Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Ruarri Joseph - Infant Eyes

I know the truth is you can never trust an artist, they are simply narrators of lives they see. But from time to time I hear someone I feel I can trust to be telling a deep-seated truth from within themselves, and the public face of Ruarri feels like he is sharing his life as honestly as he can. If this is true, he’s the kind of guy you’d love to have for a neighbor. He enjoys friends, he loves his kids, and would rather be home with the wife than out on the road. Not the formula one expects of a great performer, but I can say that whether or not the words are from his heart, the performance is superb. This song, for example, speaks so gently and beautifully to a young daughter that it makes me ashamed of the father I was. These words speak of a powerful relationship.

“That picture that you drew of me, I want to get it framed, or stick it to the fridge with magnets that spell out your name. My eyes are green, my hair’s not black, I only have two hands, my head is on my shoulders and my feet are made of sand. Tell you what – it’s more like me than anything I’ve seen. If toys could talk I’d bet they’d say they never felt so loved.” The instrumental solo even sounds like it was created on a child’s toy. Very nice. Shoutouts for Patience and Faces, Movements And Cheats. With a special thank you for the endpiece, Summercourt Fair. Ruarri Joseph