Ruth Moody can’t tell if she’s running from the future or the past on her sweetly soaring new single Already Free — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The second single from Moody’s upcoming solo album Wanderer — her first new album in over a decade — Already Free is “for anyone who is ready to let go of the weight they are carrying and be free,” she explains. “I wrote the lyrics during the pandemic This was me, saying ‘I’m not coping well, I’m losing my grip’ and finding strength in that admission. It’s a song about that moment of reckoning, that acceptance of vulnerability and surrender that ultimately helps us to find our resilience. “
Wanderer is the long-awaited solo album from the Canadian singer-songwriter, known as a founding and current member of Billboard-charting and Juno-winning folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys. Recorded at Sound Emporium in Nashville, the self-penned 10-song album was co-produced by Moody and Dan Knobler (Allison Russell, Lake Street Dive) and mixed by Tucker Martine (Madison Cunningham, First Aid Kit), and will be released May 17 on Moody’s Blue Muse Records via True North Records.
Open-tuned guitars (inspired by Moody’s heroes, Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling) provide the backdrop for soaring pedal steel and the otherworldly vocals and the intricate harmonies we’ve come to expect from Moody. She brought together her favorite musicians for the recordings, enhanced by the rich echo-chamber reverb of the legendary Nashville studio.
Musicians include her partner Sam Howard, who plays upright bass and provides backing vocals; her older brother Richard Moody (“He’s played on every record I’ve ever made”); Jennys’ touring member Anthony da Costa, (guitars), Jason Burger (drums) and Kai Welch (keyboards); Russ Pahl (pedal steel), Adrian Dolan (string arrangements) and duet partner Joey Landreth on The Spell Of The Lilac Bloom.
The result is a transcendent collection of 10 deeply powerful and personal songs that reflect Moody’s inner world and wanderings. Wanderer explores the emotional journey of motherhood, the joy and pain of life, the mysterious and complicated dance of love, and ultimately the longing we all feel for home, wherever that might be.
Moody will celebrate the release of Wanderer with a tour. Dates booked so far include:
May 21 | Ram’s Head, Annapolis, MD
May 22 | World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA
May 23 | The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
May 25 | Joe’s Pub, New York City
May 26 | State Theatre, State College, PA
May 28 | SPACE, Evanston, IL
May 29 | Vivarium, Milwaukee, WI
May 30 | Ludlow Garage, Cincinnati, OH
July 13/14 | Winnipeg Folk Festival
Check out Already Free above, hear more from Ruth Moody below and find her on her website, Instagram and Facebook.
