Pamela Ruby Russell

JUDGES COMMENTS
Spring 2009

Artist: PAMELA RUBY RUSSELL's
"HIGHWAY OF DREAMS" CD
Produced By Pamela Ruby Russell and Peter Calo

Status: Finalist

“A wide open roots-inflected sound with a vocal sound that hovers over it all. Artist gives the band plenty of room and they make good, empathetic use of the space. There’s an attractive positivity here, a genuine charm and a sense that the artist is reaching out to the listener. Make You Cry is a good example of this. As an aside, some lovely welcoming intros here, a true art in itself..”

“Interesting vocal range!!”

“Boxcar is lyrically very good, the vocals are what stand out for me for Pamela. Walk through Fire was very mysterious sounding, with a real enchanting vocal; I'm really a fan of Pamela. Musically excellent.”

“Beautifully crafted songs great arrangements and a beautifully mature voice Superb”

“Sincere lyrics, interesting mixture of styles and tempi, would suggest shorter intros”

“Fantastic variation of instrumentation from excellent band keeping interest in each new song with strings, sax and accordion coming in as extras to keep you guessing.”

“Nice diversity of songwriting/arranging, and after reading the bio I can see why!”

“PRR has an aerie kind of voice, almost mythical, as she sings often of loss. There is a lilting hint of Celtic in there, with the fiddles and other strings. One of my fave cuts is “Make You Cry.” The guitarist, Peter Calo, is someone I admire for both is solo work, and collaborations with Mary Gatchell. But I digress…”

“interesting experimentation” -

PAMELA RUBY RUSSELL
"HIGHWAY OF DREAMS"

10 SONG CD
CO-PRODUCED BY:
PAMELA RUBY RUSSELL &
PETER CALO

ALL MUSIC GUIDE REVIEW
WRITTEN BY:
JOE VIGLIONE
"Tengo Razon," a beautiful essay, is sung in Spanish, embellished by Evan Harlan's accordion, which is on four of the ten tracks that embody Highway of Dreams by Bostonian Pamela Ruby Russell. An album that boasts Carly Simon guitarist and arranger Peter Calo playing numerous instruments and co-producing, 'Til Tuesday guitarist Robert Holmes, and others finds incredible unity and a truly original sound. "Avenue of Tears" combines these talents for a rather complex presence behind Russell's dominant voice. The pan flutes and charango of Roberto Cachimuel play along the dirge-like guitar. Imagine Black Sabbath getting subdued and backing Marianne Faithfull. Comparisons will also be made to Loreena McKennitt, with lots of haunting keyboards, voices, and flutes finding their way into these folk-rock arrangements. Calo is a formidable talent, and he brings so much out of Russell -- the party atmosphere of "Is There Any Love" takes the sounds Lulu and Twiggy were crafting in '60s pop, redefines them, and re-establishes them. Co-producer Bob Patton's baritone saxophone comes out of nowhere on "Is There Any Love," replaced by Ana Pacanoska's violin, more flutes, and more accordion. This music is dense and thought-provoking, but it doesn't take away from the performance. "Sounds of the Sea" features kena, soaring solos, and Miguel Jimenez on the pan flutes. Russell is a character, and her very serious music has a charm that many musicians fail to express in the recording process. "Boxcar" is a great opening, specifically the drone of "Walk Thru Fire" where "we glimpse through fire and the future." It feels like gypsies spying on a black mass listening to this tune -- incredibly moody and perceptive. There is little of the shrill homogenized Top 40 production that stops so many good records from becoming great. Ernesto Diaz plays strong gothic percussion on "Walk Thru Fire," setting up the listener for the tour de force performance: the title number. The singer walks across a roadway that reaches over water and into the stars with a full moon above her and a red rose piercing the blue. The cover is an exquisite reflection of this great song, with heavy contributions from Holmes. It's rare to find a statement like Highway of Dreams; music this good shouldn't get lost in the shuffle of life. -

Singer Songwriter Pamela Ruby Russell on TV's About the Arts
Date: Wednesday, December 04 @ 23:06:25 EST
Topic: Entertainment

LOCAL SINGER AND SONGWRITER TO APPEAR
ON ABOUT THE ARTS TELEVISION SHOW

Boston, MA - About the Arts the weekly cable television arts program goes behind the scenes with Jamaica Plain resident, singer and songwriter Pamela Ruby Russell on Tuesday December 10 and 17 at 7:00 PM on Channel 23 Boston.

About the Arts takes you behind the scenes with this engaging and passionate artist, from rehearsal with her Highway of Dreams Band, voice lessons with her long time vocal coach Mark Baxter to an interview where the artist shares some poignant personal moments of her life. Pamela Ruby Russell's voice and music will touch your soul. You can't help but be moved and inspired by this wonderfully talented performer. The artist's website is at:
http://www.nextcat.com/rubytunes.

About the Arts is a weekly cable television program, created in 1995 to provide exposure and visibility to the arts, bring local artists to the forefront and to present viewers with innovative and original arts programming, performing, literary and media artists.

"Pamela Ruby Russell a two-time Billboard Song Contest award winner from New York, settled in Boston to study voice with Dante Pavone and Mark Baxter, and piano and music theory with pianist/composer Michael Dooner. Pamela has performed in NYC's revered LaMama Galleria, the infamous Rat, Borders Books & Music Store, City Hall Plaza in Boston, Passim's, Jack's and Ryle's in Cambridge, Tenton's Avant Garde Festival and in LA, Mexico and France. She was also interviwed by Peter Mehegan of WCVB-TV's newszine Chronicle.

Pamela's CD, Highway of Dreams draws from her many adventures, as an elephant rider in a Mexican circus, cantina Tarot card reader, jeweler in the French West Indies, a Cape Cod restaurateur and singing atop a Mayan Temple. Pamela says of her music " I sincerely believe there are common truths, none of us are strangers and honest art is the connection between all people. I strive to make music that uplifts and heals. With all the crazy things I've been through in this bizarre and wonderful life, what I've learned is worth sharing! This is why I sing!" -