Cynics and Saints was recorded at Immersive Studios direct to DSD via Meitner
converters to Sonoma. The entire album is DSDPure
Available for download in DSD, 176/24, 96/24, and 88/24 at:
http://store.acousticsounds.com
Denver, CO
After three and a half years of sweat, pain, tears and love - and even a little bit of blood - Colorado singer/songwriter Lara Ruggles has released her debut full-length album, Cynics & Saints, on Immersive Records. Proof that good things come to those who wait, Cynics & Saints’ powerful vocals, lyrics as metaphorical as they are personal, and guitar-and-piano driven melodies take the listener on a journey that looks fearlessly into what it means to be willing to be broken; a reflection of the album’s creation.
After releasing the 2011 EP Out of an Eggshell Ruggles knew she was on the right path. It was the production and recording involvement of Steven Vidaic and Mike Yach at Immersive Records that brought this substantial project to fruition. Ruggles was confident that she had found the right partners for Cynics & Saints. However, working within the restraints of a limited budget often meant that the studio’s other paying clients had to come first. Multiple setbacks and unforeseen roadblocks (including Bruce Springsteen borrowing equipment that was needed to master the record) delayed the album's completion, testing Ruggles’ ability to keep the faith.
“I’m the kind of person who spent eight years training a wild horse,” she says, “but this still tested my patience beyond anything else I’ve ever done. A lot of the life lessons of this process have been about letting go.”
The album’s slow progression wasn’t the only challenge to Ruggles’ commitment. The never-ending struggle to pay the bills pulled time and energy away from the studio and at one point Ruggles could count 5 other day jobs but still relied on food stamps; while touring a car break-in resulted in the loss of her computer, entire wardrobe and a battered morale. During the peak of recording Ruggles was further tested when her long term relationship – the relationship the bulk of the record was inspired by – imploded in slow motion. “I’d go into the vocal booth with my fists clenched and sing whole songs that way,” she says.
Cynics & Saints’ title track, while it speaks to the universal, is also an accurate representation of where Ruggles finds herself both personally and musically; a self-professed cynic fighting not to be a cynic. “Sometimes you want to give up and the only thing you know how to do to cope with it all is write another song,” Ruggles tell us. “As soon as it's written all you want to do is sing it triumphantly for anyone who will listen. So you go out and book another tour and make another album. Because every time you try to give up, you write another song instead.”
Like any complete story, Cynics & Saints is filled with both fight and surrender. Its unflinchingly honest lyrics and immediately captivating melodies invite the listener to share in the ultimate strength of vulnerability... and to keep on singing.
Since 2013, Lara Ruggles has toured the US twice, been featured in a multi-media ad campaign for Lyft; supported Nina Storey and Ben Ottewell of Gomez; won the Colorado Creative Industries Career Advancement Grant, and was nominated for the 2015 Denver Westword Music Awards.
Contact info for Lara:
www.facebook.com/lararugglesmusic
Twitter: @LaraRuggles
Contact info for Immersive Records:
www.facebook.com/immersiverecords
Twitter: @immersiverec
