Allison Moorer. Photograph by Angela Kohler.

Wow, what a voice. Throaty, powerful, emotive–Allison Moorer’s vocals are a force to be reckoned with.

It’s no wonder that Moorer is known as one of the most technically gifted country singers around. Not that I had any doubt of that fact after listening to some of her older material through my iPod headphones, but hearing her live on stage emphatically drove the point home. Singing from her new album as well as songs from her debut, she had the audience entranced.

Eight months pregnant, balancing a guitar on her belly, Moorer asked the audience if any of them had ever tried to stand a 2×4 on a basketball. Despite the reason behind the jokes, she was doing a bang-up job with the instrumentals, especially the piano.

I haven’t extensively listened to all of her music, but there seems to be a general trend toward looking at the silver lining, finding happiness in the face of despair. It’s evident in the lyrics and the lilt of the music–she examines memories and lessons and hopes, with the guitars, the fiddle, and the piano following or bolstering her along.

This Friday’s performance, a few days before the release of her latest album, was something of a preview to the tour that will probably be coming in the summer. And if what we heard today is any indication, this might be another album to nab a Grammy nomination.

Rebekah Larsen
UPenn Intern