Jourdan Myers - Ruin Me With Love

Jourdan Myers

Ruin Me With Love
self-released; 2014

4.1 out of 5 - TOP ALBUM

By Ted Rogen

The Minneapolis singer/songwriter Jourdan Myers is pulling out all the stops on her second album entitled Ruin Me With Love. Over the course of the twelve songs you are treated to a vast array of instrumentation such as cello, accordion, pump organ, synth bass, violin, guitar, piano, vibraphone and much more. I think Myers may have realized you need more than a good voice (which she has) in this day and age to penetrate through the intense competition that is oversaturated to a point where artists become superfluous. 

Every song on Ruin Me With Love has a unique palette of sounds, which deflated any chance of the songs becoming monotonous or laborious. By the time I got halfway through the album I started to enjoy the anticipation of what would be next. Perhaps even more impressive than her arsenal of tones and textures is that the album still has cohesion and uniformity. There wasn’t a song that felt too far out in left field amongst the rest.

The album opens with “Lifetime Or Before” which begins with piano, dirty sounding drums and vocals. It starts to gain traction as it gets layered with more sounds and has an almost chaotic vibe that is easy to enjoy. This is a “single worthy” song that is catchy but also has enough unique instrumentation to make it stand out. 

The next track “Long Days” is an absolute highlight. It’s ignores conventional 4/4 timing and move along at a slow BPM but is unequivocally gorgeous. Myers vocals sounds great but so does everything else. Don’t miss this one!

Myers wisely picks up the pace with “Push Me on the Playground.” It’s another success and the first time Myers really belts it out. The album really is a treat as it continues. “Firelight” contains some notable accordion and sounds like a waltz while “Wanderlust” is the most epic, grandiose track on the album. 

Another highlight was “Tears,” which has a dark almost Portishead like vibe. The instrumental part towards the end, which seamlessly transitions in an ominous ambience, is exceptional. “Dusty Roses” has a celebratory, festive feel not unlike Feist while the melancholy closer “Slow Motion” is an emotional resonant song that is on the verge of haunting.

In an alternate universe Myers might be selling out stadiums but in this one she doesn’t have nearly as many fans as she deserves. Take a listen and if you love it spread the word. 

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