Album Notes

When Karla Ruth breaks onto the national music scene (and that day is coming, my friends; I have no doubt), I will be the first in line to congratulate her.

Karla will have earned the accolades, because she will have paid her dues, by playing in coffeehouses and bookstores and all sorts of other venues. By cultivating devoted listeners one set of ears at a time.

And by producing two wonderfully lyric and literate CD’s.

The first time I heard Hanging By A Thread, I immediately drew comparisons to the best work of Mary Chapin Carpenter. The melodies are infectious, the kind you find yourself humming in the car at the oddest times. The lyrics are intelligent, poignant, and poetic, and leave you feeling that you’ve just been told a great story, or have been given a peek into the window of someone else’s heart. That is the mark of a great song, and such great songs are in abundance on Karla’s debut album.

There are three songs, in particular, that will stay with me the rest of my life:

“If I Had Met You On Monday” is a perfect testament to that universal irony – that of love lost because we just weren’t in the right place at the right time. But rather than paint a portrait of regret, Karla laces her words with a delightful c’est la vie that makes one hopeful, even anxious, to find the next special someone waiting around the corner.

“Her Next True Love,” a gorgeous ballad, showcases Karla’s rich, warm alto voice. And again, melody and lyrics combine to tug the heart strings with a velvet glove.

I think I enjoy “Time To Go Looking” so much because it offers a peek into the personality of the writer. It is a very funny song. And it speaks volumes about Karla’s deliciously subversive sense of humor.

I had just torn the shrink wrap off my copy of Karla’s latest CD, Exactly, as I booted up my computer. I’ve been listening to it as I write this. I had high expectations, and on first listen, I haven’t been disappointed.

I’ll let you know more after I’ve listened again – with headphones on and lights off. I don’t want anything to distract me from the pleasure of the experience.

May you enjoy her work as much as I do.

Ron
Music Manager – Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Iowa


For more information visit www.KarlaRuth.com.