Ruth Moody's new solo album Wanderer was released May 17, and the songwriter will be making her way to Cincinnati for a performance later this month. WYSO music director Juliet Fromholt talked to Moody about the album and her upcoming show at Ludlow Garage.
It's been over a decade since Ruth Moody's last solo album, These Wilder Things, which featured notable collaborations with Mark Knopfler. Since then, Moody has been keeping busy with her band The Wailin' Jennys, motherhood and navigating the pandemic.
"Then last year, I felt a real urgency to get these songs out into the world, and it just felt like the right time," said Moody. "Honestly, I was sort of glad that I waited because I'd written some more songs, and I just felt really ready. I felt ready to approach recording in a different way, and the experience of recording was really fulfilling. I felt very connected to the music and to my band and and to the whole experience."
The songs on Wanderer explore love, grief, family, and, as Moody reflect, "Our vulnerability as humans. You know, one of the most recent songs, Already Free, the first track on the album. I wrote it during the pandemic, and I was having a hard time and not really nailing anything. And, so it sort of talks about how we can kind of find strength in admitting that we feel like we're failing and falling apart and that there's sort of there's an opportunity to grow from that and become stronger."
At the time of this interview, Moody was preparing to head out on tour in support of the album. She talked about the anticipation of sharing new music with an audience.
"It's always exciting to put music out. I have had good feedback already. Of course you want [the songs] to resonate with people, and you want people to like what you do. But at the same time, you can't control that. I feel like there are lessons in that too. And to just, you know, let them go and be okay with whatever happens next. I feel like it's going to open me up creatively to just sort of let them go, make space in myself and my life for new creative growth and new lyrics and new music to come. So I'm excited for that too."
Ruth Moody will perform at Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati on Thursday, May 30. Tickets are available at https://www.ludlowgaragecincinnati.com
