Grammy-Winning Artist Gaby Moreno Talks New Album, Playing in NYC & Adding Latin Flavor to Christmas Music
This week, Latin Grammy-winning, Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno captivated the crowd during her first-ever performance at the esteemed Joe's Pub in New York, proving that not only does the soulful artist have an extensive vocal range, but the ability to nail multiple genres across the board.
With a Latin yet Vaudeville-esque flair, Moreno vocally dove head-first into blues, jazz and folk and even added in a Guatemalan folkloric song that resonated with her fellow Guatemalans who proudly held up their native country's flag from the audience.
"It was my first time here (at Joe's Pub in New York) and to me, it was magical, the most incredible venue sound-wise," Moreno told Latin Post in an exclusive interview. "The whole vibe was amazing. I want to keep playing here when I come back. It's just a very beautiful setting."
Moreno performed alongside Austin-based, American singer-songwriter David Garza, who accompanied her beautifully by piano and guitar, strumming folksy tunes and filling in the background with Flamenco-type classical sounds.
"Well, for me it's just always an honor to have him (David Garza) singing and playing with me. I am such a huge fan of his, that's how I met him. I was actually a fan of his. I would go see his concerts and we became friends," she explained. "Now ten years later, I get to share the stage with him. It's like a dream come true. I love that man so much. He has such a beautiful soul, an incredible voice and incredible songs."
Garza, who infuses rock and pop with a Latin feel and whose vocal style draws comparisons to Freddie Mercury, Jeff Buckley, Donovan and Robert Plant, gushed over Moreno's talent. The dynamic duo also offered the crowd some impressive harmonies.
During their performance, Moreno surprised the crowd with several of her newest songs slated for her upcoming album, which will be produced by Grammy winner Gabriel Roth of the Dap-Kings, who is most known for his collaboration with the late Amy Winehouse on her groundbreaking album, "Back to Black," in 2008.
"It's really exciting," he gushed. "We just wanted to try them (her new songs) out because next week in the studio it will be all live. This is like our rehearsal before we go into the studio."
Moreno also just released a Latin-themed Christmas album, "Posada," but it's not your typical Christmas album; it has traditional Latin songs.
"The song that we played today is a song that is very, very well-known in Latin America. It's called 'Peces en el Rio.' It's a song that I would sing when I was little during Christmas," she added. "I used to sing it at church, I used to be in the church choir. Most of the songs on this record are songs that I sung at church. I hope people will enjoy them as much as I have."
Roth, (a.k.a "Bosco Mann") is also the bass player, band leader and primary song leader and producer of the band, Sharon & the Dap-Kings. He is also the founder of the Daptone Records in Brooklyn, New York and in runs Penrose Studios in Riverside, California, where Moreno will record her new album.
In addition to Roth's 2008 Grammy win for Winehouse's acclaimed "Back to Black" album, which recorded with the Dap-Kings at Daptone's House of Soul Studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn, the recording engineer and producer also won a Grammy in 2012 for recording Booker T. Jones' "The Road From Memphis."
What does Roth hope to bring to the table when producing a record? A "retro" authenticity?
"We're not doing a purposely 'retro' thing. It's not about an ideology. Some people say that there hasn't been a good record made since 1973, and I pretty much agree with them most of the time. But I'm not listening to the old soul records and taking them apart clinically," he said in an earlier interview with Sound on Sound about minimalist engineering.
"It's more like a kind of informal schooling. You listen -- listen for where the horns bite and the crackle of distortion on a vocal. You don't want to imitate it; you want to let it influence you. One of the things you learn is that, sometimes, mistakes are what make a track sound great. Music should not be perfect or correct. When we play and when we record, we're looking to find what makes us feel good. We're steeped in those old records, but we're not consciously trying to remake a record from 1962."
Moreno, who won Best New Artist at the 2013 Latin Grammys, was also nominated for an Emmy for writing the theme song for the NBC TV show "Parks and Recreation."
She recently toured with "House" actor and jazz musician/pianist Hugh Laurie, and performed at sold out dates in Canada, USA and Europe alongside artists, Tracy Chapman, Ani DiFranco and Van Dyke Parks.
With several notable live performances under her belt, there is one that particulary stands out: the Electric Burma in Dulbin, where she shared the stage with Bono and Grammy Award winners Angelique Kidjo and Lupe Fiasco. Moreno also collaborated with superstar Ricardo Arjona, with whom she recorded the song "Fuiste Tu" from the CD "Independiente." The video of the track reached over 100 million views on YouTube.
Moreno won the Grand Prize at the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with her song "Escondidos," first in the Latin category, then overall. This recognition earned her an invitation by Yoko Ono to unveil the John Lennon Educational Bus.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!