The CD will hit the streets on March 3rd, fronted by the lead single Hello Again.
Malo has earned much critical respect over the years. USA Today applauded a voice that seems to have no limits of range or versatility. The New York Times said, Malo has an exceptional voice, a burnished tenor that harks back to Roy Orbison and the great Cuban singer Beny Mor. Rolling Stone added, Raul Malo has a voice on par with the best of em: Sinatra, George Jones and Orbison. And The Wall Street Journal opined: Malos superb voice is big and melodic with a natural vibrato. Exquisite.
Malo wrote Lucky One over a two-year period at his Nashville home and was so happy with the results that several of his home demos appear as final versions on the CD. For the balance of the album, he once again enlisted Steve Berlin, best known for his work with Los Lobos and who worked on Malos 2001 Today album, as co-producer. I trust Steve musically, Malo says. Art comes first with him. Thats the most important quality of all. Nothing gets in the way of that.
Lucky One follows Youre Only Lonely and After Hours, two CDs of cover songs written by Malos favorite tunesmiths including Kris Kristofferson, Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson and Roger Miller.
How could that not influence my songwriting on Lucky One? Malo asks. It certainly had an effect on how I wrote for this. Theres an appreciation for song structure, melody and lyric that these guys certainly had.
Songs on Lucky One range from the upbeat Moonlight Kisses, to songs like One More Angel and Rosalie, which take on mortality and the loss of life. Hello Again is a deceptively upbeat, swinging tale of heartbreak, and the closing track So Beautiful is an ultimately uplifting benediction influenced by events in and outside Malos home.
While fans wait the March 3 release of Lucky One, Malo will travel to several cities in December to preview the songs live, perform solo and Mavericks classics while sprinkling in some holiday cheer. Tour cities are as follows:
December 2 NEWPORT, KY The Southgate House
December 3 CHICAGO, IL Joes Bar
December 4 LEXINGTON, MI Lexington Music Theater
December 6 SPARTANBURG, SC Twichell Auditorium
December 9 ALEXANDRIA, VA (DC METRO) Birchmere
December 10 ANNAPOLIS, MD Rams Head Onstage
December 12 NEW YORK, NY Highline Ballroom
December 13 COLLINGSWOOD, NJ Scottish Rite Auditorium
December 14 FOXBOROUGH, MA Showcase Live
December 17 HOUSTON, TX House of Blues
December 19-20 AUSTIN, TX Antones
January 17-24 SAN DIEGO, CA embark on Delbert McClinton Sandy Beaches Cruise
For more information contact conqueroo.
