Over the past 50 years, Austin, Texas, has seen its population triple, while what’s known as the Greater Austin Area has seen even larger growth, quadrupling the number of people who call it home. If I’ve done my math right (always questionable), about 15 percent of those folks have arrived in the past six years—and, expanding backwards by a decade, 1.4 million since 2010. That’s insanely rapid growth. As a result, the once-quirky character of what some used to call an oversized college town has been subsumed by the conformity that comes from being both a tourist stop and a major tech hub—the main reasons for the changes, from what I’ve read. That means more gentrification: strip malls, chain stores, overpriced homes, and ritzy apartment complexes, and far less of those things that gave the town its charm.
I’m sure I’m extrapolating a lot from a little, as I often do, but that seems to be the current flowing through Americana artist Ruby Dice’s latest album, Take Me Back. On the surface, it’s an old-school roots record that blends country, rock, and the blues, with the gritty grooves and twangy turns making for a fun, even enthralling, listen. Just beneath the waterline, however, it sports a strong undertow. “Stories,” which features Scott Strickland, delves into the informal legends that litter our lives, with the memories of pals and their hijinks adding a sense of home. A few songs later, “Little Big Town” finds Dice and Nakia brooding about how her Austin has changed yet, at the same time, insists it remains the same in spirit. (“Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart,” she sings.) “Cosplay Cowboy,” with Garrett Jay Brown, furthers the disconnect between the new and old. “Country Show,” with Suzanna Choffel, widens the scope to explain why she does what she does.
As evidenced by the guests mentioned above, joining her are an array of friends; other tracks feature Grey Horse, Jordan Matthew Young, Sophia Johnson, and Shinyribs. (The press release quotes her as saying, “It’s really a snapshot of the incredible music community that’s lifted me up over the years. Every collaboration represents a friendship, a late-night jam, or someone who believed in me along the way.”) Also on hand is her touring band: Simon Paige (pedal steel), Calloway Ritch (guitar), Jeff Sanders (drums), and David Thacker (keys). Dice, for her part, plays bass.
From the first track to last, as I mentioned above, it’s both a fun and enthralling listen, mixing memories with contemplations about her life’s mission. “Making life out of art is breaking my heart,” she admits in “The Reason,” a cool duet with Johnson, yet it’s something she can’t quite shake. The collaboration with Shinyribs, “Dress to Impress,” is a rip-roaring good time, while the closing “Take Me Back”—which features Young, Choffel, and Strickland—finds her yearning for the Austin of yesteryear.
The track list:
The Old Grey Cat 