the City" is mysterious and dense, "Sinking Feeling" is much more finger-snapping, and "Night of the Dancing Flame" is deconstructed New Orleans jazz. For those wanting a more romantic, sunny vibe, "Through Time" will hit the spot. Murphy's vocals range goes from vulnerable to powerful, sometimes within the same track ("Dear Diary"). Add an incredibly catchy tune, as with "Sow into You," and you've got a winner. In fact, after those three tracks, the rest of the album doesn’t stand out as much, until you get to the sad and melancholy, “The Closing of the Doors.” Very strong debut.

After some previous collaboration with Moloko, we can find again the incredible voice of Roisin Murphy together with the gift of Matthew Herbert! It's groovy, jazzy, sexy, eccentric and very talented!