Ghostlines is the latest album from Calgary singer, musician and songwriter Sora. This album includes ten new songs penned by Sora, and in addition to lead vocals and backup vocals, Sora also performs on keyboards, violin and harp. The album was produced by Vanessa Cardui, and she also contributes to the musical content of this album with backup vocals, banjo, lute, recorder, glockenspiel and various percussion instruments. Additional musicians contributing to this album are Dorothy Bishop on cello, Aaron Young on electric guitar, and Brent van Dusen on drums. Sora delineates her new album by stating "Ghostlines is an album of hauntings; the lingering memories, stories and experiences that hold us captive, good or bad. It is the echoing reverberations of decisions made by us for us." As I listened to this album what really grabbed my attention were the stunning vocal harmonies beautifully crafted by Sora and Vanessa. The songs on this album cover a wide range of emotions, each with their own unique character. The accompanying music is a well-crafted palette of timbres and colours, beautifully and emotionally performed by all of the artists involved. I particularly enjoyed Ghostlines, Paris, Clay, Selkie and Away, but all ten songs are great. The song lyrics are cogent and well thought-out, and the instruments chosen for each song are tastefully utilized and do not overshadow the vocals. Some unique instrumentation is utilized throughout this recording, including glockenspiel, ocean drum, udu, and wood block. On her previous albums Sora primarily utilized a guest violinist, but on this album she performed the violin parts herself, and she adeptly demonstrates that she can handle this part beautifully. Sora is a great songwriter, and this album showcases her growth as a musical artist. This truly is an album of hauntings as Sora herself expressed. With the album's top-notch production and sound quality also considered, Sora has created a well-crafted musical masterpiece. Rating: Excellent” - John Iverson

Zone Music Reporter

Scorpion Moon" is New World Music from singer/songwriter Sora. Sora is an artist with stories to tell, not just to entertain, but to stir emotions and connect the imagination with the Old World of the Ancient Celtic and Desert Lands with all the drama of romance, hope, and tragic ambition. Sora does favor the sound of her main influence, Canadian composer/singer Loreena McKennitt. Vocally, Sora has a warm classic tone and creatively, she has a tremendous range of colors, stories, and impressions to fill several future classic recordings. “Scheherazade (Scorpion Moon)“ brims with elements found in film music scoring -- an epic adventure of the ancient past. The rhythm is the heartbeat and core of Sora’s music.There are contrasting textures of delicate arpeggiated plucked harp, middle eastern wind instruments, the warm tone of virtuoso cello, and thundering war drums. Sora has a warm and beautiful classic/Celtic style. The lyrics express desire of love and refuge from a savage outside world. The dance of “Savage” explodes with the sound of the hand drum, guitar, flute, and cello, which are nice additions to this piece. The choral vocalise that Sora weaves really completes this. At this point, I must give props the excellent production values on the entire CD. The standards are high, and the performances are masterful. The amount of care and detail that went into this recording is very impressive. “The City” caught my interest because the intro was in the meter of 7 beats. The voice piano and harp combination works over some very interesting chord changes that move to unexpected places at interesting times. I especially like the tempo changes, and the dreamy overdubs Sora layers with her vocals. I have always liked the sound of the Celtic flute. One of my favorite selections was “The Tower”, and I enjoyed the piano and the waltz tempo with the layered harmonies with which Sora told the story of Rapunzel. “Scorpion Moon” is a tremendous CD. I give it 5 stars!  ” - Paul Anderson

Entertainment Bank

 From the first exquisite note in Scorpion Moon, Sora takes us into a world of fairy tales, heroes and villains, all with an overriding pulse encompassing so many differing genres of music in that it cannot be attributed to one particular style; perhaps a unique style of her own with the rhythms of so many styles melding to produce a blend with an almost hypnotic seduction of sound. A beautifully mesmeric album created from ancient and modern influences woven into a unique musical tapestry which reaches deep within to times before memory and perhaps times still yet unknown.” - Janet Mawdesley

