As soon as it turned 9 o’ clock the public mass upstairs in The Lexington increased by ten fold. That’s not to say the supporting band was bad, merely the room was filled for Ruarri Joseph. My perfect view soon became a ‘tall man wall’ as the draft from the overhead fans quickly weren’t cooling enough. And then the 4 musicians appeared. They were greeted by a loud cheer. I was clearly outnumbered on being a first time viewer, these people were not here by accident. Before the cheers had time to quieten down the first song was introduced: The Raining Stone. The instance he started...
Having just released his new album, Shoulder to the Wheel, Ruarri Joseph gives us an insight into the life of a singer songwriter.
MTTM: Your latest album, Shoulder to the Wheel, was quite reflective and I felt contained heartache, was this the case personally at the time?
Ruarri: I like to think that whatever heartache is on there is balanced by a sense of hope. I’ve made the mistake before of singing songs that take you to a place you don’t really want to go, and if there was one objective for me as a songwriter, it’s that I wanted the songs to lift me up when I sang...
During October 2007, I was lucky enough to catch Ruarri Joseph touring to promote his debut album, Tales of Grime & Grit. He was dynamic, fresh, full of energy and lovable. His a capella version of the album’s title song was mind blowing in it’s simplicity. Ruarri inspired and the album ended up being played on an endless loop far into the New Year in our house.
When I got the opportunity to review his latest offering, Shoulder to the Wheel, I jumped at the chance. What if Shoulder to the Wheel was as good as Grime and Grit? But it isn’t. Ruarri’s debut album was full of joy...
