Youth, humility and brilliance

It’s hard to believe how good RuRu is until you see them. Most everyone who has seen the band perform swears by the lead singer’s brilliance, but when you take into account that Isaac Russel is only sixteen.

But really, the music this kid creates is fantastic. His use of acoustic guitar and banjo is reminiscent of a Damien Rice-Bob Dylan hybrid, but with a certain flair that only youth can provide. The transition between calm and chaos in his songs (specifically in the first track, "Why") is thrilling.

RuRu’s first album, Elizabeth, was released earlier this month at Velour. Local greats Colby Stead and Marcus Bentley opened, singing RuRu’s praises between songs.

When RuRu finally got to the stage, he acted polite and coy toward the audience, giving sweet tidbits of information and humor between songs. He performed all of the best songs from the album, with one short, humble encore.

The thing that stood out most about the music coming from Velour that Friday was that no one would take credit for it. Humility like this is hard to find in the music business, and it should be enjoyed while it lasts.

Elizabeth is well worth the ten dollars, and is available for purchase at northplatterecords.com