Customer Reviews

The Rise & Fall of Ruby Woo

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo" is the second album from cult trio the Puppini Sisters.
Comprised of Mercella Puppini, Kate Mullins and Stephanie O'Brien, the trio led the retro wave in 2006 with their 1940s influenced blend of "pop with swing" Betcha Bottom Dollar.
The new CD offers more of the same and demonstrates that the girls are growing in confidence. Four of the songs are their own compositions, while unconventional covers include ambitious takes on The Bangles' "Walk Like An Egyptian" and Dusty Springfield's "Spooky".
Not everything works but when they get things right, The Puppini Sisters really succeed in forcing you to sit up, take notice and hail the quality of their music.
Every track sounds classic, yet contemporary.
Pop favourites are re-worked in the band's trademark rockabilly style, with all three members taking it in turns to produce original arrangements
The Bangles' "Walk Like An Egyptian" is given the Puppini treatment and sounds tailor made for their jazz & cocktails sound.
"Soho Nights" has a Latin feel and could be part of a Pedro Almodovar soundtrack; it's that good.
Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic" is darker and more seductive than you could possibly imagine in these ladies' capable hands.
So much more than lounge music, this album really does creep on you- surprising you at every turn, like a good movie.
Featuring all the trademark nostalgia of the first album, this CD is complete with close harmonies, jazz strings, salutes to the toy piano and some serious sass.

Hey Eugene!
50th Anniversary Collection

The difference between the Puppini Sisters' albums is a contrast like night and day. You feel that the Sisters have really come into their own with this new work. They're still doing the clever covers of pop songs, like the driving Spooky (originally by the Classics IV) and the ethereal Could It Be Magic (wistful and heart rending in this version, quite a departure from Donna Summers' soft core porn '80s original), but have expanded their repertoir nicely with five original numbers. All five are real audience faves on the live circuit, and the one that stands out for me is And She Sang - pathos in a pretty dress. More thought provoking than their last album, it's dificult to imagine Ruby Woo as just background music. It's a slow burner that will stand the test of time - I highly recommend it.

Responding to the reviewer who labeled this disc "dreck:" I'll say that he has a right to his opinion, of course, but I think he must not be listening to the radio. This new Puppini Sisters CD is much better than most of the REAL dreck being dribbled upon the airwaves. At least these women have personality and a recognizable sound. Most of the female vocalists these days sound just like each other, with all the rough edges smoothed out and any personal quirks removed. Their music is often just an exercise in vocal pyrotechnics with no real soul behind it. At least the Puppini Sisters have come up with their own sound.

Another reviewer described the Puppini's as "lifeless." Say, what? Was this CD actually listened to all the way through? This record fairly crackles with energy.

Still another listener complained that so many of theses songs were not recognizable. If the liner info had been read, it would have been noticed that several tracks are originals by each of the Puppini sisters. This fact alone makes this release more ambitious than the previous one was. And a couple of these originals do not disgrace themselves in the presence of the peerless Duke Ellington or John Barry and Hal David, also represented by songs on THE RISE & FALL OF RUBY WOO. Stephanie O'Brien's "Soho Nights" sounds like it was written sixty years ago, although the lyrics betray its modernity. It's a delightful little faux-Bohemian romp. Marcella Puppini's "Jilted" is a bit long for its limited, unoriginal idea, but it has a memorable melody. Another one of her songs, "And She Sang," is lots of fun, with its combination of Italian street café music and classical flourishes, punctuated with haunted house-evoking double bass and slide guitar. Kate Mullins' fine "It's Not Over (Death Or The Toy Piano)" reminds me a little of The Squirrel Nut Zippers, combining familiar-sounding music with an offbeat lyric and a darker mood.

