Album Review

Out of Destruction, Comes a New Form

A Review of Ruston Kelly’s Album, Shape & Destroy

Source: Wikimedia

Background

Ruston Kelly is from a musical family. In the 1960s his dad used to play steel guitar in the east Texas folk scene. His sister also sings and eventually became an actress. Growing up, there were guitars and other instruments laying around the house like old newspapers. It was only a matter of time before Kelly built up the courage to play one himself. The self-taught instrumentalist (he plays guitar, piano, drums, lap dulcimer, and several other instruments) began playing guitar at 13. He wrote songs around this time and completed his first project via tape recorder at 14.

Kelly grew up around the country and constantly had to make new friends and readjust. Music turned out to be a constant in his life where he could share his feelings more consistently. He eventually took these songs and started playing them on the road, finally gaining stem in Nashville. The culmination of these songs resulted in his 2013 debut project, The Bootleg Sessions. Critics applauded the project and enjoyed Kelly’s ability to tell emotion-driven stories.

Starting to get established, Kelly used this moment to collaborate with larger artists. He worked on Tim McGraw’s song, “Nashville…