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Ruby Hayes:
Ruby's Blues
While this may be a "debut" full-length for Ruby Hayes, you would be wise to know that this offering of eleven Blues standards does not mark her first foray into music. In her career, she has performed with notable artists such as James Cotton and Little Milton and she has played on the D.C. Blues circuit since the mid-1970's. Those who appreciated the Blues then might remember that there was no shortage of exuberant female Blues singers who were supposed to be the next 'Billie' or 'Bessie.' The problem with hyperboles such as those is that they completely disregard the zeitgeist when those artists were originally recorded. First of all, it was a shitty time for a lot of people in the 1920's through the '30's, but knowing that didn't stop anyone from claiming that Denise LaSalle was going to save the Blues in 1972. Then theres the second and most obvious reason why such accolades are invalid: the recording methods from seventy years ago were abhorrently dingy. Fast forward to current times and there are still heaps of people singing the Blues who, frankly, are a bit too vivacious to sing about being low-down. Ruby Hayes can be one of those singers at times, but she also knows how to bring the listener back to a time when the Blues were about being torn up. Hayes spotlights some of her main musical influences on this record, like on "St. Louis Blues," which features a seductive soul-jazz property to it. Bessie Smith's versions of "St. Louis Blues" might be more haunting, but the quality of those versions is of an unbearably low sound quality. Ruby's Blues corrects this problem somewhat, but then there is a sense that perhaps such advancements in modern technology might not gel with the aesthetics of the Blues as much as was previously thought. The accelerated speeds at which Hayes' band plays is also a bit worrisome. Compare Memphis Slim's version of "Everyday I Have the Blues" with the bouncier one on Ruby's Blues, and the meaning of the song seems to be lost. It is very frustrating to hear classically slow numbers such as "You've Been a Good Ole Wagon" and "Little Red Rooster" played at such fast tempos, but Hayes' disarming rendition of T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday" washes glee away from any palate. For many reasons, Blues recordings seem to never do the performers any justice. In the antiquated recordings, the sound quality gets poorer as you go further back in time. The concern about the current artists is that it's impossible to foresee how much more enjoyable the live performances could be compared to the contrived crispness heard through digital recording methods. With that in mind, if you're in or around the D.C.-area it would be wise to experience Ruby Hayes' performance to decide for yourself if her brand of Blues suits your gusto. If you like her set, throw her a few bucks and get your own copy of Ruby's Blues right there; and if you decide that the crestfallen qualities of the older versions suit you better, then go home and listen to Bessie's "Downhearted Blues." That should cheer you up in no time.
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