Late Summer/early Autumn has been a great time for new singles/EPs from Scottish based acts. Heavy Good from Ruby Gaines has been out for a couple of weeks now, the four tracks on this exceptional release getting better with every listen, and more than living up to the weighty moniker they have been given. Heavy Good … or as I’m sure George Orwell would agree if he was alive today doubleplus Heavy Good.
Ruby Gaines is a name that should be shouted from the rooftops, her vocal range is astounding, a fact that didn’t escape me when I first saw her live earlier this year, having somehow escaped my radar until then. When I think back to that night, I may still be trying to raise my bottom jaw from the floor, my mind still not computing what I heard emanating from the tiny Hug and Pint stage, especially after the quietly unassuming jokey intros prior to her singing a note. Ruby Gaines feels like the natural successor to the late great Amy Winehouse, with this EP demonstrating the range of her abilities at times recalling the powerfully soulful vocal from Rachel Morrison of 80s band Bliss, but even more impressively channelling the spirit of trailblazer Billie Holliday.
The EP opens in style with the laidback groove of Woo, Gaines somehow managing to sound both mellow and unflustered, while dusting the song with a sumptuously opulent sheen. How it Looks takes on the baton, notching things up several levels, Gaines strident and captivating vocal taking wing and soaring free and unfettered.
Holier Than Cows adds a hint of reggae into the mix with some understated riffs, Gaines affecting lead vocal supported by angelic ethereal backing cresting a haunting atmospheric tone. On the last song on the EP, Heavy, Ruby’s takes on that aforementioned Billie Holliday-esque tone, her vocal taking the listener on a journey from a place of delicate fragility through to a more assured confidence, while the lyrics still retain an element
Ruby plays an official launch show for the EP in Mono on Saturday 30th September supported by Martha May and the Mondays and India Blue. Ruby Gaines Glasgow Tickets at Mono on 30th September 2023 | Ents24