Lost love and self-healing in Ruston Kelly’s ‘The Weakness’

Three years after one of his songs was included on former President Barack Obama’s favorite songs of 2020, the dirt emo singer Ruston Kelly’s third full length studio album “The Weakness” was released on Friday, April 7. 

In “The Weakness,” Kelly discloses his innermost thoughts and fears through his lyrics. Throughout the album Kelly writes of “her,” a reference to his ex-wife Kacey Musgraves, and gives voice to the emotionality of heartbreak and his continued struggles with addiction, a theme throughout his previous work. 

While the album is named after the title track, “The Weakness” isn’t even close to being one of the best on the album. It introduces the personal conversation he has about loss and struggles every human faces, setting the foundation for the following 11 tracks. 

“When you can sum something up singularly, and then put it against the whole and see the bigger picture, you really can understand your sense of direction, sense of purpose, and also your sense of peace,” Kelly shared with Rolling Stone, describing this album as “self-help rock.” 

Highlight tracks on “The Weakness” are ones with the more personal, deep messages that reveal Kelly’s inner monologue. These tracks include “Hellfire,” “St. Jupiter,” “Mending Song,” “Holy Shit” and “Better Now.”

The chorus of “Hellfire” strikes a chord deep within as Kelly empathetically voices emotions and thoughts that can overtake one’s head. He sings, “Sometimes I wish I was somebody else / I give in, I give up / Maybe don’t and just wish me luck.”

“Mending Song” is the most critically acclaimed song on “The Weakness” and has garnered over 600,000 streams on Spotify. The track reads as a story of Kelly’s life from birth to death and is reminiscent of his 2020 hit “Brave” that made Obama’s list of favorite songs for 2020. 

The most impactful lyric from “Mending Song” is the chorus, which repeats, “I wanna live like I’m only made of air / And I will forgive what was done out of despair / I wish you only happiness and healin’ / And I hope that you’re findin’ it out there.”

Comparatively, “Brave” is much more focused on legacy, as Kelly opens the song singing, “Who am I and how will I / Be remembered when I die,” and concludes with a description of how he hopes to be remembered. Both songs showcase Kelly’s immense talent for lyricism and the personal emotion poured into each. Through recollections of his life, Kelly shares with the world incredibly personal thoughts and feelings in a stream-of-consciousness songwriting style. 

The only song that leaves listeners wanting more personal information and the full story behind the song is “Michael Keaton.” Kelly tells a story of someone, assumed to be himself, getting high on CBD early in the morning and pondering Michael Keatons’s death in the 1996 film “Multiplicity.” The verses and chorus tell the story for the point of the song but leave much to be assumed about what really happened to inspire it. 

“The Weakness” chronicles Ruston Kelly’s innermost thoughts, feelings and fears, while discussing heartbreak, loss and addiction. His songwriting is powerful in its uncanny journalistic style, giving listeners understanding, empathy and the feeling that they really know Kelly. It is a deeply personal album that has helped Kelly come to terms with his past and gives everyone touched by his voice the opportunity for personal recollection and growth. 

“The Weakness” is available on any music streaming service.