Ruby Red (Dambuilders album)
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| Ruby Red | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Label | East West/Elektra[1] | |||
| Producer | Don Gehman | |||
| The Dambuilders chronology | ||||
| ||||
Ruby Red is an album by the American band the Dambuilders, released in 1995.[2][3] It was the band's first major label album of completely new material.[4]
The first single was "Teenage Loser Anthem".[5] The band supported the album by touring with Better Than Ezra.[6]
The album was produced by Don Gehman.[7][8] Its lyrics were written by the singer and bass player Dave Derby; all four band members wrote the music.[9] Gehman encouraged the band to think more about its vocal harmonies, and the intertwining of Derby's and Joan Wasser's voices.[10] "Smooth Control" employed a pedal steel guitar.[11]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Robert Christgau |  [13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [14] |
Trouser Press wrote that "there are some good songs, and Derby does some nice things vocally—his falsetto on 'Down' would give Radiohead’s Thom Yorke a run for his money —but it’s a letdown from a band that has rarely disappointed in the past."[7] SF Weekly thought that "Derby's lyrics alternately capture the urge to move (down the highway, into the stratosphere) and the realization that you're often literally or figuratively stuck in one space."[15] The Nashville Scene deemed the album full of "bombastic would-be anthems and strained power ballads."[16]
CMJ New Music Monthly called it "a crystal-clear confection of hooky, muscular guitar riffs and occasional flights of fiddle."[17] The Boston Globe opined that the band "has shifted away from dissonance (good move) while retaining the punk, punch and power."[18] The Wisconsin State Journal stated that the songs "coolly incorporate violins and creative guitar work to create a uniquely creepy, undeniably compelling rock sound."[19]
AllMusic called the album "a raw, unpretentious indie masterpiece that seems to have had few champions."[12]