As with BETCHA BOTTOM DOLLAR there's a willingness to play with more modern fare, and I don't mean just in retrofitting newer songs. The arrangements have been made appropriate to the songs, and one remembers the originals without automatically thinking of these new versions as just inferior covers; at least, that's my own experience. As the Sisters did with Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" on the previous release, they breathe a new and different light into songs from the '70's on up to our present time. The Bangles' "Walk Like An Egyptian," Beyonce's "Crazy In Love," and yes, you heard it right, Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic" are all unexpected choices. Although "Walk" is fun, it's not strong enough to give the original a run for its money. The other two are another story: I like them both much better than the authors' own recordings of them! Good covers should be different than than their previous, hit versions, and all of these arrangements fit that particular bill.

The instrumental backing throughout this record is even more accomplished and varied than on its predecessor. Once more, it's old-timey, but with a bit more emphasis on the drums and bass than one might hear in the late `30's and `40's. And there are some nice flavors of gypsy swing and touches of acoustic psychedelia provided by the odd toy piano, triangle and melodica. The sisters themselves, further enhancing their legitimacy as musicians, sometimes play these instruments and others, including accordion and violin.

Not everything works here, I should add, without dumping on this effort as a whole. "Spooky" disappointed me in its failure to BE spooky, although it's growing on me some. "We Have All The Time In the World" just can't hold a candle to the Louis Armstrong version, although it does capture a kind of dreaminess. Somehow, it lacks some of the energy the Puppini's usually deliver. Not surprisingly, the Duke Ellington track, "It Don't Mean A Thing..." is the least original performance, here. It's so like a dozen other recorded versions I've heard, and even still, the Sisters don't toss it off as though they're not all that interested. Once they've gotten the perfunctory part out of the way, they break the rhythm and launch into a slower improvisation, before returning to the swing portion, and inserting, just for kicks, a brief vocal lick from "Mambo Italiano."

Whatever its flaws, I give this CD four stars, and would add another half star if Amazon allowed it. The Puppini's should also be commended for being among the few acts reviving early jazz and swing styles that don't just present museum-quality copies. Rather, they update the music without disrespecting it. For me, this puts them in fine company with the Squirrel Nut's, Leon Redbone and Bob Brozman. Whenever The Sisters do try to sound just like voices from a bygone era, as they do on "Old Cape Cod," they produce a sonic glow of beauty and purity that I find hard to resist. Patti Page would have been proud!

The Puppini Sisters, inspired by the The Triplets of Belleville from the Belgian/Quebecois animated film of the same name, pay homage to the girl groups of the 1930s and 1940s; from their victory curls to the fire engine red lipstick to the curvy, form-fitting retro dresses, here are three gals who are seriously enamored with WWII-era vocal music. Their tight harmonies and covers of retro gems such as Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen, Mr. Sandman, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and In The Mood fused seamlessly with covers of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights, Blondie's Heart of Glass and Gloria Gaynor's anthem I Will Survive made their debut Betcha Bottom Dollar endearing and quirky, but with definite staying power, particularly if you're like me and you adore the Andrews Sisters.

On their sophomore follow-up The Rise and Fall Of Ruby Woo, the trio (Marcella Puppini, Stephanie O'Brien, and Kate Mullins) have penned nearly half of the songs (Soho Nights, I Can't Believe I'm Not A Millionaire, Jilted, It's Not Over, And She Sang). The covers this time around are more zany, including the Bangles' Walk Like An Egyptianand Beyonce's Crazy in Love, along with Old Cape Cod and Spooky. The only nod to vintage covers here is It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing). But even here, the "sisters" have veered from strict 1940s harmony to taking liberties with scat singing, ad lib lyrics and drastically altering the tempo.

Those who loved the Puppini Sisters' debut for its adherence to 1940s glamour and sonic fidelity will be sorely disappointed, particularly by some of the new songs like Jilted: "Oh, trust the Cosmo quiz for advice," or I Can't Believe I'm Not A Millionaire, which features the line "I fixed myself a Pop-Tart." The 1940s this is not, but the new direction towards self-penned independence and less reliance on covers feels weak compared to their first album. Soho Nights was a standout, but I found myself routinely skipping over the other tracks written by the group.

