Bruce Burger, known by his stage nameRebbeSoul, is an American-Israeli Jewish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer. Performing since the early 1990s, he has released five solo albums and has recorded with the bands Hamakor and Common Tongue. He has also collaborated with singer Shlomit Levi of Orphaned Land for the worldmusic duo Shlomit & RebbeSoul.
Early life
Burger was born in Utica, New York to a minimally observant Conservative Jewish family. When he was 12, his parents bought him a plastic guitar, not believing he would take the instrument seriously. He later began playing at local bars, despite being underage. He attended Syracuse University and graduated with a degree in engineering.
''RebbeSoul'', ''Fringe of Blue'', and ''RebbeSoul-O'' (1993-1999)
In 1992, Burger was invited to a Shabbat dinner at the home of Chabad Rabbi Shlomo Schwartz. Moved by the traditional prayers and melodies, Burger felt he had "found sound" and decided to start a career in Jewish music. The following year, assembling a band of non-Jewish musicians he knew from his session work, he released his debut album, the self-titled RebbeSoul. One of the album's songs, an instrumental version of Avinu Malkeinu simply called "Avinu", received radio play on the local station KKSF. RebbeSoul attracted the attention of Sonoma-based jazz label Global Pacific, which released Burger's 1995 follow-up, Fringe of Blue. The album's electric version of "Avinu" received praise from Playboy Magazine and The Jewish Week, while the acoustic version was played on KTWV by host Talaya Trigueros, and the songs "A Narrow Bridge" and "Tum Balalaika" appeared on the Illinois college station WNIJ. In 1997, Burger collaborated with playwright Richard Krevolin on RebbeSoul-O: A One-Man Musical Journey, an 85-minute one-man theater piece based on Burger's musical and spiritual journey. Sponsored by the American Jewish Committee, the show premiered in March at the Ovations Theatre in Los Angeles. The soundtrack was composed and performed by Burger, who released it in album form later that year.
Common Tongue and ''Change the World with a Sound'' (1999-2007)
Burger formed the world music band Common Tongue in 1999 with percussionist Cassio Duarte, keyboardist Steve Carter, drummer Joel Alpers, bassist Dennis "Deep Den" Smith, and singer Neeyah Lynn Rose. They released their debut album, Step Into My World, in 2000. His fourth studio album, Change the World with a Sound, was released in 2002. Duarte, Carter, and Rose were featured on the album, as were rapper Prophet X and singer Neshama Carlebach. The album reached No. 1 on the CMJ world music charts was played on over 130 college radio stations.
Burger made aliyah to Israel in 2007, settling in the town of Zikhron Ya'akov. There, he produced, arranged, and recorded From Another World, an album of instrumental renditions of Shlomo Carlebach songs. The album received play on the Israeli stations Army Radio and 88FM. In mid-2010, Burger was introduced to Shlomit Levi, a Yemenite singer who had performed with the Israeli metal band Orphaned Land. They subsequently began performing together as Shlomit & RebbeSoul, and released their debut album, The Seal of Solomon, in 2015. Later in the year, he produced a series of songs for Christian Araboud player George Simaan, including a version of "Erev Shel Shoshanim", with Levi and Yuval Banay of Mashina contributing Hebrew vocals.
Musical style
Burger is known for his diverse sound, drawing from a variety of styles and cultures. Over the course of his career, he has gradually expanded from a conventional Jewish rock sound to incorporate folk, soul, jazz, new-age and worldbeat, as well as sounds from South American, Caribbean, West African, Middle Eastern, Yemenite, and Sephardic music. Although primarily a guitarist, he also uses a wide variety of instruments in his music, most notably the balalaika. Burger attributes his eclectic sound to his years as a session musician, where he was forced to be a "chameleon" and play in many different styles. While Burger occasionally sings on his albums, he places greater emphasis on his instrumental work, saying, "I am a player that sings, not a singer that plays".