— Conscious Living Magazine

CD Review – Scorpion Moon, by Sora The Canadian songstress’s latest album is a great showcase for her vocal and compositional abilities, taking pages so to speak from sources as diverse as ancient myths and children’s fairy tales. Sora’s lyrics are full of vivid imagery and heartfelt emotion, inspired as they are by her passion for literature and her strong stance on love and relationships. Sora breathes life into these poetic musings with her supple voice, which commands your attention with its stream-like fluidity and in-your-face (in a good way) urgency. She has a unique style all her own, which is refreshing in the current climate of unreasonable facsimiles and unflattering imitation. The songs are also richly adorned with solid, sparkling instrumentation. In addition to playing piano on one track, Sora has assembled a fine ensemble of musicians. This exquisite group takes the music effortlessly through a variety of genre forms, including pop, new age, Celtic, classical, and orchestral. For those looking for a different listening experience, the CD provides a welcome detour from the usual expectations.” - Raj Manoharan

RajMan Reviews

‘Scorpion Moon’ from Sora - inexorable passion and ‘siren-song’ temptation(April 14, 2013) I first heard Sora’s dazzling voice back in 2009 on the album Heartwood – and thought it would be hard for her to outshine that album for sheer ethereal, fragile yet immediately moving and potent vocals. No problem, with ‘Scorpion Moon’ she has done just that. From the outset you’re pulled inexorably into the passion and majesty that surrounds Sora’s ‘siren-song’ temptation. There are no rock costs waiting for the unwary traveller within this songstress’s enticement, simply the depth and breadth of her songs. Within ‘Scorpion Moon’ there are 11 of Sora’s explorations in song that travel through the shadows of myths, to wander through experiences and memories of desperate longing, intense love and powerful desire. As before, I call this ‘music to listen to’ – and I don’t mean over the in-car system while the world charges past your window. To luxuriate in the true attraction of Sora’s voice you sit down, switch off the phone, ignore the world and do nothing but listen. ‘Scheherazade’ opens the album and with the essence of those persuasive stories holds you enthralled. Among the other charms are the elusive spell of ‘Hiraeth’, the searching truth of ‘Hero’ and the intense feeling of ‘Mermaid Song’. The realisation of breaking free and standing your ground within the narrative of ‘The Tower’ is palpable, as is the pure understanding of death and all it means about moving on rather than ending encapsulated by ‘Moving On’. Sora lives and breathes her songs, pouring her soul into each one. Take the time to surrender to the embrace of ‘Scorpion Moon’ and share the path.” - Tim Carroll

FolkWords

Sora Creates Another Gem!  Creating a new album following the success of her critically acclaimed recording Heartwood was no easy task for Calgary singer and songwriter Sora, but she has managed to conjure up another gem with the release of her latest album Scorpion Moon. Under the guidance of producer Douglas Romanow, who Sora also worked with on Heartwood, she has continued where Heartwood left off, putting together another collection of songs about myths and legends, children's stories, archetypes and other fascinating subjects. To accomplish this, Sora utilized a diverse assortment of instruments, including some unique ones like the erhu and the charango. I particularly liked the influence of the cello and the harp on the sound, as it makes the music more mystical and magical. But the instruments never overpower Sora's radiant voice, which varies from strong and powerful to light and airy depending on the mood of the song. I am sensing too that Sora's sound is becoming more and more all her own, and less like her core musical influences. Her goal is for her songs to be stories of what it means to be human, and this certainly comes across as you listen to Scorpion Moon. Of particular note on this recording is the ethereal opening track "Scheherazade", which is subtitled Scorpion Moon. Other notable tracks on the album include "Mermaid Song", "Hold", and "Moving On". However all of the songs on this disc are enjoyable and tie nicely together, showcasing not only the talent of the singer, but of the guest musicians as well. It's difficult to categorize this style of music, as the lines between new age, Celtic, folk, and even classical are blurred, but this blending of styles only serves to make the album appealing to a more diverse group of listeners. You will be left wanting more. Bravo Sora!” - John Iverson

