The Puppini Sisters 'The Rise & Fall Of Ruby Woo' album

On Friday, February 22, 2008, The Puppini Sisters will release The Rise & Fall of Ruby Woo, their sophomore release on the Verve Records label. The trio – featuring Marcella Puppini, Kate Mullins, and Stephanie O’Brien - returns with an album that reveals a new maturity in both their sound and their songwriting.

Marcella Puppini, Stephanie O’Brien and Kate Mullins formed The Puppini Sisters in September 2004. Dressed with 1940’s glamour, The Puppini Sisters presented tongue-in-cheek versions of classics such as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” The Smiths’ “Panic,” and Kate Bush's “Wuthering Heights,” which led to a cult following in the coolest clubs and subsequently to a major record deal with Universal Classics & Jazz in the UK and Verve Records in the United States.

Accomplished musicians who met at London’s Trinity College of Music, with everything from piano to saxophone to harp on their combined resumes, The Puppini Sisters set about recording their debut album Betcha Bottom Dollar. With Benoit Charest (The Triplets of Belleville) as producer and arranging the music themselves, the Sisters created contemporary reinterpretations of old-time favorites, including “Mr. Sandman” and “Jeepers Creepers” and translated more modern songs such as Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass” into tight three-part harmonies of such splendor that the Andrews Sisters would have quivered with joy.

The resulting album was one of the most accomplished, eccentric and original albums of the year. Their unique interpretations and performances of the songs led them to break records in July 2006 when Betcha Bottom Dollar became the fastest selling jazz debut in Britain as the album soared into the top 20. Celebrity fans ranging from Prince Charles and Camilla to Robert De Niro and Ozzy Osbourne hopped on the Puppini bandwagon as the media heaped glowing praises on the trio:

The Boston Globe – “…The Puppini Sisters -- all winks and nudges and furtive glances -- have a way of making you feel like the only gentleman in the room (ladies, that goes for you, too).''

LA Weekly - ''Don't even think about sitting under the apple tree with anyone else but The Puppini Sisters…''

Washington Post - ''That retrospective revival is certainly charming…''

Illinois Entertainer - ''…the group's sophisticated vocal harmonies, swing sensibilities, and exuberant sense of humor, promises a sure-to-be enchanting, evocative, and entertaining evening.''

Time out Chicago - ''Funny, sunny, clever, and merry…''

Gold discs for worldwide sales followed as the Puppini phenomenon spread around the globe including America where the album earned a Top 10 position in the Billboard Heatseekers chart and debuted at number 2 on the Jazz charts, and where the girls sold out 14 nights at the legendary Oak Room in New York City. The White Stripes invited them to be special guest on their tour, an opportunity the girls reluctantly declined due to prior commitments

The Puppini Sisters now return with the February 2008 release of The Rise & Fall of Ruby Woo, their sophomore disc. Produced by Martin Terefe (Ron Sexsmith, KT Tunstall, Yusuf Islam) and The Puppini Sisters, the album reveals a new maturity in both The Sisters’ sound and songwriting.

“With the release of our first album, we captured people’s imagination,” said Marcella Puppini. “But our second album is most definitely a step forward. Our collective musical influences, which range from Tom Waits to Ennio Morricone, are more and more evident in what is becoming our own, distinctive sound.”

In that vein, The Rise & Fall Of Ruby Woo is a collection of highly original songs written by the trio, including “I Can’t Believe I’m Not A Millionaire” and “Jilted,” as well as extraordinary covers of tunes by artists ranging from Barry Manilow to Beyoncé. The Puppinis’ trademark watertight harmonies are still present, as is their love of and respect for music from a bygone era.

The Rise & Fall Of Ruby Woo kicks off with the 1960’s pop hit “Spooky” (Classics IV/Dusty Springfield) reinvented as a high-energy, live drum-and-bass track. That’s followed by a version of The Bangles’ “Walk Like An Egyptian” (complete with Middle Eastern yodeling) that displays the style, talent, and humor that The Puppini Sisters are known for. Another gem viewed through the Puppini looking glass is an unforgettable rendition of Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love.” There’s also a frenzied take on “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”

The wonky hip-hop of “It’s Not Over (Death Or The Toy Piano),” the filmic, Fellini-inspired epic “And She Sang,” and the 1940’s-style Latin dance anthem “Soho Nights’ are another three of the original songs written by The Puppini Sisters for The Rise & Fall of Ruby Woo, which also includes a number of slower-paced tunes, such as “Old Cape Cod” and a dark, brooding interpretation of Barry Manilow’s “Could It Be Magic.”

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The Puppini Sisters - The Rise & Fall Of Ruby Woo