Ethereal songstress Ruth Blake writes multi-faceted contemporary folk, rich with symbol and story-telling, weaving hypnotic guitar riffs and tender poetry with rambunctious offbeat grooves and playful word-smithery. Her voice first captivated audiences on the ‘Music as Medicine’ scene as she accompanied then-partner, Young Steinway Artist and multi-instrumentalist composer, Edward Chilvers, on his debut album of songs, ‘Change Your Mind’. In December 2015, she crowd-funded and released her own debut album, ‘Lullabies for Grown-ups’, stunning fans with her subtle yet poignant use of voice and guitar. That same year she was hailed “destined for greater things… channeling the spirit of Joni Mitchel” by Drowned in Sound at Cambridge Folk Festival. In 2018 she released her second studio album, the colourful Creation, with stunning cover art by Francesca Booth. This inspiring album weaves philosophical paradox with myth and magic, and radical self-acceptance with a call for each of us to wake up and step up to our fullest potential. Exhibiting a rare potency, it is not uncommon for audiences to find themselves moved into spaces of deep silence and quiet tears. Ruth is a member of the Music as Medicine collective and the innovative Brightsky Community, and her voice features on the works of many favourites on the scene including those by James Frost, recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, Sue Holmes, Tristan Starling and Manchester’s dark-funk ensemble, Caulbearers. She is currently preparing her third studio album.
Tristan Starling