What do you get when you mix Hendrix with Prince? Answer – Malina Moye

Malina Moye rippin' it up live!

To say that Malina Moye is a unique looking artist in this world of increasing ‘cookie cut, factory molded’ artists would be an understatement. To see a left-handed guitarist in this day and age is also very unusual, but welcoming at the same time, especially for Hendrix obsessives like myself. These are 2 qualities that Moye already brings to the table, before you even begin hearing her music. Then, whenever you hear her music, you are instantly reminded of all the classic blues and souls act from the past, such as James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone. Moye herself in interviews has said she is very inspired by the 2 aforementioned artists, along with Tina Turner and Prince. Certainly, when I first heard her music, I instantly thought of Prince and James Brown, two artists who I highly enjoy also.

Upon further research, I discovered that Moye was also a co-founder of WCE Records, and again, this is a very rare thing in popular music today, artists owning their own labels. The implications of owning your own label are positive, such as controlling exactly what you want to do with your music (another issue that many artists today face from labels), and how to market it accordingly. This led me to think that Moye has entrepreneurial qualities, and was wanting to have a label that could aid her in her own musical vision. This could of course lead me to suggest that Moye has ‘done a Madonna’, who herself founded Maverick Records; and of course, that isn’t a bad comparison to make either. It just further leads me to believe that Moye is a vastly unique artist, with something new to add to the music world.

Going back to the music, Moye released ‘Diamonds & Guitars’; a perhaps very personal album title due to her mix of fashion and of course her musical ability, in late 2009. The album opener ‘Alone’, which was my first experience of Moyes music, became very successful on the radio, and I always get a very Alicia Keys-esque vibe to this song, which again is not a bad thing; as Alicia is one of the most successful artists today.

In tracks like ‘Nobody’ and ‘Yaah!’, there is an obvious Prince and Jimi Hendrix influence here; with a great usage of wah effects on ‘Nobody’, and a rhythm section on ‘Yaah!’ that instantly screams Prince, without it being a copy-cat style either. However, within all of these songs, Moye’s natural soul-style voice retains its strength and beauty.

Upon giving her album ‘Diamonds & Guitars’ a listen, I noticed that her style is very unique, mixing present day R&B, with late 60s Soul and Blues, along with the Rock etiquette of Jimi Hendrix and the eccentricity and bombast of Prince. Moye is moving the R&B and Pop world into a new era, undoubtedly stepping up other artists games, to bring both musical talent and fusing together both new and classic musical genres together to create something that is, in my opinion, brand new and fresh sounding.

Moving away from Moye’s singing and guitar playing, both the production and rhythm section in this band and recording is tight. In a musical world where Compression and making things sound as loud as possible, ‘Diamonds & Guitars’ is an exception to the rule, with the music being allowed to breathe and sound open.

Within my favorite track off this album, ‘K-yotic’, there is a great main riff that even Steve Vai would be proud of! The closing track ‘Sexxy Man’ is a modern and new take on ‘Foxey Lady’, which of course shows us that Moye is very inspired by Jimi Hendrix, playing the classic riff flawlessly, giving the song a new leash of life and words that can appeal to a female audience.

As you can probably tell, Malina Moye is simply a unique artist who takes the rule book within her 2 hands and rips it up entirely, saying no to the ‘standards’ of todays pop and R&B music, and giving us what is truly a fresh new style of music that is sure to give Malina the success that she truly deserves this decade.