The 19 year old Folk/Soul singer signed to the Hardlivings/Because music label, is delivering a fresh, new and innovative sound that will perk up the ears of new listeners and fans across the world. Having recently played at the Reading & Leeds festival, she is a rising star that the music industry needs to keep an eye on. Listing Corinne Bailey Rae, Radiohead and Lauryn Hill as her influences, there are definite notes of their musical style in her work.
Emotionally charged lyrics are what make “Gone” from her debut EP Saudade, so captivating for her listeners. Powerful imagery is created in the first few lines which develop dominant pictures in the mind. “Your autumn leaves scatter like stars” is the commanding first line which has first-rate variation in both her pitch and the piano range while the memorable hook sees Denai sing compellingly, “I found you in all my fear, I found you beneath my tears“. In her piano playing is so much beauty and sincerity, which can bring you to close to tears with the skill she employs and her voice conveys sadness in such an understated manner, that the listener becomes overwhelmed with emotion. Interestingly, the piano melody remains constant throughout the song, with no need for dramatic changes as what is played is more than enough. Within the first few seconds, I was taken with intense emotion at the piano arrangement; the keys Denai Moore uses evoke sadness from you and make you sit there reflecting on someone leaving your life.
“Gone”:
“Wolves” has been played recently on Radio 2 and continues to receive great feedback. It’s a chilled and stripped back nostalgic track that makes you yearn for happier, freer times of your past, “wondering if time could only stand still”. With lyrics such as “we live for moments, we live for seconds, we live for days before they happen“, this track idolizes the wolf lifestyle of coming and going as you please with no expectations from anyone and being free to do what you want to do on your own terms. Musically, “Wolves” is led by mellow guitar playing with background harmonies that really bring this song together. The song has an intimate quality to it, a song you can definitely enjoy by yourself and use as the background sound for reminiscing upon earlier times.
“Wolves”:
Beginning with “hold me so I know that it is real, cradle me back to sleep“, this track “Fatigue” speaks of fragility in what seems to be a tough relationship. Denai sings of needing the physical connection to remind her that the love is real as she is struggling to receive the communication that she needs for her peace of mind. She singles “I long to be the shadows in your steps, and track those thoughts you’ve never said” to show that the gap in communication that is not being addressed as Denai speaks in a longing tone for more openness. The guitar strums a graceful tune that creates a soulful atmosphere on the track. The trumpet is a surprise addition to the musical backdrop, especially at the end giving the song a rather distressing vibe. This track has much depth and the listener can really take the time to discover the song and connect to it; there are many layers to it and playing the song over again will reveal something new with each listen. The glorious background harmonies lead to clashing cymbals, and stay a constant feature on the track with the instrumentation on this track having somewhat a London city feel to it where you can sit back and jam.
“Fatigue”:
19-year old Denai Moore is one very promising rising talent that has something completely different to deliver and a lot of promise ahead of her and with her sights already firmly set on releasing her sophomore EP in November, we recommend that you begin to pay close attention to her. “Everything”, the first single of the forthcoming EP titled The Lake, is a beauty as you might expect, listen to it here.
Follow her on twitter to see when and where she will be performing next, and make sure you book a ticket for her performance at St Pancras Old Church in London on November 1st. You can grab her excellent debut EP Saudade on iTunes or even better check out her website to get the Saudade EP on Vinyl and for a free download also.
Keep Tabs on Denai Moore: Facebook // Twitter // Soundcloud
Halimat Shode
