Review: Ruth Moody ‘Wanderer’

Review: Ruth Moody ‘Wanderer’

By Hal Horowitz

“I’ve been a wanderer all of my life/It’s all the life that I know,” sings Ruth Moody on the title track of her third solo release.

On Wanderer though, she slows down to reflect on that nomadic spirit.

As a co-founder and current member of the internationally popular folk/vocal trio the Wailin’ Jenny’s, Ruth Moody hasn’t had the luxury of releasing many albums under her own name during the group’s 20-plus year run. But because the Jennys haven’t recorded since 2017, she had time to create Wanderer, her first effort in a decade.

Fans will remember that 2013s These Wilder Things featured Mark Knopfler on “Pockets” and a chilling, acoustic, ballad version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.” Knopfler invited her to contribute to two of his titles and even took her on tour as part of his entourage, introducing her stunning soprano voice to thousands of his fans who may not have known Moody or even the Wailin’ Jennys.

The past ten years have included major life changes like starting a family in 2016 and balancing the usual relationship issues. That has allowed her time and provided subject matter to compose these ten new originals. They were recorded by famed producer/engineer Dan Knobler, with Tucker Martine mixing and a litany of talented friends (17 names are listed, some contributing to just one tune, others on many). While Knopfler isn’t aboard, his sense of gentle, meditative folk is very much on display.

It’s a gorgeous, touching, often magnificent collection with Moody singing some of her most intimate lyrics (“Anchor me/I don’t know where I am”) over meticulously crafted strains that float on a bed of (mostly) acoustic instrumentation. From the bittersweet “The Spell of the Lilac Bloom,” an emotional duet with Joey Landreth (from the Bros. Landreth), where Moody plucks a stark, lonesome banjo, to the delicate almost wincingly honest musings of “The Way Lovers Move” (“You said ‘I feel like I’m flyin’’/Me I couldn’t’ stop cryin’”) with splashes of restrained synth and pedal steel, Moody delivers words and melodies as personal and revelatory as those on Joni Mitchell’s Blue.

It’s a flawless mixture of her expressive voice—a combination of childlike innocence along with grownup experience– pensive notions and music that highlights those parameters with enigmatic sensitivity and warmth.

That’s especially the case on the reflective “Seventeen.” Here the singer reminiscences on her first encounters with love and heartbreak at that age and how she wishes she could go back to those days with the wisdom acquired since. It’s tender, truthful and sincere in ways most artists can’t, or won’t, reveal themselves.

Fans might miss the Jennys’ trademarked three-part harmonies. But when Nicki Bluhm joins Moody on “Michigan,” another song about lost love highlighted by tearful pedal steel and sympathetic brushed drums, it reminds us of how naturally her voice meshes with others.

Those who usually stream albums might want to rethink that for this set. The package, art, layout, and overall design is a critical aspect of the album’s appeal. Each track is portrayed in the 24-page booklet by an intricate, stylized, black and white illustrations (by Juno award winning artist Roberta Landreth, wife of David Landreth) mirroring its concepts.

It adds yet another layer of distinction and mystery to music that’s already moving and emotionally arresting. An indication, if we needed one, that Ruth Moody’s solo work is just as impressive, perhaps more so, than the contributions she makes to her famous band.

Watch “Spell of the Lilac Moon,” listen to the album and more Here