
Roisin Murphy's switch to a solo career will have surprised no one. For so long the vivacious frontwoman for quirky dance outfit Moloko, it seemed inevitable that Murphy was too strong a character and a voice to be trapped inside one particular style. No surprise too, therefore, that 'Ruby Blue' is all over the place musically and dreamed up with Matthew Herbert; a very well-respected producer and songwriter in his own right. 'Leaving The City' makes for an excellent start; it's fun, imaginative and frivolous in the manner of Anja Garbarek's 'Balloon Mood'. Similarly, 'Ramalama (Bang Bang)' is a superb quirky slice of pop whilst the title song is glammed up to the max a la Goldfrapp. It's just a shame that these excitable moments don't occur more often as when they do Murphy and Herbert are a match made in heaven. However, the over-reliance on the jazz-infused material in the middle of the record often produces uninspired results; Herbert uses these skills to great effect on his work with Dani Siciliano but Murphy sounds rather aimless in these settings, although on 'The Closing Of The Doors' redemption arrives via a classy ballad. So the end result is a mixed bag which excites and bores in equal measure.