Stream: The Ruby Friedman Orchestra, ‘I’m Not Your Friend’

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Ruby Friedman
Ruby Friedman

There’s probably some sort of epic drama to be made about what happened with Ruby Friedman between 2009 and this June 24, when “Gem,” the full-length album from the Ruby Friedman Orchestra, finally arrives. We’ll save that one for “Behind the Music” and concentrate on the dynamic diva’s new single “I’m Not Your Friend.” Friedman is possessed of pipes that would stop traffic, maybe even on an airport runway, and she can whistle too.

And she’s in her most powerful, quavering form on the single, which, she told Pop Matters, “is a modern-day murder ballad that does not waste time with contrition or regret. It’s written from the perspective of a vigilante who takes on the punishing of heinous crimes because he/she feels the justice system is impersonal, inadequate and/or slow. The concept was spurred on by two real life events: one, a seemingly real confession by a Facebook friend/fan in Florida in regards to a rape/murder crime he happened upon and two, the Riverside, animal shelter break-in and dog murders. It examines a personal justice code vs. institutional justice, i.e., the justice system in relation to animal rights or child murder/rape crimes.”

The album, made with producers Peter Malick (Norah Jones), Josh Valleau (John Legend, Imani Coppola), Alex Elena (Alice Smith) and Nick Page (B.B. King), features nine originals and her version of the oft-covered Darrell Scott song “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” If you were a fan of early Friedman teases like “Shooting Stars” and “Dearest G-D,” you’ll like the polish on her “Gem.”

||| Stream: “I’m Not Your Friend”

||| Previously: “Hang Around”