Moorea Masa & The Mood - Shine A Light (2018)

Songs have always been there for Moorea Masa (pronounced More-ray-uh
Mah-sa), being raised in the musical mecca of Portland, Oregon. The
daughter of an Italian immigrant father and an African-American mother
born abroad, this singer/songwriter/guitarist has been making music for
as long as she can remember. At fifteen, she was already looking for
chances to perform by sneaking into local clubs, where she was lovingly
adopted into the vibrant community of Portland musicians. Moorea then
left to study at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in England,
and spent time living in a cave and soaking in flamenco music in Granada,
Spain.

Returning home to the Pacific NW, Moorea began her music career in
earnest. Not just writing and performing her own original material, she
recorded with El Vy and The Decemberists, sang with soul legend Ural
Thomas (who appears on her new album), and toured with Allen Stone. As a
solo artist, she's garnered major praise from Emily King, Corinne Bailey
Rae, Nick Waterhouse, and many more. Now 25 years old, Moorea has been
touring with crooner KD Lang, and released her debut album to much praise
this past May.
Shine A Light, the new record from Masa, comes from the depths of a
sometimes-troubled childhood and expresses a belief that the unexamined
life is not worth living. "I'm really sharing my whole heart in this
album," says Masa. "This year I've really been digging deep into my
history, my own learning lessons, and the state of the world. I feel like
I took a light and shined it into all the darkness and beauty that I was
too scared to look at." At times bright and hopeful, other times dark and
mournful, the record (co-produced by Jeremy Most of Emily King fame) is
an exquisitely-crafted gem that reveals a new gleaming facet upon every
listen. Topics such as love, loss, hidden pain, and the politics of being
a woman are all explored with deft musicianship, clever production, and
Masa's flawless voice carrying the songs into our hearts and souls.