Rebecca Gates
Ruby Series
(Badman)
Hmmm. A bit of a disappointment. Rebecca
Gates, singer/songwriter of the dissolved Spinanes, has recently released her debut
solo EP, a short, seven-song cycle that is -- surprisingly -- mostly unremarkable.
Having relocated from Portland to Chicago in advance of the Spinanes' last release
(1999's gem Arches and Aisles), Gates fell in with members of local scenesters Tortoise,
whose contributions to that album helped stretch Gates's creativity. For a band that
originally started as a duo of guitar and drums, such sonic explorations seemed to herald a new
direction for Gates's forthright songs of love and trust.
John McEntire’s tinkly keyboards are all over this new record as well, and like the worst of Tortoise, it all starts to sound the same after a few listens. A live drummer only plays on one of the tracks. The electronic percussion dumbs down "In a Star Orbit," one of the album's better numbers. Gates's instantly recognizable voice, a late-night alto as smooth as a single malt, can redeem just about anything. Along with her direct story-telling, that's about where the strength of Ruby Series ends.
Rating: 4
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