*Female guitar players seem to be a thing these days and Ohio born, Minnesota raised lefty guitarist Malina Moye is the REAL thing.
Raised in a musical family, which included being part of the family act, Les Moye Ice, with her parents and two brothers, Malina decided to spread her wings and leave the family nest.
According to Malina, her mother said, “You know what, Malina? You leave with what you got.” Although her mother did not know it, what Malina had was very little when she moved to Los Angeles a decade ago.
Although temporarily homeless and not knowing how she was going to make it, she continued to pursue her dream and eventually landed an acting job, which allowed her to continue to pursue her music.
Malina’s sound is a hybrid: funk, rock and blues. It is a little hard to nail down. I liken it to Bootsy Collins meets, Jimmy Hendrix, meets Led Zeppelin. Malina has taken a little of several people to come up with her own style, a very fresh, funky, rock infused sound.
Did I mention she could really sing? None of that just carrying a tune stuff. She can belt out a song. “Enough” had me swaying back and forth and replaying the song a couple of times.
Malina has recorded several albums. Funkster Bootsy Collins lent a hand on the last one, “Rock and Roll Baby.” Her latest album, “Bad As I Wanna Be,” will be released today, Friday, March 23 via iTunes.
If you hear a hint of a Minnesota vibe in Malina’s music, a la Prince, The Time, Mint Condition or any of the other famous bands coming out of Minnesota, it is not a coincidence.
Malina was influenced by Minnesota musical forerunners, including the most famous one of all, the Purple One, Prince, who she had the opportunity to meet when she was a preteen.
According to Malina, she was a kid, “jamming in the basement with George Clinton, Babyface,” she said, “This was just normal.”
Malina has performed all over the world, including opening for Robin Thicke and Boyz II Men on several of their U.S. tour dates and being the first African-American woman to play the National Anthem on the guitar at a professional sporting event.
She has shared the stage with blues legends as the only female lefty guitarist appearing at the Robert Johnson Blues Festival and has appeared on national television shows, including the Arsenio Hall show. Trust and believe Malina Moye is no flash-in-the pan.
She has been around, has been praised by some of the foremost guitar authorities, has made her mark and is here to stay. I am looking forward to hearing more from Malina. Check out her newest album when it drops (today) March 23. You can order here, via iTunes.
Marilyn Smith is a Los Angeles based writer/reviewer. Contact her via [email protected].
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