Album Review: "Hellbent & Moonbound" By Malena Cadiz (8/10)

Malena Cadiz Music

Producer: Andrew Lappin

As both a vocalist and storyteller, gossamer voiced poet and offbeat yet straight to the heart singer-songwriter has earned nonstop lofty comparisons (Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones) throughout her 13-year recording career. Still, none of those quite prepare us for the way she seduces, then pierces the heart and invites her way in via dreamy-breezy melodies—which mostly caress in ballad form, but sometimes groovy pop. She remains a master at artfully juxtaposing the mundanity of life with soul-deep sacredness, using casual observations as portals to epiphanies on the heavier truths of existence.  – Jonathan Widran