VANESSA RUBIN – Girl Talk (2001) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Jazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin is joined by a stellar cast on her second Telarc release. Bassist David Williams and drummer Lewis Nash hold down the rhythm, joined alternately by pianist/arrangers Larry Willis and Cedar Walton, tenor saxophonists Eric Alexander and Javon Jackson, and trombonist Steve Davis. Rubin's flexible voice covers a wide-ranging repertoire, from standards to Sondheim ("Loving You") to adult contemporary (Bill Withers and Larry Carlton's "Whatever Happens"). She also contributes a yearning original ballad, the closing "If You Ever Go Away." The album is memorable mostly for its offbeat tracks, however: a jazz-waltz take on "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" (with the bridge in a snappy four); Walter Bishop's novelty number, "Sex Is a Misdemeanor (The More You Miss, de Meaner You Get)," a perky calypso featuring Rubin's double-tracked vocal with only bass and drums; and the penultimate track, David Williams' endearing "Won't Have to Say Goodbye," which begins and ends with an implied reggae feel but swings in the middle. Rubin also delivers a splendid "One for My Baby" and invites the great Etta Jones for a tête-à-tête on "But Not for Me" and "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You." David R. Adler        Tracklist + Credits :

VANESSA RUBIN - New Horizons (1997) APE (image+.cue), lossless

For this release, Vanessa Rubin mostly discards jazz in favor of somewhat mundane R&B. She does bring a jazz sensibility to most of the songs (particularly the ballads), but in general, the material is lightweight (even "Here's That Rainy Day" is watered down), and there is little to distinguish the date from dozens of others in the crossover idiom. Other than a few short spots from trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, the backup band (a rhythm quartet) sounds pretty anonymous. Pass. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Gotta B Everything 5:43
Kevin DiSimone / Michelle Lewis / John Pondel / Warren Rosenstein / Marlon Saunders
2     That Was Then, This Is Now 4:50
Soulshock
3     If My Heart Could Speak 4:02
Linda Aziza Williams
4     Here's That Rainy Day 3:41
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
5     With You I'm Born Again 7:44
Carol Connors / David Shire
6     Livin' Without a Heart 5:58
Gary Taylor
7     Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You) 5:41
Stevie Wonder
8     Once Was Not Enough 5:18
Vanessa Rubin
9     I Want to Spend the Night 5:31
Dawn Thomas
Credits :
Cecil Bridgewater - Trumpet
Dwayne "Cook" Broadnax - Drums
Kimati Dinizulu - Percussion
Richie Goods - Bass
Aaron Graves - Arranger, Keyboards
Vanessa Rubin - Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background)

VANESSA RUBIN - Vanessa Rubin Sings (1995) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Vanessa Rubin has a lovely voice, but rarely wanders much from the melody. Since many of the songs that she performs on this Novus CD have already been done definitively dozens of times by others (such as "Our Love Is Here to Stay," "My Ship," "Morning," and even "Being Green"), the value of the release is not as high as it should be. Rubin does contribute new lyrics to Wayne Shorter's "Speak No Evil" (renamed "All for One"), her singing is heartfelt on "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," and Steve Turre's four appearances (on trombone and conch shells) are a major asset. But why revive "Black Coffee" (another song that has already been done perfectly) with its self-pitying attitude and dated references to cigarettes? by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Love Is Here to Stay 3:17
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
2     It's Probably Me 5:09
Eric Clapton / Michael Kamen / Sting
3     Being Green 4:29
Joe Raposo
4     All for One 4:21
Vanessa Rubin / Wayne Shorter
5     My Ship 4:42
Ira Gershwin / Kurt Weill
6     Seven Days 3:05
Sting
7     Once upon a Summertime 3:33
Eddie Barclay / Michel Legrand / Eddy Marnay / Johnny Mercer
8     Close Enough for Love 4:09
Johnny Mandel / Paul Williams
9     Morning 3:04
Clare Fischer
10     Unless It's You 2:52
Morgan Ames / Johnny Mandel
11     Black Coffee 5:24
Sonny Burke / Paul Francis Webster
12     His Eye Is on the Sparrow 3:49
Charles H. Gabriel
Credits :
Acoustic Guitar – Oscar Castro-Neves (faixas: 2,6,8,10)
Bass – Dave Carpenter (faixas: 3,4,9), Bob Hurst* (faixas: 1,2,7,8,11)
Conch – Steve Turre (faixas: 9)
Drums – Alex Acuña (faixas: 3,4,9,11), Marvin "Smitty" Smith (faixas: 1,2,6,7,8,11)
Guitar – Kevin Eubanks (faixas: 1,), Paul Jackson Jr. (faixas: 7,8)
Harmonica – Toots Thielemans (faixas: 7,8)
Piano – Michael Lang (faixas: 3,4,5,9,11,12)
Producer, Arranged By – Miles Goodman, Oscar Castro-Neves
Trombone – Steve Turre (faixas: 3,11)
Vocals – Vanessa Rubin

