Lynn Cardona - Ophelia

[GA Russell]

 

Lynn Cardona "Ophelia" Impacting: October 1 2019 Format(s): Jazz   Lynn Cardona is a contemporary jazz and soul artist living in Los Angeles, where she pens unguarded songs about love: the unrequited, the returned and ecstatic, the slow burn of longing and lust.   It’s Cardona’s voice—girlish, dreamily viscous, and reminiscent of Blossom Dearie—that first draws you in. But you soon find yourself saturated in Cardona’s world, one where nostalgia and desire fill the space like rising floodwaters.   Much of this is due to the poetry that patters through Cardona’s lyrics, tugging you deeper and deeper out to sea. For example, in her new EP, Ophelia, Cardona sings in the titular song, “I’ve said this all before but now I swear it, please dare it, don’t you know how far I’d go for love….” Cardona wrote the song in a single night during which she found herself wanting to end her life after the dissolution of her relationship with a long-time lover. Despite the heaviness of the subject matter, “Ophelia” has a light-hearted feel, conveying the haunting juxtaposition between what’s felt and what’s shown on the outside.   Ophelia is backed by the silky piano of composer Josh Nelson, who is best known as the pianist and music director for the late Natalie Cole. Cardona waited a full year to record Ophelia until Nelson was able to come on board because she knew he would bring something enchanting to her work. She then enlisted some of Los Angeles’ first call jazz musicians to round out the band. Michael Hunter, Nozomi Yamaguchi, Dave Robaire, and Dan Schnelle on flugelhorn, guitar, bass, and drums respectively. Before her musical career, Cardona grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and later moved to Memphis, Tennessee. She cut her teeth performing in the southern city, where she learned from Memphis’ incredible musicians and artists. Eventually, she made her way to Los Angeles. Flowing through Cardona’s music are emotions so vulnerable that at times they come across as childlike. As Cardona puts it, “I want my music to convey the nuances of the experiences I’ve had, because it helps listeners feel that they can relate to me on the deepest level. And, in turn, that means my listeners will feel seen, too.”     Almost 10 years after the song Ophelia was written, this album is finally being released into the world.  Thank you to Joe for beling my muse so many moons ago.  Thank you to my mother, Lisa and my sister, Michelle for teaching me about motherhood and womanhood.  Through thick and thin, we have endured and will contine to do so.  Thank you to Josh Nelson, Nazomi Yamaguchi, Dan Schnelle, Dave Robaire, and Dori Amarillo for breathing new life into this music.  I'm so proud to call it mine. - Lynn Cardona

Edited October 15, 2019 by GA Russell