Canadian Ruthie B Helps Us Feel A Little Less Lost

Ever ask yourself "What does a big hug sound like?" If you're new to that question rest assured I have a definitive answer for you. Hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Ruthie B has arrived to wrap her arms around you. Let her easygoing manner on piano ease the day's cares. You could lose yourself, tears and all behind "Lost Boy". You'll get plenty of Peter Pan related imagery here, namely because Peter Pan and friends were the kid literature gold standard of lost boys. Of course Peter Pan was the definitive man child that today would locate a contemporary figure in Adam Sandler characters. But, back to the tickled ivories. We'd be here all night if I came up with the exhaustively long list of superlatives worth pinning to Ruthie B's playing. Her lyrics up the excitement factor even more. You get transported straight back to evenings spent reading about Peter, Wendy, Jane, and Michael. The chords she chooses are meant to encourage you to embrace the concept of Kleenex used to dry away your daily fears. Try not to break down in knowing sobs when you gloss over what this 21 year-old comet in the making has to impart. Her only friend was the man in the moon. Now that's harsh. Not only that, sometimes he would go away too. How can you resist the sweet smile of Peter Pan. That shadow flying high boded well for Ruthie B's future chances at inner serenity. "Lost Boy" gets bolstered by remaining in the same general chord progression played out to heart-lifting effect over and over again. In verse 2, Ruthie B gets sprinkled with Tinker Bell's magical pixie dust. The fantasy grows more lifelike. Ruthie fully buys into Pete's world of escapades. I'm moved by the sentiments "Neverland is home to lost boys like me, and lost boys like me are free." You get a full bodied liberation out of inhaling those words. Reality doesn't offer up too many escape hatches but it's an inviting thought that Ruthie's allowing us to share with her. Freedom stands as our country's defining concept. You take your unshackled levity where you can find it. Ruthie's got pipes you'd like to greet you after any particularly rotten day. It's soft as daisy petals, soothing as aloe vera on a sunburn. As the video clearly illustrates, Ruthie isn't hard on the eyes by any stretch of the imagination. Those soulful orbs inside of her head project to even the most hardened of curmudgeons who've been beaten down by Life's slings and arrows and don't have any compassion left to spare. Ruthie climbs to a dignifying crescendo before she reaches the chorus, a chorus led by the declaration, "I am a lost boy from Neverland, usually hanging out with Peter Pan." Many of us are lost boys in need of someone willing to coax out our approachable side. Ruthie B definitely strikes me as being exceptionally approachable, in lyric, temperament and well placed vocal range. To add to that she knows how to get exactly what she needs out of her piano. In "Lost Boy" Ruthie B has found an exquisite formula for future winning streaks on the adult contemporary charts.