Ruthie Collins | Cold Comfort | Album Review

Sidewalk Records

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ruthie Collins released her second album in April of 2020. She is a singer from New York who focuses on country music with aspects of folk. Her first album dropped in 2017 while her first EP came out in 2014.

Cold Comfort’s focus on country comes from the style of guitar playing. The folk aspects come from the emotion of bowed string instruments and the slower tempo of various tracks.

“Bad Woman” is one of the songs on this album with the most emotional tones. It tells the struggles between two internal motives. The beginning showcases all the instruments featured in the song by playing long, drawn out notes. Once the vocals come in, instruments drop in and out in order for listeners to focus on the lyrics. The drums playing sparingly makes the strikes of the instrument feel more impactful. Towards the end, all the instruments come back together similarly to the beginning to finish out strong.

“Cold Comfort” is slightly faster than the other songs. It is closer to the country genre due to the use of an electric guitar, drums keeping a beat, and bass and keys keeping the background sounds full. The use of the electric guitar makes listeners feel the need to nod their head and tap their feet.

“Wish You Were Here” is a song conveying the complicated feelings between people. The repeated lines in this song illustrate the thought process of overthinking something; people may get stuck in their minds, wanting a controlled outcome of something.

Ruthie Collins fuses country and folk to create a soothing soundtrack for listeners who are searching for calming and emotional music.