Ruarri Joseph - Both Sides of The Coin (Pip 555)
3/5
By: Charlie Bradford
BUY DOWNLOADLike many before him, Ruarri Joseph was once signed to a major record label, before finding himself feeling like he was stuck in the proverbial corporate hamster wheel (or in his own words, feeling like "...an asset, basically like a car tyre, and if they wanted to, they could melt me down and turn me into condoms!" - How eloquently put!). And so Mr. Joseph up and left; started his own little record label and recorded his second album in a shed at the bottom of his garden.
Both Sides of the Coin is the result, an affable mix of soft rock and folk. It's an album of mixed emotions - he claims at the beginning of 2008 his life was dark, and friends and family were also having a difficult time, with a mixture of divorce, pain and general hardship. These feelings of distress are evident in tracks like 'More Than Most' and 'Adam's Wing' which starts with a slow melancholic bassline and the lines 'world is in bits/ cos nothing right fits / you're single again...' Imagine David Gray on the worst day of his life with only a guitar to keep him company - yes, really quite a sullen image.
Yet despite the apparent gloom, there is a beauty to Joseph's torment - the music is by in large beautifully simple and heartfelt. If the whole album had been so doleful, then this review might have taken a very different turn, but luckily there is light at the end of the tunnel. The slightly upbeat 'Today Tomorrow' is a transition track; the accordion's bluegrass edge hints at hope, the subtle maracas have an edge and give it a slightly tropical feel. 'A Turn In the Weather' furthers the transition.
The sunshine comes out in the form of 'Red Mist' - a smooth and a nifty little number, but by far the best track is 'Hope For Grey Trousers'. Starting with some talking, the music kicks in with a reverberating bassline, a chirpy drum track and honky tonk keys.
While he might not be everyone's cup of tea, the Cornish singer/songwriter is undoubtedly bursting with talent - he plays almost every instrument on the album, including guitars, drums, banjo, accordion and harmonica. And he played them all in his shed.
Artists in this article: Ruarri Joseph
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