A GEM HERE AND THERE
The three pint-sized brunettes who comprise The Rubyz set
out to measure up to Hannah
Montana, but on their self-titled
debut, it’s clear they can’t quite fill the teen sensation’s shoes…er, high heels. The fluffy album opens
with these lyrics:
“Hey Alexis,
Hey Marissa/It’s Cammie up on the
phone/I’m wondering if you wanted to hang.” Lyrically, the album doesn’t
make a whole lot of progress from there, punctuated by lots of “na-na-na’s” and
“oh yeah’s.”
However, promising lyrics can be found on their first
single, “Thirteen,” where the girls plead,
“What
I mean/is for once I’d like to act my age, instead of older.” The two
outstanding musical tracks on the perky disc are the cover of Rihanna’s
“Umbrella,” where the trio strips it down to a soothing acoustic rhythm, and
the smooth R&B beats of “Just Like You.” Although they boast production
from Chris Omartian (Jump5, Hilary Duff) and Joy Williams, the project is hit
and miss as far as quality and musicianship, but the positive message the songs
carry will resonate with tweens.
On “Baila
Chiquita,” the Latin rhythms gently
accent the girl’s youthful vocals, but on the cover of Fee’s “We Shine” (the
only real mention of God on the album), the frantic techno format and annoying
shouting fail to impress. The remaining tracks are simplistic and trite. The
trio simply lacks the charisma and “it” factor as Omartian’s last power teen
group, Jump5. With experience, they certainly hold promise, but this debut is
nothing teens haven’t heard before.
–Grace Cartwright