RUTH MOODY (The Wailin’ Jennys) Makes Triumphant Return With “Seventeen” From Upcoming Album Wanderer Out May 17 On Blue Muse Records/True North Records
No matter how far you think you’ve come, it’s hard to resist thinking about what might have been. That’s the rationale behind “Seventeen,” the achingly wistful single from Canadian singer-songwriter Ruth Moody’s forthcoming album, Wanderer, out May 17 on Blue Muse Records/True North Records.
In her gentle yet authoritative soprano, Moody looks back on a teenage crush that followed the sad but typical trajectory from something craved to something squandered:
If I could go back
I’d show you all the ways that you made me feel
If I could go back
I’d take you in my arms, try and set us free
If I could go back
I wouldn’t be here now trying to say “I’m sorry”
I was seventeen
The open-tuned guitars, delicate delivery, and overall “sadder but wiser” vibe of the track reveal Moody’s debt to one of her musical heroes, Joni Mitchell, indeed. At the same time, the infectious melody and eternally relevant depiction of adolescent yearning give “Seventeen” a commercial potential that puts it right up there with the Taylors and Avrils of today.
The song is an uncharacteristically long look back for Wanderer, which mostly concerns itself with the path Moody’s life has taken since the release of her last album, 2013’s These Wilder Things. Basically, she went on an extended hiatus to start a family—hey, John Lennon did it too—and being a mother to a now-7-year-old has lent maturity and focus to the 10 new cuts she and co-producer Dan Knobler laid down at Sound Emporium in Nashville – she currently splits her time between Music City USA and Victoria, BC.
Accruing wisdom has been a lifelong process for Moody, starting with her formative years on a goat farm in Manitoba and the dual education in music and English she received from her teacher parents. She went from singing with her siblings to picking up a guitar, and by her 20s was firmly on the road to success with the Billboard-charting and JUNO-Award-winning folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys, which she co-founded in 2002 (and remains with to this day). Her parallel solo career began in 2010, and she’s also made time for a number of high-profile collaborations with the legendary Mark Knopfler. As a guest in his band, and The Wailin’ Jennys, and as a solo act, she’s appeared on some of the most prestigious stages around the world.
Moody’s welcome back to the concert stage begins less than a week after Wanderer drops. What a way to say “You barely look a day past ‘Seventeen.’”
Care to introduce yourself?
I’m Ruth Moody, I’m a performing singer-songwriter from Canada. I’m originally from Winnipeg but I now split my time between Nashville and Vancouver Island. People probably know me best from The Wailin’ Jennys, the band that I co-founded in 2002 and still tour with today.
Tell us about the process of recording Wanderer?
I’ve been wanting to make this record for years. I tried to make it when I was pregnant with my son eight years ago but things didn’t quite line up, so I decided I’d wait a year or two. Motherhood is an all-consuming thing, it turns out. I was also recording and touring with the Wailin’ Jennys at the time, so it went on the back burner, through early motherhood and through the pandemic. In 2023, I felt a real urgency to get these songs out of me and into the world. I asked my friend Dan Knobler to co-produce with me – he’s a wizard of an engineer and a great producer. He suggested we go to the legendary Sound Emporium in Nashville, which ended up being a really special place to record. The room has a real vibe to it and sounds amazing, and the reverb chamber is unreal. We had six days there with a great band comprising some of my favourite musicians: my partner Sam Howard on bass, Anthony da Costa on guitar, Jason Burger on drums, Russ Pahl on pedal steel, and Kai Welch on keys. Many other wonderful musicians contributed but this was the core group. We recorded everything live, and everything was going magically, until I got sick and lost my voice, three days in. I was pretty devastated. The studio was booked, and I’d flown some of the musicians in, so we couldn’t just reschedule. Anthony da Costa knows my music really well, from touring with me a bunch, so we tried having him sing the songs for me while I played guitar and banjo, with the idea that I would replace the vocals later. He made a heroic effort but we discovered upon listening back that I needed to sing the songs myself for them to feel right. We had seven songs in the can, so we weren’t sunk, but we needed a new plan. We booked another session a month later, at East Iris Studios this time, and recorded three more songs, in the same way we’d done the first session – live off the floor, really trying to capture a moment. The stakes felt a little higher for that session; I remember feeling the pressure because we’d lost so much time the first time round. But I think there’s an edge and an urgency to those songs, Seventeen being one of them, that feels kind of perfect. It was definitely all a lesson in acceptance, and a reminder to not get too attached to a specific plan or outcome.
We chose the best takes (a process at which I am hopeless but Dan is great), added some additional textures and voices, brought in some special guests, and then the wonderful Tucker Martine mixed it in Portland, Oregon. Philip Shaw Bova mastered it in Ottawa. It was all done in the space of a couple of months – which is the fastest I’ve ever made a record. I’m not sure my son would agree about the fast part – he was pretty happy when I was finished.
Who was the first and most recent Canadian artist to blow you away?
I think Loreena McKennit and Sarah McLauchlan were the first to blow me away when I was a teenager. Not only did their music have a big impact on me but they were both such trailblazers in the business. These days I have to say I’m blown away by a lot of my fellow Winnipeggers – Royal Canoe, The Brothers Landreth. I’m amazed any time I see my friend Rose Cousins on stage. Oh and I really dig Andy Shauf and Basia Bulat.
What’s an album that you have in your collection that would surprise people?
I’m trying to think of something that would be surprising to people. I still have my Whitney Houston cassette tape (Whitney) that I got from a friend for my birthday when I was 11 and that my Dad immediately confiscated. I wasn’t really allowed to listen to American pop music when I was growing up. He eventually gave it back after he deemed it suitable for listening. I also have a lot of traditional Celtic records, specifically old field recordings of unaccompanied singing. When I was in my early twenties and had just joined my first band, Scrüj MacDuhk, I would go digging for songs to learn for the band and I was really obsessed with finding old gems that no one had heard.
You’ve been making music for a bit of time now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
The industry is so different now than it was twenty years ago. The social media stuff, all the technology, it’s so easy to get lost in it. I’d say, spend as much time making art as you can. And don’t stop pushing yourself to learn. There is endless inspiration out there. Trust yourself, trust your heart. Everyone has something unique to offer. Also, finding people to collaborate with can be really rewarding, and a great way to become part of a community, which I think is so important.
Upcoming Shows:
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, Winnipeg, MB