Michelle Ruben
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2000
Music
Press
Unceremoniously tucked away in rural central Indiana stands Gaither Studios, the headquarters of gospel music legend Bill Gaither. And where there's a world-class recording facility, there's usually a crew of high quality musicians and singers in the vicinity. Such is the case with Where You Are, by singer Michelle Ruben. The record features her name on the cover and her distinctive, versatile vocals on its eight solidly written and performed songs. However, a quick look at the credits reveals that Ruben is fronting a team of professionals, many of whom have extensive resumes as musicians and/or songwriters. This fact doesn't diminish Ruben's contributions to the disc, but it does set the album apart from most independently released projects, which are more often created on modest budgets by artists without professional alliances. Several tracks here are virtually ready-made for radio, yet the exceptions from the standard CCM formula (such as Ruben's atypical vocal style and the exotic rock flavor of “Smell the Rain”) give the disc its identity.
The singer's voice, while not unpolished, doesn't resemble the toothy sound often associated with mainstream Christian pop. Her sometimes nasal, casual delivery is light on presence and dynamics, but sounds pleasantly at ease with itself. Her ability to contrast her tone is especially effective on “You Speak to Me,” which she begins by dryly reviewing the distracting and confusing voices of “truth and lies and everything in between.” Her shift to a purer, more hopeful sound adds quiet potency as she ramps up to the chorus' calming release: “But in the stillness I hear you calling my name...You speak to me, your voice of love so quietly whispering like a gentle breeze.” That lyric nicely describes Ruben's more breathy, emotional moments, which she expands to include the ache of yearning on “I'm Alright” and “But You Know.” Songs like these acknowledge the doubts and fears that can obstruct the believer's heart, but also lay claim to faith-based breakthroughs: “So I will revel in your mellow streams of peace/ That wash away my deepest doubts and give me eyes to see/ I'm alright, I'm alright/ I'm resting in the arms of the one who calms the storms.”
One of the album's strengths is its willingness to wade through troubled waters, emphasizing both the valleys and mountaintops of the committed Christian walk. This mature realism, coupled with vibrant and creative vocal backgrounds and strong but not overly glossy production, frequently makes Where You Are a pleasant place to be.
- United Methodist Church Organization
Unceremoniously tucked away in rural central Indiana stands Gaither Studios, the headquarters of gospel music legend Bill Gaither. And where there's a world-class recording facility, there's usually a crew of high quality musicians and singers in the vicinity. Such is the case with Where You Are, by singer Michelle Ruben. The record features her name on the cover and her distinctive, versatile vocals on its eight solidly written and performed songs. However, a quick look at the credits reveals that Ruben is fronting a team of professionals, many of whom have extensive resumes as musicians and/or songwriters. This fact doesn't diminish Ruben's contributions to the disc, but it does set the album apart from most independently released projects, which are more often created on modest budgets by artists without professional alliances. Several tracks here are virtually ready-made for radio, yet the exceptions from the standard CCM formula (such as Ruben's atypical vocal style and the exotic rock flavor of “Smell the Rain”) give the disc its identity.
The singer's voice, while not unpolished, doesn't resemble the toothy sound often associated with mainstream Christian pop. Her sometimes nasal, casual delivery is light on presence and dynamics, but sounds pleasantly at ease with itself. Her ability to contrast her tone is especially effective on “You Speak to Me,” which she begins by dryly reviewing the distracting and confusing voices of “truth and lies and everything in between.” Her shift to a purer, more hopeful sound adds quiet potency as she ramps up to the chorus' calming release: “But in the stillness I hear you calling my name...You speak to me, your voice of love so quietly whispering like a gentle breeze.” That lyric nicely describes Ruben's more breathy, emotional moments, which she expands to include the ache of yearning on “I'm Alright” and “But You Know.” Songs like these acknowledge the doubts and fears that can obstruct the believer's heart, but also lay claim to faith-based breakthroughs: “So I will revel in your mellow streams of peace/ That wash away my deepest doubts and give me eyes to see/ I'm alright, I'm alright/ I'm resting in the arms of the one who calms the storms.”
One of the album's strengths is its willingness to wade through troubled waters, emphasizing both the valleys and mountaintops of the committed Christian walk. This mature realism, coupled with vibrant and creative vocal backgrounds and strong but not overly glossy production, frequently makes Where You Are a pleasant place to be.
- United Methodist Church Organization
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Michelle's main focus is to sing songs with a positive message. She wants her music to be a voice of hope in our often turbulent world. Questions- This is what her new project deals with.
Even Christians have to deal with them. Questions like "Why do people we love have to die?" "Why can God be everywhere at once, but sometimes I just want Him here with me?" "Why is life so uncertain?"
Singer/Songwriter Michelle Ruben deals with these questions in her new EP and DVD set "Until Tomorrow"."Until Tomorrow" explores sometimes taboo questions for the Christian faith.
In "Until Tomorrow", Michelle tackles trying to deal with her Mom's recent death
"I just wanted to put off the grief, you know?" Michelle recalls. "Just have one day where I could put all the loneliness and pain aside for another day. Of course, it was impossible, but I remember asking God for that."
The song "Be Here", is a song asking God to just be there for her, JUST with her.
"Like little kids, I think we all have felt like that sometimes. I know You can be everywhere, but I just want you to be here with me for a little bit."
On the stirring ballad, ""Uncertainty" Michelle looks out onto a new landscape where she walks down new roads in music and life, all without her best friend and Mom.
"We lived together, she was my best friend. She encouraged me to do all these musical things. Now I'm leaning on God to conquer the uncertainty in my life, and walk down all these strange new roads with me."
The project also includes a second, "unplugged" version of the title track, offering a new take on the song.
Also included in the package is a DVD with behind the scenes footage of the making of the project. Michelle shares these views and more from her perspective.
On her new song Intricate Design which was written after her son Noah was born, Michelle explores the majesty and all-encompassing love of a God who has a hand in every intricate detail of this world, none of which would be possible without Him.
Band Members
Links
