Reuben James – Champagne Kisses

British keyboardist, vocalist and producer Reuben James, one of the UK’s most interesting soul/jazz artists to emerge on the scene in recent years (remember “So Cool” from 2020?), has just released his second album called “Champagne Kisses”. It came out on his own Rufio Records and even though it clocks in at less than 30 minutes, there is a lot to enjoy here. The jazz-induced “Means The World” for example, or the Prince-inspired R&B-ish “This Could Be”. Reuben works with Conor Albert, Joel Culpepper, Braxton Cook, and more on the album and his falsetto vocals work well on the dreamy ballad “Love Stoned”. He really caught our attention with the soul-drenched “Sun Goes Down”, our favorite cut on the album. Its compelling groove is hard to resist. The brilliant funky jam “Satisfaction”, featuring Roy Ayers, is much too short.

Catch Reuben on tour:
10/07 Antwerp – De Roma
10/09 Paris – Le Duc des Lombards
10/11 Rotterdam – Bird
10/12 Amsterdam – Paradiso
10/15 Copenhagen – Ideal Bar
10/16 Berlin – Frannz Club
10/17 Cologne – Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld
10/18 Zurich – Exil
He plays select dates in the UK between October 26th and November 12th when he wraps his tour at Lafayette in London.