Ruby Blue (album)
| Ruby Blue | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by Róisín Murphy | ||||
| Released | 13 June 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2004–2005; The Dairy Studios (London, England) |
|||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:14 | |||
| Label | Echo, Liberation | |||
| Producer | Matthew Herbert, Róisín Murphy | |||
| Róisín Murphy chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |
  link
|
| Entertainment Weekly | A- link |
| The Guardian |
link
|
| Pitchfork Media | 8.4/10 link |
| PopMatters |
  link
|
| Stylus | B+ link |
Ruby Blue is the debut solo album of Irish singer Róisín Murphy, released by Echo Records on 13 June 2005 (see 2005 in music). After she and Mark Brydon dissolved their electronic duo Moloko, Murphy began working with producer and musician Matthew Herbert, known for his experimental work in jazz and electronic music. The songs were first released through three extended plays and were then compiled into a studio album.
The album often samples sounds made by everyday objects and actions, including cosmetics, brass mice, dancing and ornaments. It mixes the electronic music for which Moloko was known with jazz and pop styles. The album received positive reviews from music critics. Ruby Blue, upon its June 2005 European release, charted at No. 88 in the United Kingdom. It produced two singles, "If We're in Love" and "Sow into You".
Murphy and Mark Brydon ended their romantic relationship but were still contractually obligated to record another album, which became Moloko's 2003 album Statues. When she finished touring, she found herself alone and had to re-evaluate the friendships she had built. During this time, she got to know Matthew Herbert, whom she had met when he remixed several of Moloko's songs. Murphy had wanted to work with him again, commenting that "it felt very natural…because Matthew makes things seem quicker and easier". During the first day of recording with Herbert, he had her bring an unspecified object so that they could hit it against a microphone and record the sound it made. Herbert's approach was that for Murphy to go solo, the album should revolve around her and the sounds that surround her. They wanted to carry out recording and audio mixing in one room, so Herbert invested in a studio. There, Herbert recorded Murphy's voice without accompaniment so that she could better hear how her voice naturally sounded. On occasion, the two added instruments to a track by having her hire an instrumentalist, sometimes to play an unusual instrument such as a hammered dulcimer.
...
Wikipedia