‘We stand taller’
Musician Lisa Morales wants new album to call on people to come together
Lisa Morales is a storyteller. Music has been a part of her life since she was small, as she learned to perform traditional Mexican music. Her musical tastes developed over time and she’s back with her upcoming album, “She Ought to Be King.”
The first single “Freedom” is out to the world.
“I’m so excited because the buildup to it has been a long time coming,” Morales says. “The doors are open again to venues and I get to step on stage to perform. I’ve done this all my life.”
During the pandemic, like many artists, Morales pivoted to virtual shows. While she was grateful to still play music, it wasn’t the same.
“Staring at a phone and performing, it was difficult,” she says. “There was no audience in front of me. It was a foreign situation.”
Morales spent the time at home writing what has become “She Ought to Be King.”
Her writing process slowed a bit because she had two teenagers at home and was taking care of her sister, Roberta, with treatment for cancer.
She and her sister recorded six albums under the name Sisters Morales. Roberta died in August.
“My process is me by myself,” she says. “To have that flow of consciousness. It wasn’t happening as much. I contacted a friend of mine who has a place in Taos. As I was hunkered down there, I wrote ‘Freedom,’ as a response to the politics getting ridiculous. The song is my response to what was going in the world. We should all be loving each other and here families are falling apart. Neighbors are disagreeing and it’s gotten out of hand. ‘Freedom’ is my response.”
The single is produced by noted singer-songwriter and multiinstrumentalist David Garza.
“Freedom” features Santana co-founder Gregg Rolie, who plays organ and provides backing vocals. It also features bassist
Tim Lefebvre, keyboardist Rachel Eckroth and drummer Beth Goodfellow.
It was recorded at the renowned Sonic Ranch Recording Studio in Tornillo, Texas, which gave Morales an isolated and creative environment to focus on making music.
“Sonic Ranch is one of my favorite places to record,” she says. “It inspired me in writing even more music.”
Morales says with the album she wants to call on people to come together in these stressful personal and political times. She demands people’s rights and paints everyday portraits of the pressures of motherhood and womanhood.
“I’ve been looking at how strong we women are,” Morales states. “We keep evolving and gaining more confidence with time. We don’t sink into our own shoes — we stand taller in them. The title ‘She Ought to Be King’ echoes that.”