Ezina Moore - Power of A Woman - May 2005
What do you get when you cross equal parts of soul/R&B with rock,
tinged with funk and presented in a sexy package? Why, Ezina Moore, of
course. This former Miss Black USA's second release is at once purring
and rocking.
Moore wrote or co-wrote all the songs and contributed guitar to go
along with her sultry vocals. She was also the executive producer for
the album, which is on her label. Sometimes it is a bad idea for people
to trust their own ears instead of a third party, but not in this case.
The production and song selection are bang-on here.
The direction is split between up-tempo rockers, inviting ballads and
Tracy Chapman-style songs with a bit more guitar. Think Joan
Armatrading (Me Myself I era) for a rough comparison.
The record intro is a minute long spoken word piece that begs the
question, how do we value women? It's followed by the title track,
"Power Of A Woman," which is the centerpiece of the record. It's an
almost six minute powerhouse that showcases Moore's strong voice and
guitar abilities. A husky guitar is added towards the end of the track
that propels it nicely to the finishing line.
"Scream" is another excellent song that has a seductive melody line
with great vocals. Some nice guitar plucking motors "Back In The Day"
over which flutters Moore's versatile voice, proving that she can be as
restrained as she can be commanding.
"Fly So High" and "Had Me" are two rock-ish songs that feature her
energetic guitar style, as well as on "Same Ol' Music," which is a
rapid strum-fest. "Wrote Me Off" continues the riffage.
The solo voice and guitar-featured "Evil Ways" showcases her emotive,
come-hither vocals. You can almost see a cocked eyebrow as she sings
that she's changed her evil ways… although "sometimes I backslide just
a little."
Power Of A Woman is a winner of a record. Great vocals, strong songs
and melodic but raw guitar help make this an engaging listen.
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