Last time I spoke with Bryan Ruby was on the Batting Around podcast — the gayest baseball podcast on the Internet. (I linked to an Internet archive page but you can find the podcast anywhere you find your other favorites — like the Rainbow Rodeo podcast.) Just in time for the world series, Ruby has released his debut album Diamonds Are Forever just in time for the World Series.
Alas, the gayest team in Major League Baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies, did not make it. (Seriously –click for some excellent baseball content.) But Diamons Are Forever celebrates the overall romanticism in baseball and beyond. Ruby’s music is straightforward, boot-scootin’ country music and if ’90s pop country is your thing, Diamonds are Forever is sure to be in heavy rotation for you.
Not long after we recorded the podcast, Ruby and I hung out for an informal coffee. He told me that his songwriting process involves him listening to dozens and dozens of songs a week and dissecting what makes any that stand out really tick. That discipline can be seen here. “Left Field” and “Diamonds Are Forever” lean into heavy hooks and a sort of “aw-shucks” humility exemplifies mainstream country. Rubys voice needs to be heard to believed, a heady, honey-sweet bass that is as perfect for country music as the crack of a bat on a dinger to deep right field.
It’s when Ruby digs deeper into his own emotions that the song hit home (no pun intended) more successfully. His duet with gay country singer pioneer Ty Herndon, “The Standouts,” shows Ruby’s promise is a serious singer-songwriter. The emotional vulnerability in the lyrics and performance show us how Ruby can connect to audiences and say what he really means. And, importantly, Ruby uses the conventions of pop country to celebrate the real America: hardworking people doing their best — and not the kind who celebrate thoughtless patriotism and muscle-bound machismo. It’s exciting to see Ruby make a statement — and exciting to see where he’ll go as he gains even more confidence as a writer.