Songs We Love: Gaby Moreno, 'O, Me'

The Guatemalan-born singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno sings with a baby-high voice; she floats easily between belting out growls to crooning with hauntingly beautiful warbles. From folk to soul, '50s rock, blues, country, indie, pop and Latin — she explores it all with her own soulful sabor Gaby (Gaby flavor).

"O, Me" captures the lonely void and regret of love lost. The song opens with two alternating piano chords and builds in mandolin, bass and Brazilian banjo. Moreno laments with the whisper of an aching heart before sweetly crescendoing with a full quartet as she wishes for a second chance at love. This is where she shines, letting her voice and raw emotion take center stage over everything else.

With Ilusión, which was just nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album, Moreno is primed for a long and distinguished career. One can only imagine her at full throttle, perhaps at age 55, when her voice and life experiences have bloomed into full-bodied expression. Until then, every new release from Moreno promises to be a great adventure in soulful, cross-cultural goodness.

Ilusión is out now (iTunes, Amazon).

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