Ian Moore

When Ian Moore issued his self-titled solo debut in 1993, he was just another bluesy, Austin-based guitar slinger looking to start a Texas flood. Six years later, with the release of the eclectic Got the Green Grass, he abandoned that goal in favor of melodic soul-pop that owed more to Stevie Wonder than to Stevie Ray. The best part of this transition was Moore’s growing emphasis on singing; his smoky voice was pushed to the fore, and the effect was nothing short of revelatory. Moore’s new record, Luminaria, is slated for an April release, but fans can pick up an advance copy during the hard-touring musician’s latest cross-country trek. The postmodern cousin to Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty, Luminaria was recorded at various tour stops last year, with Moore self-producing the effort on his computer. Far from sounding cold and digitized, Moore’s latest may be his most personal effort to date.