Ruth Wyand and The Tribe Of One

There aren’t a lot of female acoustic blues artists around, so this album by Ruth Wyand and The Tribe of One is a breath of fresh air. She has a Rory Block fell to her playing, but as an added plus she even plays foot drums while singing and playing a wide variety of guitars. Her voice is earnest, earthy and rural relaxed on this mix of originals and a couple of covers.

Of the latter, she is cozy and fun on “One Mint Julep” while picking notes of indigo’d crystal on Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” and grinning on Bob Dylan’s “Blind Willie McTell”. Her slide work can either boogie on the jumping “100 Proof” and get down home and lonesome for “Better Off Alone”. Her strings cry as they bend on the electric guitar “Break The Curse” and whine on the acoustic “Till It’s Safe To go Outside” all the while spinning stories with the relaxed cadence of the village minstrel. Her solo instrumental, the closing “On The Porch With Etta” makes you beg for an entire album of informal and back porch slides and picks.

George W. Harris Jazz Weekly - George W. Harris

Ruth Wyand & the Tribe of One, Tribe of One. The Tribe of One band is aptly named because it turns out to consist only of the North Carolina–based Ruth Wyand, who provides all the vocals, guitar work, and percussion on this country blues album. She also wrote all of the songs on the CD with the exception of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing,” Bob Dylan’s “Blind Willie McTell,” and Etta Baker’s instrumental “Mint Julep.” Her fingerpicking and Delta slide guitar work are a pleasure, as are her unadorned, soulful vocals. - Jeff Burger

Review: Ruth Wyand is a one-woman band from the same town where Orville and Wilbur Wright made history. Like those two brothers, she takes flight with this magnificent collection of Roots, Americana and Blues. Wyand is a gifted songwriter with strong vocals and even stronger guitar skills. These songs will take you through a myriad of emotions while giving your ears an aural treat that you won’t soon forget. Best tracks include “Break the Curse,” “The Last Nail,” “Better off Alone,” “Blind Willie McTell,” “Love on the Line Blues,” “100 Proof,” “Little Wing,” “Broken Women,” and “On the Porch with Etta.” Recommendation: this one belongs in the music collection of every lover of roots, Americana or the blues. -

"With just her guitar, expressive voice, and foot drums, Ruth Wyand distills her music to the essence of the blues. Her less-is-more approach pays off on Tribe of One, an album of riveting originals and well-executed cover versions that showcases her skills as a guitarist.
An Atlantic City native now living in North Carolina, she displays nimble fingerpicking on “Bad Mojo (Working Overtime)” as she takes on the disruptive influence of modern technology. “Break The Curse” has her switching to electric guitar as Wyand details the futility of trying to shake off a romantic obsession.
Wyand displays jazz-like phrasing on “The Last Nail,” a philosophical tale of death that references blues legend Robert Johnson (“My hellhound has caught up with me”). She shows off her lighter side on “Better Off Alone” with bottleneck playing that’s reminiscent of early Bonnie Raitt and lyrics that recall Mose Allison. “I gave you a penny for my thoughts,” she wryly notes. “Now I want my money back.”
On Bob Dylan’s “Blind Willie McTell,” Wyand recasts the song in the style of Piedmont Blues to take the song at a faster pace and make it her own. For Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing,” Wyand goes the acoustic route to put the song in a new light. She wraps up the album with an instrumental version of Etta Baker’s “Mint Julep,” one of her guitar influences, and pays tribute to her with her own “On The Porch with Etta.”
….TOM WILK ICON Magazine - TOM WILK

There are many One Man Bands ie… Ben Prestige, Steve Hill or closer to home DC Snakebuster, but a One Woman Band? I can’t name one - until now. This lady, from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, was a semi-finalist at the IBC's this year and last year a finalist and on her latest CD "Tribe Of One" she presents eleven original songs and three covers, from Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Piedmont Blues guitarist Etta Baker. It was recorded live in the studio and you can not help but be impressed by her musical talent.

With an arsenal of styles, alternating bass with the thumb picking, bottleneck slide and foot drums she shows her deep love for American Roots music, translated into great songs. It is especially her own songs that make the most impression, however praiseworthy she makes Hendrix’s '"Little Wing" and Dylan's "Blind Willie McTell" her own and her instrumental version of "Mint Julep" by Etta Baker you can’t help but admire her high talent.

She presents a high quality musical talent with power, conviction and enthusiasm everything can be found in this One-Woman-Band!

Luc Meert Rootstime Belgium - Luc Meert

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tribe Of One, by Ruth Wyand and it's the first "One Woman band" I recall reviewing. Opening with acoustic blues rocker, Bad Mojo, Ruth Wyand shows her solid finger picking riffs and vocals to get things moving. On Break The Curse, a blues boogie, she adds snare and foot drum to electric guitar riffs and her vocal to your foot tapping. Very cool. Whipping out the slide on her resonator on Better Off Alone, Wyand sets a solid blues riff and lays down some of my favorite lines on the release. Her vocals and smooth and slide playing spot on. Blind Willie McTell is a really cool track with strong Piedmont style finger picking straight down blues alley. I really found Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing enchanting with lush finger work totally differently worked from anything I have heard previously. A beautiful song remade in a different way with a more abstract beauty. Very cool. Another Piedmont style track, Mint Julep really flows nicely, this time purely instrumental with only acoustic guitar and foot percussion. Wyand has a real nice hand for acoustic blues and it continues with On The Porch With Etta, with it's solid picking and smooth slide transitions. An excellent closer for a really nice release. - BMan

RUTH WYAND/Tribe of One: This voodoo chile is one killer breath of fresh air. A one woman band, this white girl with the blues writes and sings like you haven't heard in a while and she's got the non stop chops to pin your ears back---in a good way, in no time flat. This one person tornado is a tribute to the human spirit showing just how far you can go when you take off the only limiting force----yourself. If you think acoustic folk blues isn't your thing, this set will change your mind. Totally killer stuff throughout. - Chris Spector

“Her overall style is definitely blues...that's one thing certain.  When I first put this disc in the player, she won my heart.  Here is a woman armed with guitar, foot percussions, a voice like velvet and a fingerpicking and slide style that hearkens to much earlier era.
This woman, who hails from North Carolina, sounds like a full band...and a damned good one.  I have to chuckle when I think of the reviews I've done for folks who recorded in their studios, playing one track after another.  Move over fellas, Ruth Wyand's here to show you how it's done.  This woman is an exceptional guitarist, playing and singing what she knows with power and passion.  What's not to like?  As I listened to the album, I was reminded of the likes of Memphis Minnie and Bessie Smith.  This is as good as it gets, short of catching her show.  Do yourself a favor and don't pass this one by.
…Bill Wilson -Reflections in Blue - Bill Wilson