RUBY VELLE & THE SOULPHONICS

It’s About Time

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The title doesn’t lie: It is about time, and that time is the golden age of soul and R&B. We’re talking Motown, Stax and young Aretha, but rather than mimic any single artist or classic label stable, Ruby and her suit-clad sidemen roll a decade of music into one nattily dressed package. That means a mix of JFK-era love songs—check out the “(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave” homage “Mr. Wrong”—and righteous anti-establishment jams. Whether waving a finger at men or shaking her fist at “the man,” Velle taps the we-shall-overcome spirit of the ’60s pushing a message summed up on opener “My Dear”: “Reach down to find the good in your heart.”