Overall, this is still a fun album with a nod to retro glam in the spirit of the Andrews Sisters, but the new songs paled next to the enduring classics from the 1940s and 1950s; the covers on this album were all from the last 20 years for the most part, which was a big leap from their prior album. The Puppini Sisters also recently released two songs for the Kitt Kittridge: An American Girl soundtrack that sound most similar to their debut, and I look forward to seeing what the future will hold for this unusual group.

I just recently saw the Puppini Sisters live on the "True Colors" tour with Cyndi Lauper, The B-52's and Andy Bell from Erasure as an opening act. Besides myself, the audience loved them. Decked out in 40's garb and singing in a 40's "Andrew Sister's" style they belted out classic hits as well as updates (in 40's style again) of favorite 80's music. Who dosen't like a novelty act with talent? I came home after the concert looked them up on Amazon and ordered their two available CD's. I have now shared their music with friends and family, and the verdict is fun!

In other reviews I read where Mercella Puppini, Kate Mullins and Stephanie O'Brien, the Puppini "Sisters" are only singing in a style already "done". As if today's talentless rappers and samplers had something original. So much of today's other music might be "original", but it's ugly, and the "artists" have nothing to say, nothing I want to hear.

What really compelling, what stands out with the Puppini's music is the level of devotion and craft, the years of practice it must have taken to be able to sing close Andrews Sisters harmonies with newer songs. It is so refreshing. Harmony - the lost art. Music, I learned at an early age is composed of three elements, Melody, rhythm and harmony!

There is a touch of tongue in cheek occationally, but that's part of the fun, that they don't take themselves too seriously. I like the funny, world-weary "Jilted" and "I Can't Believe I'm not a Millionaire" songs. (Me, too - if there were any justice in this cruel world...). "Old Cape Cod" is a wonderful copy of the fifties hit by Patti Page, hits me in the heart and takes me back the first time I heard Page. As is said elsewhere, much to "Ruby Woo" is not retro Andrews sisters songs, but original and new music given their treatment. Particularly sucessful in Andrews style is the bouncy Bangles hit "Walk Like an Egytian".

Luxuriate in the wonders of vocal harmony.

I like the three women as "temptresses" in colorful stockings and hell high heels on the cover (and more lingerie inside).

This music is infectiously fun, clever, retro and most important, full of real musicanship. The perfect cure for the gloom of The Great Recession.
Not a bad cut on the album.

Highly recomended.

for those who like harmony, the Ditty Bops are another girl group who remember how to sing it.

The Puppini Sisters are full of attitude, humor and fun! Their harmonies are incredibly tight and their little core 3 piece band sounds like much, much more. Their CDs are great fun but if you get a chance to see them live you'll see that there is no way to capture their tongue-in-cheek antics... The Andrews Sisters would be proud...

Taken from their debut CD, the Puppinis' Andrews-Sisters-style smackdown of the hoary "I Will Survive" has become the band's signature concert closer. This time around on the band's sophomore offering, it's the Bangles who get the beating, as "Walk like an Egyptian" is zipped up in the Puppinis' zaniness. These campy stampers still show no shame, as nothing is beyond their rowdy reach. Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing" is swung straight. But the Classics IV's "Spooky" is re-sparked as a fast tango, and Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" is bounced between a breakneck, flapper-flagging ragtime and a sultry blues. Three lead vocalists who double on violin, accordion, and piano respectively, the Puppinis have come closer to capturing their live-performance energy, but they're not quite there yet. Their crack backing trio is still mixed too far back, and, of course, the CD's lack of visuals dampens the fun. Perhaps a DVD would help, but then there'd be less of an incentive to see the group live. And such boundless creativity deserves an audience. Catch `em if you can. ****

I am a Manhattan Transfer addict from way back and these ladies have some great similarities to their sound. I like their material and their style. Good stuff! There is a little Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks appeal, also.

I first heard the Puppini Sisters when they were on a Sirius radio station, and thought they were great. I'm sure their music isn't for everyone, but I sure am a fan. These women are highly talented in many areas of music, plus obviously have a sense of humor ("I Can't Believe I'm Not a Millionaire" and my absolue favorite, "Jilted")