Few contemporary jazz artists embody both the spirit of tradition and the pulse of modernity quite like Fiona Ross. The multi-award-winning vocalist, pianist, journalist, and founder of the trailblazing Women in Jazz Media has built a career out of defying expectations, carving out space for bold, emotionally resonant storytelling in a genre too often content to coast on nostalgia. With her new single “Let Your Soul Shine,” Ross offers a quietly powerful preview of her much-anticipated double album Moments in My Notebook, arriving May 30, 2025 — and it’s a work of gentle brilliance.

From the first soft strike of keys, “Let Your Soul Shine” feels like slipping into a warmly lit room at golden hour. There’s a softness to the arrangement, a carefully crafted blend of acoustic elements and shimmering keys that feels both intimate and expansive. The production resists the temptation to overcomplicate, allowing space for each note to breathe and for Ross’s vocals — as always, the true centerpiece — to glow.

And what a voice it is. Ross has long been praised for her technical prowess and emotive delivery, and here she leans into both with serene confidence. There’s a sweet, airy delicacy to her phrasing that carries a kind of conversational ease, making the track feel less like a performance and more like a personal reassurance whispered from friend to friend. The lyrics, reflective and quietly affirming, speak to resilience and authenticity in a way that feels deeply personal while leaving room for the listener’s own narrative to fill the spaces in between.

The arrangement itself is a masterclass in restraint. Acousticflourishes weave around tender piano lines, while subtle percussion and airy pads provide gentle propulsion without disrupting the track’s hushed elegance. The interplay between the acoustic textures and the sparkling keyboard motifs gives the song a timeless quality — it could just as easily be playing in a jazz club in 1975 as in a boutique café in 2025.

What’s perhaps most exciting is how “Let Your Soul Shine” hints at the broader thematic scope of Moments in My Notebook. Ross has never been content to play it safe, and this single suggests a double album that will balance introspection with forward-thinking arrangements, rooted in jazz tradition but unafraid to incorporate modern flourishes and nuanced storytelling.

As a taste of what’s to come, “Let Your Soul Shine” is both a balm and a quiet rebellion against the cynicism of the moment. It reaffirms Ross’s status as one of contemporary jazz’s most compelling voices — not just because of her technical skill, but because of her refusal to treat music as anything less than a deeply human act.

We are so excited for more music in a similar vain, but in the meantime, we urge everyone out there to take a moment to enjoy this one. Please follow along for more by clicking those links below as well.

Listen to “Let Your Soul Shine”

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Fiona Ross channels timeless Jazz elegance on “Let Your Soul Shine”