In this case, quite a lot. Moruza is a band, a name and a state of mind. Moruza is the family name of Leslie Moruza Dripps and the name of the band she leads and their self titled album. Moruza is also Puerto Rican slang for mish-mash, uncategorized, hither-thither, which is a good introduction to their music.
Moruza (the band and the album)is an evolutionary step from Leslie's solo debut album "All Eleven". It is a musical partnership between Leslie (piano and main vocals), Melissa Sunderland (violin and vocals), Brian Cruse (double bass), Kyleen Terrana (backing vocals) and Andy Blunt (percussion). The sound they create is one part pop, one part jazz and one part French cabaret.
Lonely Heart Road starts off with piano, drums and staccato violin tapping a musical question. The problem:You don't feel so good today
How about this time next week
you'll feel better.
One foot Past the Other
toward One stepping Stone,
Two Back
You Try again ...
Trudge on you Lonely heart Road
Lead on for a Single more Day
Go on you Lonely Heart Road
Off in the Distance the Sunrise Waits
building to a layered vocal sequence that lifts the heart. Hope, optimism and empathy abound in this song and are a consistent theme in Leslie's music, but the stories are not told with just lyrics and voice. Throughout Moruza the instruments take various parts in the discussion, sometimes agreeing, sometimes not. When they work out their differences the result is joyful crescendo. Joy plays a big part in this album, but so does humor along with a bit of melancholy.
Essentially an acoustic quartet, Moruza is capable of putting out a surprisingly dynamic sound. Near Miss, starts out almost orchestral and returns to this energetic theme reminding us that the disappointments in our life may just be preparing us for better things.
Near miss glad that it’s over
Near miss glad that you’re gone
One look over my shoulder
Making room for the right one
Psychic say, what do you see? ... knowing that
All she says is what she sees
knows your type, she knows your needs
tell me tell me tell me please
what i already know
Butterfly Over the Freeway could be the most beautiful song on the album. It takes you on a musical day dream with the smallest of creatures.High above the river moat
pretty little bride, she watches close
bides her time and she’s no ghost
Leslie's soft voice, the delicate melodies, violin and piano all work together. The drums add just the right touch. The soaring harmonies will pierce your heart. Moruza changes moods throughout, moving from the wistful Psychic Say to the optimistic anthem Over The Wall, which will leave you smiling. Either way Moruza takes the light touch and invites you to listen again and again. At heart, this is a singer songwriter showcase for Leslie. There are times where she carries the music with her voice and piano, but she works so well with her band mates that the whole is always greater than its parts. She never tires of telling the worth of living and that a strength greater than ourselves that can pull us through. A careful listen reveals the source of that strength.Butterfly over the freeway
fluttering over the fray
carry me over the distance
carry me all of the way
I know a power soft enough
It soothes the sharpest stake
I know justice fair enough
I'll give it my whole heart to break
When not tending her husband Daryl and one year old son Xander, Leslie spends her time rehearsing and directing City Singers, a youth choral group dedicated to "bringing together youth of the greater Richmond area in a joyful appreciation of their ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity."
Moruza will be holding their CD release party this Sunday, January 31st, at the Camel. To learn more about Moruza and listen to their music visit,
http://www.moruza.com/
http://www.myspace.com/moruzamusic
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