Heather McEntire can GROOVE. 

That was the resounding takeaway from Mount Moriah's show at Rough Trade last Sunday in support of their new album, How To Dance. Skylar Gudasz, a fellow North Carolina musician, opened up the night and then Mount Moriah took the stage, kicking off their set with the punchy lead track “Calvander.” With swinging knees, swaying hips and her searing Southern vocals, McEntire instantly set the tone for the night: Unrestrained and Unrestricted. 

Having seen them live a few years back, it was clear she’d had a few transformative years, her stage presence now enlivened with a mesmerizing vitality and a vigorous bite. It’s these transformative years that are reflected in the new album. For the band, bringing their instrumentals to the forefront, no longer hovering quietly behind the vocals. For McEntire, outlining her journey to faith and the dispelling of a confining darkness.

The set was built mostly of these new songs, along with a couple of older tracks including "Miracle Temple Holiness" and "Social Wedding Rings," which is a personal favorite and was a real treat to hear as she said it was a song they hadn't played live in years. Both brought about a heaviness felt in her anguished expressions and trailed-off wails.

A mouthful of bees couldn't stop me
from whispering
"I don't love you."

The band then closed out the night with "Lament," the wildly popular single off their debut album. With its gravitational tambourine, roaming guitar riff and front-porch harmonies, its been a staple of my Wilmington collection since the first time I heard it over the 98.3 The Penguin radio waves.

It was great grooving to some Southern sounds again. Anytime I can blend the two sides of my heart is an absolute pleasure, and anytime a band lays all inhibitions to rest is absolute bliss. 

“Got a lot of people telling me how to dance,” McEntire sings on the album’s title track. 

Don’t change a thing, lady. Your moves are golden.

xxChris