State of All Things - Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics (Review)

Dark, poetic writing coupled with punchy, soulful orchestration.

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Atlanta-based soul ensemble Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics aspire to meld their classic soul influences with a contemporary sheen. Formed in 2006, the band released their debut album It’s About Time in 2012 to praise and interest. Six years later, they have returned with their sophomore effort, State of All Things.

As critics and listeners have noted, it is a revivalist sound. Comparisons to Stax and southern soul have been tossed around. Fairly, that is. However, like Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar’s similarly throwback Run To Me, the musical style is not affected. The tight musicianship, hooky melodies, and powerful orchestrations demonstrate the band’s genuine affinity for the genre. And, as placed at the fore with the synth-driven ‘Broken Woman’, they manage to draw out their classic influences without fusty imitation.

The title track is a fantastic case study of contemporary orchestral soul. The verses adopt a rumbling, brooding tone as Velle imagines the disdain of our ancestors witnessing the current political landscape, with foreboding prospects for the future. ‘Will those we leave behind / Learn from our mistakes / Or will they be the ones / To seal our fate?’ However, the melody rises at the chorus with a surge of optimism. Backed by an anthemic horn section, the song develops into something quite epic, with a guitar riff carrying home the underlying hope of the lyric. ‘In this state of all things / We keep believing / Love is higher realm / That we are seeking.’

Poetic, at times dark, writing underpins the album – brought out by Velle’s agile, husky vocals. The lyrics span the personal and the political. Issues such as the moral bankruptcy of the United States, racism, and pain and exhaustion in love are addressed.

The sentiment of the title track – of a nation in disarray – is reflected in the classic sounding ‘Lost Lady Usa’, in which the United States is personified as a ‘broke and confused’ woman in need of healing and a sense of restored purpose. ‘Where are you going with those dreams of ours?‘, Velle asks. With almost cinematic stylings and distorted, springy keyboard, ‘Shackles’ deals with racial inequalities and discrimination. The haunting chorus – the shackles of racism ‘holding us down’ – reads as a genuine social lament as opposed to a pat and perfunctory ‘all lives matter’ throwaway.

The more personal tracks provide equal impact. A bluesy dirge, ‘I Tried’ is one of Velle’s strongest vocal performances on the album; she scoops low in the verse, powers through with her rasp, and plays off against the horns at the end. There is similar despair in ‘Who Closed The Book’ where Velle ‘[throws her] hands up to the Gods’, exasperated by a poisoned relationship. ‘I closed the book on you’, she coolly nods. Closing track ‘Call Out My Name’ alters the tone from one of melancholy to striving ambition. An initial psychedelic distortion explodes into a driving, Motown-inspired rhythm where Velle promises to stand by the side of her lover come what may.

Standout Track: ‘State of All Things’