Like her cousin Linda Ronstadt, Mexican-American vocalist and singer-songwriter Lisa Morales grew up in a musical family in Tucson, Ariz., learning to perform traditional Mexican music while developing broad-ranging musical taste prior to moving to Texas. Her performances move back and forth effortlessly between Spanish and English lyrics and styles – she is truly a force in either world, and the larger bicultural Hispano-Americana realm that embraces them both.
On Friday, June 20, Morales returns to Society Hall for a 7:30 p.m. show. She will be joined onstage by her son Thomas Spencer on electric guitar. Tickets are $20 at the door.
Morales’ credentials on the songwriter scene were established long before the release of her debut solo album, “My Beautiful Mistake,” in 2011. In addition to performing and recording for nearly two decades as part of the acclaimed San Antonio-based sibling duo Sisters Morales (with her sister, Roberta, who passed away from cancer in August 2021), Lisa also produced “Flowers & Liquor,” the 2002 debut album by Americana music favorite Hayes Carll.
But it was “My Beautiful Mistake” (hailed by Lone Star Music Magazine as “an absolutely flat-out devastating and stunning work of art”) and its equally luminous follow-up, 2018’s “Luna Negra & the Daughter of the Sun,” that marked the Tucson native’s true arrival as a creative force to be reckoned with and, according to Rolling Stone, “one of the most multifaceted artists to watch in 2018.”
On her third album released in 2022, “She Ought to Be King,” Morales once again affirmed her world-class stature with a distinctive perspective and a remarkable capacity for looking both inward and outward. “I’ve been looking at how strong we women are,” she said. “We keep evolving and gaining more confidence with time. We don’t sink into our own shoes – we stand taller in them.”
Morales recently released her brand-new album “Sonora” and will perform some of the new material in her Society Hall concert. “Sonora,” in particular, serves as both a tribute and a reinvention – honoring the memories of her sister while stepping boldly into new creative terrain. The album features collaborations with a wide array of celebrated artists, including JoJo Garza (Los Lonely Boys), Kesley Wilson (Sir Woman) and Tish Hinojosa, as well as a poignant posthumous co-write with Roberta. Morales also welcomed her son Thomas Spencer into the recording process – bringing a fresh generation of family harmonies into her work. Thomas will also join her onstage for the Society Hall show.
With her trademark blend of vulnerability and strength, Morales stands as a voice for multicultural expression, female empowerment and the healing power of song, said Society Hall board member Don Richmond. Her live performances, often met with standing ovations, are a testament to her authenticity, her heritage, and her enduring creative fire.