Ruth B is more than a six second clip on the internet. The 20-year-old singer songwriter from Canada proved this in her first EP, Intro, released this past November. The album contains four songs including “Lost Boy,” a song she wrote that went viral on Vine. Since releasing it a little over two years ago, she lengthened the six second into a complete song that has over two million views on YouTube. And the viewers love it; “Lost Boy” is common on radio stations like Sirius-XM Alt Nation and Intro placed in the Top 5 on iTunes after release. Canada has brought forward such talented and popular artists as Celine Deon, Justin Bieber and Michael Buble, and Intro proves that with some tweaking Ruth B belongs with them.

Throughout “Lost Boy” you can see the sporadic glimpses of Ruth’s life that bring a depth of character to the otherwise themed song, saying “As we soared above the town that never loved me // I realized I finally had a family.” At first listen, the song felt refreshing, as she did a nice job combining personal experience with the story of Peter Pan (saying she often, like Peter Pan, feels lost, but when she embraces that lifestyle she feels most at-home), but by the third of fourth consecutive listen the constant relation to Peter Pan  got a little bit old. Of course, it is a themed song, but it could use some trimming as the phrase, “Neverland is home to lost boys like me // And lost boys like me are free” is used six times in the 4:35 minutes. I believe the song is a great start to proving that Ruth B. has meaningful things to say in her songs; songs that have a right to be catchy.

“Golden” is a simultaneously delicate and strong “I’ll show you” type of song. Throughout the song, Ruth says “Burn, burn, burn // They used to yell // You thought I was coal //My friend, I’m gold //Can’t you tell?” The song has a message of self-confidence that is both mellow and serene, rather than being clothed in a pop-y techno beat accustomed to most anthems of love present in today’s popular music culture. She shows a sense of perseverance saying, “The fire you put me through turned me into gold.”  When looking individually at the lyrics, they may seem a little cocky, but Ruth demonstrates them in such a way that you feel for her seemingly rough past and applaud her triumphs, especially since it means you get to indulge in her songs. Somehow, Ruth found a way to translate a common message in her own way with carefully chosen lyrics that can relate to many.

In “Superficial Love” Ruth B explains a love story that is not whole saying she can “feel you on my lips all the time // But I just want to feel you in my heart and on my mind.” This song proves that although she is only 20, she is an old soul that has a view on love unique to most millennials.

In “2 Poor Kids” tells the love story shared between “just 2 poor kids in a really rich city.” Ruth B experiments with her vocals by applying a natural falsetto to notes and reaching some higher notes. In the phrase “No fancy suit and no fancy dress. // Just us, just us, just love, just love” she carries out “love” differently at every reverse, creating an interesting listen through out the whole song. It proposes a message of loving freely and without worry of what others think.

Overall, I would say Ruth B’s incredible vocals are what drive the album home. Amazingly, she sounds just as good live as in the edited versions. When listening to her songs, her maturity matches that of Adele from her debut album 19. Like young Adele, her natural talent gives you chills; she has an ear for what sounds good that creates complete and interesting songs. With some time, I think she will advance her songwriting to stray from repetitive songs to elaborate lyrics. Intro left me excited and inpatient for her next round of songs.

Cover photo from ruthbofficial.com