A Homecoming for Lisa Morales
It’s almost impossible to write about Lisa Morales and her upcoming show on the Hotel Congress patio without writing/talking about her sister and lifelong singing partner, Roberta, who succumbed to a three-year battle with cancer a scant three months ago. “It’s still hard,” she said in a recent phone interview as she prepares for her first tour since the advent of Covid.
“I was with her in the hospital every day for three months, after the initial diagnosis,” she said. Following chemo and radiation, “she fought, and she won, for a while. We were hoping she might sing on the [new] album. Obviously, it’s still pretty raw.”
Native Tucsonans and members of the extended Ronstadt clan, Lisa says, “we knew we had something special since we were little girls when our father used to take us to sing at La Fuente [on Oracle Road] with the mariachis.” In time, as their individual musical personas developed, Roberta eventually joined Lisa’s already established band, and their new group, Sisters Morales, was born. Relocating to San Antonio, where they set up shop, they recorded six albums and toured the world. Their unique blend of homegrown Arizona/Tex-Mex, fueled by their original compositions and stellar harmonies, melded roots steeped in traditional Mexican music with a contemporary flair for Americana and blues. This original brand of Southwest gumbo, so hard to define but so easy to love, made them a must-see act on the road and festival circuit throughout the country and abroad.
While their visits to Tucson were too few and far between, they did play a memorable show the El Casino Ballroom in the early 2000s while also headlining the Tucson Folk Festival in 2005. Following the death of their mother in 2011, the sisters decided it was time to part ways musically, although, “of course, we were still very close.”
Since then, Lisa has produced two solo albums and is on the cusp of releasing a third, She Ought to be King, due out next spring. In its first single, “Freedom,” Morales sings about the power of loving each other as a mother does and speaking up when we see injustices. “It’s a very simple message,” she says. “Love one another, be kind, do the right thing, be honorable and help one another.”
Musically, “Freedom” retains a percussive Latin feel, although it’s not like anything one would associate with the sisters. Clearly her growth as an artist continues to be reflected in her solo work. It’s a ride that has allowed her to rub elbows with everyone from Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys to Rodney Crowell. “Freedom” also boasts the services of original Santana and Journey alum Gregg Rolie on keyboards and backing vocals.
When she takes the stage at Hotel Congress, it will be the second show of a tour that follows a hiatus dating back to early 2020 and a welcome reprieve from a series of Zoom and other online offerings. In dedicating this show to Roberta, Lisa will be fronting a four- or five-piece band in a homecoming that no doubt will be as comforting as it may be bittersweet.
The Lisa Morales Band plays the Hotel Congress outdoor patio on Saturday, November 13, at 8:00 pm. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $20 general admission, $25 reserved.
Category: Community, Entertainment, MUSIC, The Scoop
