Macy Gray - Ruby (2018) [Official Digital Download]

For her tenth full-length album, 'Ruby', Macy Gray, reaffirms and reasserts that rare space in the canon of modern music, which she occupies. Channeling the spirit of the "grimy" R&B and smoky jazz closest to her heart, Macy made a leap forward by looking back to formative inspirations.

However, she updated those elements with enriched, entrancing, and enigmatic soundscapes brought to life by producers Johan Carlsson [Michael Bublé, Maroon 5], Tommy Brown [Jennifer Lopez, Fifth Harmony, Travis Scott], and Tommy Parker Lumpkins [Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber].

Take the first single "Sugar Daddy." Co-written with none other than pop superstar Meghan Trainor, the track swings from jazz-y piano into a cooing verse that's as sweet as it is sassy. Her voice takes hold on the hook, "Be my, be my sugar daddy and provide me with your candy."

"Meghan and I thought it be great to collaborate," Macy recalls. "She had the concept in her head for some time, so we took a stab at it. It's really great fun and a bit cheeky. Her writing and talent is brilliant. It was the perfect song to come out with first."

'Ruby' canvases a wide spectrum for the songstress. Raucous horns that feel ripped from a classic seventies flick augment the grit on "Cold World" as "Jealousy" spins a covetous narrative that soars as it seduces. Gary Clark Jr. adds six-string firepower to "Buddha." Everything culminates on the reggae-inspired "Witness," which shuffles between mainland soul and island grooves as she croons, "I wish I was Jesus. I would make sure to fix it. Can I get a witness?"

In the end, 'Ruby' represents Macy Gray at her most passionate, poetic, and powerful.

Tracklist:
01. Buddha
02. Cold World
03. Over You
04. White Man
05. Tell Me
06. Sugar Daddy
07. When It Ends
08. Just Like Jenny
09. Jealousy
10. Shinanigins
11. But He Loves Me
12. Witness