Ruth Hill
Jay, Maine, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2008 | SELF
Music
Press
I positively love to discover new talent--especially Maine-based talent--so it is with great pleasure that I bring the music of Ruth Hill to your attention! To begin with, I received a burned copy of her debut CD entitled "The River Beneath Me" from Jud Caswell (who plays acoustic guitar and provides harmonies on many of the 12 tracks that make up this fine album) and Hill sent an e-mail with information concerning the musicians who helped out on the album. There's an air of melancholy to some of the tracks but the over-all feel is one of hope and redemption; and that brings up one of Hill's strengths: storytelling of the finest kind. That powerful imagery on each and every song brings such topics as the war in Iraq ("Jessica"), of finding peace in nature (the title track), and the true story of her running away from home at 15 with her boy friend and hitchhiking to Canada ("Old Man's Hat") to vivid clarity; some songs will break your heart ("When I Grow Up," which is harder-hitting than anything I've heard before) while others show you that music can take you anywhere you wish to go ("Larry's Guitar"). Oh, and there is one cover tune here: "The Cuckoo," which is a traditional song but one she makes her own. When all is said and done, I was extremely impressed with this acoustic folk album (with its overtones of bluegrass, country and blues) and encourage everyone to check out Ruth Hill's debut CD--she is a talented newcomer on the Maine music scene and one who deserves to be heard!
Lucky Clark has spent over four decades writing about good music and the people who make it. He can be reached at luckyc@megalink.net if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. - Morning Sentinal of Waterville, ME : What's Happening Pages
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Ruth's passion for music started early; she sang with her brother and sister at community events in the small New Hampshire village where she grew up. She picked up the banjo at 8, started guitar at 12, began writing songs as a teenager, and sang her first gig as backup for her brothers rock-n-roll band from behind the curtain in a smoky bar before she was old enough to legally be there. Since then she has performed around the world, from Antarctica to Alaska, with warmer stops in between.
The inspiration for Ruth's songs comes from the rich experiences of a large, colorful family, a wandering spirit that has taken her to remote corners of the globe, and a love for the natural world. Her heartfelt, original lyrics weave stories of her hardscrabble youth, love, loss, and the human yearning for transformation. Ruth says, "music provides a place where I can safely explore emotions, and it challenges me to find ways to express the stories that are in my bones".
Ruth lives in Jay, Maine on an 80 acre farm with her partner, Gretchen and their goats, barn cats and chickens.
Band Members
Links
