Los Angeles quartet Moira and VOCO treated all of us to a National Championship performance at the 2007 Harmony Sweeps Finals in San Rafael in May, and 'Blink' only expands and deepens our appreciation for this all-woman group. Moira's sure songwriting and arranging touch is everywhere on this gem of a recording, which features her original tunes 'Deep Blue,' 'I Live in California,' 'Stand in that River' (which also won for 'Best Original Song'), 'Our time/Shout,' and 'How Can I Cry.' Another winner from their Finals set is 'Dying Californian,' a beautiful, haunting folk song from 'the Sacred Harp' (1859). Other winners are 'Katie Cruel,' here lightly accompanied by percussion, cello and accordion, 'Dance s'loyfn, s'yogn,' with Moira's words given to a Yiddish dance song, the surprising 'Firecracker Girl,' 'al' procia' and 'esik eso,' Croatian and Hungarian folksongs. And, unique to this group, which they showed off at the Finals, are a pair of fun, short 'body percussion' songs, 'the Boat BP' and 'Tryptophan Hand Jive.' Moira and VOCO are fast-rising stars, and 'Blink,' like their Finals set, touches and moves us.

Listen to I Live In California in RealAudio.