Search - Sam & Ruby :: The Here And The Now

Here and Now...But For How Long?

David Cady | Jersey City, NJ USA | 08/25/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"If I were a friend of Sam and Ruby's and saw them in a club, I'd probably like them well enough to think, "These guys are good, they should have a recording contract." But then I'd also probably be under the influence of a beer buzz. In the sober light of day, their music -- while certainly accomplished -- isn't particularly distinctive. The melodies are often simple (sometimes simplistic), the lyrics undistinguished...when they're not downright cringeworthy. "I need more than a casual dating life" has to be one of the clunkiest lines I've heard in a long time (there has to be a more poetic and/or simpler way of expressing the thought); and in "The Suitcase Song" (a song narrated by...well, a suitcase), the lyric "I'll carry on," while meant to be clever, just lands with a precious thud. Sam & Ruby sing just fine: he's a Teddy Geiger/Adam Levine blend, she's Norah Jones meets Corinne Bailey Rae -- but come on, I'd much rather listen to any one of them any day of the week.



Ultimately stultifying and bland, "The Here and Now" is unlikely to establish Sam and Ruby now and forever."

Ain't Love Something

prisrob | New EnglandUSA | 08/26/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Sam and Ruby have a great sound. If there was no Norah Jones or India Arie they would be big stars. A combination of pop, folk and R&B on their first CD, "Sam & Ruby: The Here and the Now." They are young and can still find their own way, and this is a great beginning.



Sam is from Wisconsin and Ruby is from Ghana. She plays a cello and Sam plays a fiddle. They met about ten years ago. Ruby came to the states with her family when she was small and they lived in Nashville. She went to Berklee School of Music in Boston but moved back to Nashville to find her musical voice. She and Sam seem to fit so well together. On some of their tunes it is difficult to know who is singing their voices blend so well together.



The twelve tunes are a mixed bag. My favorites are 'Sarah', a song about found letters and sung in a soft lazy manner. 'Heaven's My Home' is the tune that made it to the 'Bees' movie and is a contrast of both of their voices. 'The Here and The Now' the namesake of this CD. This is the one CD where it is difficult to know who is singing what. 'Chillin' is the one song that rocks. It is sung in the quiet mode of the pair. 'Ain't Love Somethin' is the last song on this CD and it is a fitting finish. it describes their relationship. This tune probably describes the entire CD- a love song.



Sam and Ruby are looking for a good stand, somewhere they can play their tunes, a place to go.

This CD might open some doors, but it is not the CD that will make their careers. They have a lot to say, and they are on their way to finding their own song. I look forward to hearing many more CDs.



Recommended. prisrob 08-25-09



Sam & Ruby



Smoke and Honey"

Pleasant

B. Niedt | Cherry Hill, NJ United States | 08/26/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"You have to wonder whether Sam Brooker and Ruby Amanfu have a Tuck-and-Patti thing going on - they'd be a cute couple, and certainly are that at least musically. Unlike the jazzy Tuck and Patti, though, they work more in a country/pop framework, and they have sweet-as-honey voices that harmonize very well. Their songs, while sometimes simplistic and clichéd lyrically, are melodically polished and get their point across effectively, with their often bittersweet love themes. There aren't any real "standout" songs, though - I don't see any of them becoming a big radio hit. It's all very sincere and heartfelt, if not groundbreaking music, the kind you could play for your mom on Sunday morning. I don't mean to sound snarky, really - it's well-done, romantic, and easy on the ear, and we all need a bit of that once in a while."