Review: Malia Grace’s Eponymous Debut EP

Wow, wow, wow and…wow! Malia can SING! Her voice is pure and versatile with a little smoke and whiskey in her lower register and pure, almost bell-like tones when she reaches her high notes The Austin singer-songwriter’s debut the self-titled EP, “Malia Grace”, can be streamed in full via Spotify, here: http://bit.ly/1Nbdx1B and is nothing short of amazing. When you learn that Malia overcame profound hearing loss as an infant and toddler, this debut effort becomes miraculous.

The songs on this EP are soulful and the lyrics can be deep, but she also has a playful and fun side that shows up right out of the gate on the first track “Chains of Love”. Malia’s songs, which she writes on piano and sometimes guitar, feature themes of high-stakes romance, the hopes and dangers of love, and finding the strength to rise above life’s slings and arrows. All the tracks are well-balanced, professionally performed, easy to listen to and eventually sing along with. In fact, my only complaint about this record is that there aren’t more songs.

The EP was crowd funded through a successful Indiegogo campaign, and features seven original tracks that beautifully meld pop sensibilities with the soft and soulful touch of Malia’s pealing vocals. Malia is quoted as saying: “I worked with some of the most talented musicians in Austin. Hands down. I am incredibly grateful for their hard work and the amazing synergy we were able to achieve during our sessions.”

After graduating with honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Music Business and Business Foundations, Malia passed on grad school and a steady job to pursue her songwriting passion full-time. She won the Austin Songwriter of the Year Award (BeBobAlooza 2014) and earned an invitation to play an official showcase at SXSW 2015 even before the release of her debut album. This supremely talented woman is poised to take over the music world and I for one, will be cheering her on every step of the way.

For more information and details on upcoming tour dates, please visit: www.maliagrace.com.