Search - Rebecca Gates :: Ruby Series

Hoping for more...

Josh Petrusa | 07/11/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The first solo effort from Rebecca Gates, former Spinanes leader, came with high expectations, as the three Spinanes albums (especially "Strand") are gems. Unfortunately, this seven-song EP is a bit of a disappointment, even though it's finely crafted and beautifully sung. Rebecca clearly wanted to get away from conventional rock, and that's fine, but these songs just don't vary enough in arrangement or tempo--frankly, the CD gets kind of boring by the end. And co-producer John McEntire's electronic percussion and synthesizers sound terribly dated--he may be largely to blame for "The Ruby Series" being a disappointment, as Stereolab has also become rather boring and synthetic since hooking up with him. The tracks that feature more organic instrumentation (such as the jazzy "The Seldom Scene") are more appealing--too bad this don't go further in that direction.In some ways, this EP comes off as a Sade move, at least as much as one can make without writing blatantly catchy tunes--which Rebecca doesn't--and recording for a small indie label. And, on the plus side: as always, Rebecca's lyrics reward attentive listening (unfortunately, harder here than on a Spinanes album because the music is less compelling). However, the fact that this is an EP and has "Series" in the title leads me to think that this is kind of a stylistic one-off, and that she may have a more varied, full-length CD in the works next. This is far from a bad effort, but Rebecca Gates is capable of more, and will probably deliver it in the future."

Scattered, but good

Josh Petrusa | Montpelier, VT United States | 07/09/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"after waiting three years for the next rebecca gates/spinanes effort, the brevity of 'Ruby Series' (7 songs?!) hardly justifies the wait but is still a quality record. the styles vary greatly, all showcasing her breathy, sultry coo and unique lyrics. the opener, 'the seldom scene,' opens with an organ and bass intro, and melts into a cool jazz swing which is made whole when rebecca starts to sing. 'lure and cast' along with 'in a star orbit' display the obvious hand of john mcentire, sounding much like rebecca fronting the sea and cake. on these tracks, as well as on most of the album, the familiar clean guitar sound is buried or treated enough to seem almost absent - again, this is not a spinanes record. rebecca must have moved to my hometown to get that chicago sound, and it sure has worked. the two tracks previously available on the 'shanti project vol.2' comp ('move,' 'the colonel's circle') are largely shapeless floating songs built around the slowburn melodies that first started appearing on 'strand' and 'arches and aisles.' the stunning conclusion 'i received a levitation' opens with an acoustic riff that sounds like a 'strand' outtake before layered harmonies and noel kupersmith's acoustic bass add to the swirling, building coda. overall, this is a strong, creative and sonically varied record. mcentire's usual pops and buzzes and programming actually work surprisingly well and kupersmith's bass is a welcome foil to rebecca's guitar and voice. it would have been interesting to hear it on a couple of the slower tracks on 'strand.' i still believe 'arches and aisles' is the best record rebecca gates has produced, but it's good to see that unlike others (SM), she can lose the band and go in different stylistic directions that still showcase her many gifts. and i still do have such a crush on her."