The joy of Indian summer in the country, where people have time to write good songs and to perform them with real instruments in a handmade arrangement with warm instrumentations and a lot of soul...well, maybe it's not exactly the country life since Ruth Hammond lives in the Bristol area in the UK but after listening to All The Good Things, her debut album, that's the feeling that lingers on.
You may know Ruth from her saxophone playing with the group Morcheeba or as part of The Forster-Hammond Trio. She also plays Fender Rhodes and Hammond organ (no surprise if you consider her last name) on her album, that contains nine original compositions written by Ruth.
She's supported by James Pusey (guitars, sitar), Greig Robinson (bass), Scott Hammond (drums), Pete Eckford (percussion) and Debbie Cole (flute). Together with the three background vocalists Deborah-Grace Bensberg, Catherine Sykes and Sophia Muirhead they create a unique soul-pop sound that's obviously influenced by 70s soul.
The opener School's Out is a good example, a song about falling for someone who in the end only have to offer a pretty face and not much more ("And you played me so well and you know it’s true/ Pushing all the buttons ‘til I came through, well/ Let me congratulate you ‘cos you’re good/ I haven’t escaped unharmed from your/ Deceptive beauty and your fleeting charm/ But now the lesson is over").
Itchy Feet is a funky uptempo tune that just wanna makes you move your hips. Again we get some thoughtful lyrics ("It's good to stop and take alook around, taking in the view/ But not if two year's on you're still covering the same ground/ and your life is living you.").
Ruth's ode to her love comes in the shape of Living Your Love, a fine midtempo song with nice acoustic guitar licks and her explanation what makes "him" so special to her ("It’s not just hearts and flowers and pretty things/ But how you share what each day brings and I’m thanking you for living your love/ It’s not just whispering sweetness in my ear but telling the truth when I need to hear/ And I’m thanking you for living your love.").
One of Ruth's finest moments is Another Day Gone, that starts as a slowly funky track with an alarm clock ringing but then sees her background vocalists going gospel with singing "There are three things that last/ Faith, hope and love/ And the greatest of these is love". Great tune.
Other favourite songs include Human Condition, a very good downtempo soul song, St Clears, a song with a fine sax solo by Ruth and one of the songs that's responsible for my thoughts of the country life in late summer (just listen to the lyrics), or the title track All The Good Things, a haunting, dreamy ballad.
All The Good Things has just that to offer, good things in the shape of quality music. This album may not unveil all its magic on the first listening, so take your time to do Ruth's music justice and you'll discover a beautiful album of songs that sounds timeless.