"So Long" - Ruth Brown
The first single of the "Woman Who Built Atlantic" may not be earth-shattering on its own, but in the context of her future classics, it already shows quite a bit of the greatness to come. The song itself is nothing special: a vocal jazz ballad about the common subject of giving a tearful goodbye to the one you love. Yet, Ruth manages to convey quite an impressive range of emotions within less than 3 minutes: youthful optimism, tearful apologies, anguished cries, bitter nostalgia, and so much more. Even with a standard, Ruth imbues each and every lyric with a different micro-emotion, allowing the listener to savor every second of this performance. Whether the label understood it or not, Ruth had already arrived as a monster vocal talent, and while that alone couldn't make this a classic recording (even a performer of Ruth's caliber still couldn't turn a song like this into a great one), it is still quite a nice way for her to begin her rise as the true "Queen of R&B."
Verdict: Excellent
On another note, my favorite version of the song is this explosive, overdriven delivery by a different Brown!
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