Ruby Amanfu possesses a voice that feels like a shared secret. It is rich with a natural, lived-in rasp that lends immediate authority to everything she sings, whether it is a soaring R&B hook or a hushed folk ballad. Her sound is deeply rooted in the musical intersection of Nashville, where the storytelling of Americana meets the emotional weight of classic soul. It is warm, organic, and remarkably patient.
What sets her apart is her ability to inhabit a song completely, stripping away artifice to find the raw emotional core. Her work often features minimalist arrangements, allowing the texture of her voice to be the primary instrument. There is a specific kind of 'blue' feeling in her music, a sophisticated melancholy that feels both timeless and modern, avoiding the clichés of both pop and soul.
Start with her 2015 album 'Standing Still' to hear her at her most evocative. It is a masterclass in the art of the cover song, where she reimagines tracks by artists like Bob Dylan and Kanye West, turning them into intimate, haunting soul-folk meditations that sound like they were written specifically for her voice.
Eyram Ruby Amanfu Ashworth is an American recording artist based in Nashville. Amanfu has released seven studio albums and multiple singles. She is known for being one half of the duo Sam & Ruby, whose album was named Associated Press Album of the Year in 2009. Amanfu is also known for her collaborations with Jack White in his all-female band, The Peacocks, and has widely appeared on his critically acclaimed solo albums, Blunderbuss and Lazaretto. In 2020 and 2022, Amanfu was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for co-writing "Hard Place" by H.E.R. and "A Beautiful Noise" by Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile, and was nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award. Outside of her musical career, Amanfu is an actress, civil activist, an elected Recording Academy Board Governor, private chef, and food blogger.
Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →