Album Review: I Am Soul from Sofia Rubina

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Album:  I Am Soul
Artist:  Sofia Rubina
Website:  https://www.sofiarubina.eu/
https://sofiarubina.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-soul

Bridging the lanes of cool jazz, smooth blues, R&B/soul, and sonic pop, I Am Soul from Estonian vocalist Sofia Rubina is a pleasing synthesis.  Her command of the vocal melody is reminiscent of Joss Stone, and her natural fit into the melodic grooves is emblematic of jazz music's treasures like Dianne Reeves and Jane Monheit.

The album is a collection of eleven tracks with six songs written or co-written by Rubina and the others are covers of works by L. Spenser Smith and Testament, George Duke, Chick Corea and Neville Potter, Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin.  Rubina collaborates with Evgeny Lebedev, an award-winning pianist and graduate of Berklee College, on the recording.  Also joining Rubina are Anton Revnyuk on bass and Ignat Kravtsov on drums, along with a string quartet featured on several tunes.

The bluesy texture of her vocals exude a soulful quality that steers tracks like "Taim" and "Great Life" to an ambient sweetness.  “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” by Nashville writers Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and made popular by vocalists Nancy Wilson and Bonnie Raitt, is a vibrant addition to the recording.  Rubina's soulful inflections give the melody depth that reaches out to audiences on a mass conscientiousness level, accompanied by a string quartet that allows the music to fly.

Rubina has won many accolades in her six-album catalog. Her album In the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee earned her Best Jazz Album of the Year from the Estonian Music Awards. She took first place at several national singing and jazz competitions in Estonia and has collaborated with many notable musicians and big bands. She has performed internationally in the USA at Blue Note in New York City, as well as major venues in Panama, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Faroe Islands, China, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.  It is no stretch to say that the bridges Sofia Rubina has made constitutes world music status.

Musicians:
Sofia Rubina - Vocal
Evgeny Lebedev- Piano
Anton Revnyuk- Bass
Ignat Kravtsov- Drums
Main Strings - String quartet

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