Ruth Ann

"The woman I could be" is no longer a question for the English singer Ruth-Ann. Her first solo album "What about us" gives us a clear understanding about how it all began nearly ten years ago.
"It started off, just as my voice and a simple backing track, almost a cappella," Ruth-Ann describes, of the first creative meeting she had with the ex-Simply Red keyboarder Tim Kellett in 1994. She is referring to the song "You're Not Alone", which shortly after, became the first 1 UK single for the newly founded band OLIVE. They signed with RCA Records and released their debut album "Extra Virgin" in 1996, which was successful in many countries around the world. By chance some months later, Madonna listened to a concert of OLIVE and was so enthusiastic that she asked them to contribute on the Next Best Thing-Soundtrack, which resulted in a second contract, this time, with the Madonna record label "Maverick".
During the production of their second album "Trickle" Ruth-Ann met Michael Cretu, head of ENIGMA, who had heard one of her songs and he invited her to participate on his fourth album. "Her voice was so natural and appeared to float over the ground in keeping with the ENIGMA sound", he said. She sang the lead vocals on two tracks on the ENIGMA album "Screen Behind The Mirror" in 1999 and also performed vocals for the "Voyageur" album in 2003.
Because of their great success they both decided to work on a solo album, which was then produced in the A.R.T. Studio on Ibiza. "From the very beginning Ruth-Ann influenced the creative process with her strong, but uncomplicated personality. For me she is a 'Silent Fighter'," Michael Cretu explains.
And this is what the songs are about. "What about us" wants to be heard as a silent fight against emotional misunderstandings and for the dream of deep, memorable feelings. Ruth-Ann sings "Life will be beautiful", in one track, then completes with "It's not the end of anything, this is the start of everything. Believe in me.", in another. It seems to be easy to believe her, as the songs are telling personal stories from a feminine perspective, with an angel's voice. In "Dancing to Hell" she warns of the mortal power of drugs and in "Letter to Heaven", which she dedicated to her dead father, she sends him a message.
Ultimately this is someone presenting her first solo album stating: "That is my life to live and not surrender." She is no longer a woman who could be. Ruth-Ann is …