Ruby Amanfu has quite a musical history. She recorded her first album So Now the World Knows while in high school and performed with The White Stripes’ Jack White as well as appearing on NBC’s The Sing-Off. Now she’s about to release her newest album Standing Still. This songstress has a voice that demands to be heard and all of her fans are excited to hear what she has to say.

Let’s start with the soulful Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand). The soft beats and background music give it a blues and classic jazz sound. “Where You Going has a similar sound to the previous track, except that it has a faster beat. As the Dawn Breaks is truly appropriately titled. Think of what it’s like to watch a sunrise. The intro to As the Dawn Breaks has a sound that will remind you of that. It’s beautiful and peaceful.

In Shadow on the Wall, we go from a quick and jazzy sound to rhythm and blues combined with a slower beat. Out at Sea is a metaphorical track. The lyrics “I am drowning, drowning in frustration… Oh this feeling, this feeling is pulling me down” represent the pain and “frustration” Ruby wants to escape from. The slow strumming of the guitar makes Cathedrals sound as if angels are singing, which is appropriate considering the title. The organ, piano and drums in Street Lights sound somewhat like a little like a bit of jazz and gospel and very easy to slow dance to.

Not Dark Yet brings out a soulful folk sound that’s mixed with a little bit of blues. One by One is a mix of gospel and blues, particularly with the organ and choir in the background. Last but not least we have the final track I Tried. This softly and sweetly sung melody is heartbreaking but loving at the same time.

Each song on Standing Still is so beautiful that it will move the audience and definitely want to dance to it. You’ll either feel your heart breaking to I Tried or rock back and forth to Where You Going. Either way, Standing Still is an album you’re going to enjoy listening to.

Final Grade: A

About The Author

Lauren Beverly

Music Reviewer

I love to write and have been doing so since the age of eight. Fictional stories have always been a favorite of mine, because it gives me a chance to be creative and to express myself in a multitude of ways. On more than one occasion, a song proved to be the inspiration to several stories I have written. Believe it or not, some of those songs were on soundtracks! That’s mostly what I listen to, aside from hits from the 1950’s up to the 1980’s. I’ve learned that anything can be the inspiration to a story, even a poster from the 1990’s or a DVD cover.

I’ve lived in Upper Marlboro all of my life and spent much of my childhood watching cartoons of all kinds, and listening to my older sister’s cassette tapes. Growing up, I listened to everything Jackson related, Paula Abdul, Elton John, and even the controversial group Milli Vanilli. As a teenager, I continued to listen to old-school hits and that was pretty much all I liked, aside from listening to all of Michael Jackson’s music. To this day, I still love old-school hits. That hasn’t changed.

I own a variety of CDs from artists such as Styx, The BeeGees, Michael Jackson, Queen, The Yellow Submarine Soundtrack, and many others. When a soundtrack comes out, there will always be one specific song from that album that I’ll love. It never fails.

I’ve graduated from Bowie State University in December 2013 with a B.A. degree in English.

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