Stylus Magazine

SORA STORY SORT OF A FAIRY-TALE: NEW CD BY EXCITING SINGER I guess I believe in fairy-tales. I heard this new album (Scorpion Moon) by the Canadian singer and composer Sora (she just goes by the one name -- move over Madonna). I was knocked out by her voice so I went online to find out more about her, and I read that even though she grew up playing the violin and piano, she did not start singing until much later in her life. No one thought of her as a singer, but she had ideas for songs (melodies and lyrics), so she started singing them. And lo and behold a new voice was unveiled to the world. Now she has her fourth recording released. There is another reason Sora makes me believe in fairy-tales. Her lyrics are often based on fairy-tales and other age-old stories. For example, “Proof of Life” was inspired by “The Velveteen Rabbit;” “Mermaid’s Song” derives from the “The Little Mermaid” story by Hans Christian Anderson; “The Tower” takes another look at Rapunzel’s story; and “Piper” has its roots in the tale of children following a flute-player. Sora also was inspired by “One-Thousand-and-One-Nights” and writes other tunes about heroes, savages and the feeling Welch people have when they are homesick or nostalgic. Sora comes out of the Loreena McKennitt and Sarah McLachlan school of Canadian singer-songwriters who have a hint of Celtic music about them. Sora has, perhaps, a more powerful and operatic voice than those two, but like them, Sora’s vision is unique and her voice is high, pure and distinctive. Sora’s music is well worth checking out. It is always a pleasure to find a new, exciting, worthy musical talent out there...sort of a dream come true.”

Harmony Central

Sora – SCORPION MOON: If you haven’t listened to any new age music lately, Sora’s full-bodied vocal/instrument songs would be a wonderful place to visit. “City” is a full-bodied tune that I fell in love with right away; it will carry you to new heights as you soar over rooftops you never even knew were there! Lots of harp and string sounds to help you keep the dream alive and well, no matter what your current trials and tribulations may be. The tune that was most attractive for my ears was “Piper.” There’s no doubt as you listen to Sora on this one that she is drawing you into her spell and will keep you there for the long term. Is it jazz? Definitely not – but the energy levels Sora achieves through her magical performance make it transcend all “genre boundaries.” I give it a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.97. Get more information about each of the songs at Sora’s page for this CD.” - Doctor Jazz

Improvijazzation Nation

Artist sets music to the imagination In her newest album, Scorpion Moon, Canadian-born artist Sora takes her listeners on a journey across fields and mountains, to an impassioned world born of her imagination. Her album is unlike anything out in mainstream music today, and still vastly different from alternative music; so different it’s practically genreless. Sora’s voice is rich full of kings and queens, battles, stories and fervor. Although her songs don’t mention medieval qualities, they are deep and smoky with the substance and sound you would find in such a story. Her vocals have great range and each song keeps a good rhythm without needing the lyrics to rhyme in convenient places, something that’s being taken for granted lately. Over and over, in each song Sora displays an unparalleled talent for storytelling. The tracks are mystical sounding, accompanied by perfectly matching arrangements match the moods of the songs. Harps add mysticality. And in other tracks, such as Hireath, drums are used to add a little edge and elements of tension and danger. However, no song has just one atmosphere; Sora manages to weave different moods and atmospheres, just like in actual stories. The songs have plot. Sora’s tracks also feature unique lyrics, and in this case unique is not a polite term for weird. With the popular musical world perforated with love songs filled with babies, shorties, girls and cowboys, yes, even the wonderful country genre is not immune to the patterned formula. Sora has managed to slip back to a time of epic stories and ballads without losing a sharpened, modern edge. Sora’s music is hard to grasp with the written word, but for those looking for something different it’s definitely worth a listen.” - Amelia Naismith

Ponoka News

Canadian vocalist and songwriter Sora presents Scorpion Moon, an album featuring her mellifluous voice, and emotional lyrics that transcend time and place. A holistic fusion of genres, Scorpion Moon touches upon the wonder and the sorrow of life itself, and evokes an air of inscrutable mystery, akin to the ancient myths and fables it draws inspiration from. Highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of unique and original musical treasures. The tracks are "Scheherazade (Scorpion Moon)", "Hiraeth", "Hero", "Savage", "Mermaid Song", "City", "The Tower", "Hold", "Piper", "Proof of Life", and "Moving On".”

— Midwest Book Review