November 2022 marks the UK release of the award-winning American singer-songwriter Monique DeBose’s breathtaking album You Are the Sovereign One.

The music that Monique DeBose creates originates from deep feeling. Her work stems and blossoms from a unique and personal ideology that doesn’t shy away from addressing life’s many challenges and ultimately radiates positivity and light. Each of her intuitively crafted songs highlight important issues from which Monique sings from experience.

Monique DeBose creates her work to help women integrate all the parts of themselves. To turn their fears and insecurities into their strength. To express themselves fully. To choose more for their lives. Monique helps people to transition beyond seeing in “black” and “white” so they can begin to live life in full colour. These powerful messages can be absorbed through the engaging lyrics and captivating melodies present in Monique’s songs, while they can also be enjoyed for their sheer sonic quality and aural brilliance.

Speaking about the creation of ‘You Are The Sovereign One, Monique explains’:

I believe that music is medicine – I make it to heal myself, and in turn it can also heal others. The feedback I have received around the songs on this album inspired me to create an experience unlike anything else- where women can come on a journey with me, inspired by these songs, to claim their own personal sovereignty. So that they can recognize and step into the royal power that they possess.

So, what we are presented with on You Are The Sovereign One are sixteen tracks aimed at empowering women and in that respect these tracks are powerful, delivered with an authentic voice backed by very good musicians and backing singers. There is no one musical genre that dominates and it is the mix of styles that is the album’s strength – along with a terrific vocal delivery from Monique. What jazz does break through is well played but, for a blog devoted to jazz music, there is not enough of it for me. This is a very good album with a strong message that needs to be heard delivered in a gospel/soul/R&B voice with the occasional tinge of jazz.

Tracklist: 1. Fortunate Woman. 2. Want It So Bad. 3. Damaged Goods. 4. Let You Love Me. 5. New Wine Old Skin. 6. Rally Call. 7. Human Condition. 8. Say Her Name. 9. Thank You Victimizer. 10. Brown Beauty. 11. Incomparable. 12. More. 13. Invisible. 14. Valentine. 15. Sweet Dream Paradise. 16. Beyond The Divide.