Magic Trix

Xenia Rubinos’ debut album, Magic Trix, heralds the arrival of an impressive new artist. Backed by talented drummer Marco Buccelli (playing polyrhythms and breakbeats, sometimes at the same time) and bassist Adam Minkoff, Rubinos’ electric keyboard moves from playful bombast to skittering rhythms to catchy little melodies. Yet the anchor of Magic Trix is Rubinos’ stunning voice—singing in English and Spanish, she comes off like an indie Alicia Keys or Solange as she gracefully soars from low confessional whispers to diva registers and back on “Hair Receding.” The equally strong “Cherry Tree” uses wordplay to build the song, achieving dramatic results. Things get decidedly weirder on “Ultima” or “Whirlwind,” where she multi-tracks and loops her voice. Indeed, with one song after another, each seems to burst with energy and tasteful ideas. Giving listeners a few moments to get their breath, she adds a couple of unadorned Latino children’s songs (“Café con Leche” and "Aurora De Mayo”) whose only job is to let listeners luxuriate in her amazing voice.