VANESSA RUBIN - I'm Glad There Is You : A Tribute to Carmen McRae (1994) APE (image+.cue), lossless

 
 This Vanessa Rubin release is a tribute to Carmen McRae. Although she cites McRae as a major influence, Rubin actually does not sound much like her and leans as much toward middle-of-the-road music as jazz. Also, not all of these songs are really identified with McRae (most notably "Send in the Clowns" which was largely owned by Sarah Vaughan). The ballad-dominated set does have a reasonable amount of variety, Rubin gets off some fine scatting on "Yardbird Suite" and she introduces an excellent original in "No Strings Attached." A variety of guests (including Grover Washington, Jr., Frank Foster, Antonio Hart, Cecil Bridgewater, Kenny Burrell and Monty Alexander) only appear on one or two songs apiece and do not make that much of an impression. However Vanessa Rubin's attractive voice is strong enough to carry the music and this release is a step forward for her.  by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Yardbird Suite 3:30
Eddie Jefferson / Charlie Parker
2 I'm Glad There Is You 7:00
Jimmy Dorsey / Paul Mertz
3 Midnight Sun 5:33
Sonny Burke / Lionel Hampton / Johnny Mercer
4 Inside a Silent Tear 6:10
Blossom Dearie / A. King
5 No Strings Attached 6:10
Vanessa Rubin
6 Alfie 6:30
Burt Bacharach / Hal David
7 Speak Low 6:50
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
8 Easy Living 6:05
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin
9 A Child Is Born 3:43
Thad Jones
10 Send in the Clowns 6:31
Stephen Sondheim
Credits
Monty Alexander - Piano
Cecil Bridgewater - Producer, Trumpet
Kenny Burrell - Guitar
Charles Fambrough - Arranger, Bass
Frank Foster - Sax (Tenor)
Aaron Graves - Piano
Antonio Hart - Sax (Alto)
Yoron Israel - Drums
Carlos McKinney - Piano
Michael Rubin - Percussion
Vanessa Rubin - Arranger, Composer, Producer, Vocals
Grover Washington, Jr. - Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
 

VANESSA RUBIN - Soul Eyes (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Vanessa Rubin at the time of her Novus debut had been a high-school English teacher for seven years. This CD was a good start for her singing career although the results are a little mixed. Rubin displays an attractive voice (sounding great when holding long notes) but at this point in time ballads were not her strong point (on "When We Were One" she recalls Barbra Streisand). In addition, producer Onaje Allan Gumbs cannot resist gumming up the works in a few places with phony strings from his keyboards; he funks up what may be the initial vocal version of Mal Waldron's classic "Soul Eyes" along with a slower-than-usual "Giant Steps." On the plus side, Rubin's workout on a flagwaving "I've Got the World on a String" is enjoyable, the backup crew (which includes pianist Kirk Lightsey, trumpeter Eddie Allen and saxophonist Roger Byam) get occasional solos and the singer does a fine tribute to Sarah Vaughan on "Tenderly." This was a worthwhile debut but Vanessa Rubin's best work would be in the future. by Scott Yanow
Credits:
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Lewis Nash
Keyboards, Arranged By [String] – Onaje Allan Gumbs
Piano – Kirk Lightsey
Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Roger Byam
Vocals – Vanessa Rubin