Reina Mora – Trouble

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/reinamoramusic/02-trouble

Reina Mora makes an sensational splash onto the scene with her first single, “Trouble”, from her first studio release Bird’s Eye View. The single is a power packed reminder that many young performers are capable of bringing the heat older listeners associate with the most physical of classic rock and pop while maintaining a distinctly modern look. “Trouble” is an expertly produced affair that memorably frames her voice but, likewise, never diminishes the importance of the musical arrangement or the performance of her musical collaborators. Everyone comes out of this song smelling like a rose. “Trouble” brings just that to listeners, but it’s the best sort of trouble, delicious, and primed to have a good time. Reina Mora couldn’t have dreamed of a better debut than this and it gets her career off to a resounding, transformative start.

That start couldn’t more apparent when “Trouble” makes its first shift into a rock gear. The slow build Mora and her musical comrades give the song in its first minute sets a great stage for everything that follows and the unity of sound and theme this song boasts would be impressive for even longtime composers and performers. She sounds coolly confident and assertive throughout the entirety of the song. Moreover, she’s clearly a singer who does her best work tailoring her vocal response to what the band and other musicians are doing around her and, once you hear this tune, you’ll be convinced that she’s capable of owning any stage she walks out on. She’s equally convincing in a low key or amped up musical background and her ability to shift between different moods is extraordinarily notable. “Trouble” sounds like a song ready to make some and keeps you listening from the first.

The pure rock and roll energy it generates is a big reason why. The nice build of the song’s first minute and its effective chorus is driven, largely, by powerful electric guitar work and tone-setting drumming. Like Mora’s vocal, the musicians are obviously keyed into dovetailing their musical attack into her voice and the chemistry they strike up suggests that the song might have been cut live in the studio, everyone on the floor at the same time. There’s an intimacy here, as well, that gets that atmosphere over with listeners. It helps make the lyrical content all that more memorable and highlights another key component in Mora’s presentation – the dramatic reading she gives the words is worth every second and never risks self-indulgence. What a breathtaking debut. It’s so nice to hear a young performer who comes swinging out of her corner and sounds ready to take on the world and any material that might come her way. Reina Mora was born to do this and it’s doubtful anything will shake or sway her from the path she’s on.

Joshua Stryde