Ruth Theodore has announced the release of Cherry Picker, a career-spanning compilation record which will be released on April 28th, 2023 on River Rat Records (pre-order here). The announcement is accompanied by the release of her new single People, People, the lyric video for which you can watch below.
The feature single ‘PEOPLE PEOPLE’ is a defiant but deeply humane account of a reunion between two friends who meet again whilst waiting in a queue at the local council office. At face value, this is no more than a casual conversation but beneath it runs layer upon layer of political context, personal truths and poignant social comments that become ever more raw as the track snowballs into an out-and-out call to arms. Begging the question that’s on all of our lips –
When is enough enough?
But despite the dystopia, genuine warmth emanates from this track, as the tone of Ruth’s delivery exudes hope at every twist and turn, enabling the social narrative to teeter between futility and ferocity without losing its sense of humour or our sense of Ruth’s own humility. The rewarding chorus, rich with male backing vocals, reaches out to the listener, like a hug for the ears, allowing the desperation of the situation to evaporate and a well-earned sense of human kindness to prevail.
“It is in the communities that exist between the cracks, and the conversations that happen between the lines, that I find my genuine hope.”
The beautiful lyric video was created by Imogen Stokes
Ruth’s last studio album was made in collaboration with Tony and Grammy award-winning US producer Todd Sickafoose. Cactacus (2016) saw Ruth at a tangential point in her career, one that saw her unique talent and perspective taken in a new direction. A Featured Album of the Month on Folk Radio, Neil McFadyen was full of praise, concluding that beyond the considerable instant appeal that Cactacus wields, there’s a wealth of poetry, satire and pure, natural artistry.
That album certainly broadened her fan base receiving praise across the music press and a heap of BBC airplay; the album was launched to a sold-out Borderline in Soho and was followed by a string of UK tours and a successful European band tour in 2019. It was on returning home from Europe that Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer. Chemotherapy treatment followed that spanned the worst of the pandemic and beyond. However, Ruth kept creating music every day without fail, as well as working on an organic farm bringing fresh vegetables to NHS workers and the local community, and when venues reopened, Ruth was one of the first artists to start performing live, playing a sold out Green Note show on her birthday in 2021. A perfect way to celebrate. Releasing Cherry Picker in celebration of Ruth’s work becomes all the more poignant when we consider the context.
A few months later in early April 22 Ruth finally flew out to rejoin her US collaborators Todd Sickafoose (Anais Mitchell/AniDifranco) and Mathias Kunzli (Regina Spektor). The new single ‘People People’ is the first of the fruits of this collaborative period to be released and was recorded in Woodstock, New York by Eli Crews (Tune Yards).
‘Cherry Picker’ – Tracklist:
01) People People (single release)
02) You Can’t Help Who You Love
03) Archimedes
04) Nothing On
05) Taradiddle Scuttlebum
06) Jonas’ Song
07) Buffalo
08) Ugly Faces
09) Thompson
10) The Carcass And The Pride
11) Eris
National Tour + London Water Rats Show
April 18th – The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge, Calder Valley. TICKETS
April 19th – The New Adelphi Club, Hull, East Yorkshire. TICKETS
April 21st – John Sebastian Lightship, Bristol. TICKETS
April 22nd – The Hatch, Kingsbridge, Devon. TICKETS VIA INVITE
April 23rd – Hyde Tavern, Winchester, Hampshire. TICKETS
April 24th – Hyde Tavern, Winchester, Hampshire. TICKETS
April 25th – The Folklore Rooms, Brighton, Sussex. TICKETS
April 25th – The Water Rats, Kings Cross, London. TICKETS
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