SOFIA RUBINA

I AM SOUL

Independent Label

Sofia Rubina, vocals/composer; Evgeny Lebedev, piano; Anton Revnyuk, bass; Ignat Kravtsov, drums. MAIN STRINGS: string quartet.

Estonia is a small country in Northern Europe and the birthplace of Sofia Rubina.  This country, with a population of about 1.3 million people, is located bordering the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland. Her album demonstrates how jazz has spread like sweet jam across all slices of earth.

Surprisingly, this small country hosts the largest jazz festival in the Baltics.  Estonia first discovered jazz in the 1930’s, when the ‘swing’ craze swept their country. By 1936, Estonia’s Philharmonic Hall was proudly presenting multiple jazz concerts.  Today, this tiny country offers us the big sound of this jazz vocalist, Sofia Rubina. Here is her sixth album release titled, “I Am Soul.”  She offers a unique approach to jazzily arranged tunes, including six original songs and she ‘covers’ artists like Bonnie Raitt, Chick Corea and George Duke.  Rubina opens with a song she co-wrote titled, “Home.”  It allows us to hear the full range of her voice and style.  Rubina is definitely a stylist.  That is to say, she sounds like herself and has established a vocal presentation that is both unique and singular.  Her pianist, Evgeny Lebedev, shines on this mix of 5/4 and 3/4 tempos. This original song is fresh and challenging, both melodically and timewise.  Rubina’s voice plays like a saxophone, offering some expressive lines that establish her as an inimitable improvisor.

Track #2 is called “Taim” and is sung in her native language.  The melody is infectious, and she sings it with emotional clarity and power. She sells the song, even though I don’t understand the lyrical content.  “Morning Etude” is another original tune and is reminiscent of a Herbie Hancock composition, with its challenging melody and range.  Once again Evgeny Lebedev soars on piano and the electric bass of Anton Revnyuk steps into the spotlight to show off his own talents. On the song “Surgery” we hear the power and influence of Ignat Kravtsov on drums.  He adds a soulful funk to the arrangement and Rubina shows off a completely different side to her vocalization. It’s quite soulful. I hear blues in this arrangement and rhythm and blues in Rubina’s vocals. There is even a touch of gospel music gliding through her presentation, like a whispered prayer. She riffs and scats and has a choir of voices join in to lift the arrangement. I am impressed with her sincerity and style.

Sofia Rubina comes from parents who are scientists and music lovers.  Noticing her talent early on, they encouraged her love of vocalizing, and she began voice lessons at age ten.  According to her press package, she was influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Dianne Reeves.  However, she sounds nothing like any of these legendary jazz divas.  Rubina has her own sound.  She continued her study of music at the celebrated Vilandi Academy of Culture and at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute.  A former album release titled “In the Land of Oo-Bla Dee” earned her Best Jazz Album of the Year from the Estonian Music Awards.  She has won first place in several national singing and jazz competitions in her native country of Estonia. This talented vocalist has toured internationally in over fifteen countries.  I expect that number to grow along with her popularity.  Perhaps Sofia Rubina sums it up best when she says:

“This album is authentically me, who I really am, vulnerable, powerful, joyful, searching for meaning, trying to listen to my inner voice.  I see musicians as channelers delivering messages.”

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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