With an incandescent brilliance, rising star Kristina Morales sings through reimagined ballads such as “Scarbourough Fayre" and “Amarilli, Mia Bella" with the same intoxicating and heart-wrenching warmth and clarity as her upbeat and joyous additions like “Berimbau" or popular salsa tune “Quimbara." Throughout the CD, it's clear the theme of the album is not only to showcase the young singer in a variety of musical pieces but also showcase her deep and spiritual connection to each song with a raw, unnerving fervor unmatched by many her age.
Her skills as a story-teller and lyricist are featured on songs such as John Coltrane's “Naima" refashioned in a steamy r&b outfit, and Clyde Kerr Jr.'s glorious song for “Treme" featuring rhythms of New Orleans and Brazil that emphasize the interconnectedness of all cultural music. On bassist Nathan Lambertson's dreamy composition “Lunar Song" the singer tells the story of a man in love with the unreachable moon.
“Penumbra's Tea Party," a playful and complex wonderland of music showcases the singer's compositional skills. The album's title track “Wonderful World" arranged by Morales sums up the albums full expedition through the bittersweet, the mysterious and magnificent journey of life. Morales explains, “Wonderful World was actually the last song recorded. It was a bit of an afterthought but I felt like I still didn't have a song on the album that really summed up what the message was. I wanted something that could channel the duality of life. The good and the bad, the ying and the yang, the beautiful and the ugly. It was important for me to record a song about the peacefulness when you've accepted your journey and yourself."
Lending to the musical painting around Kristina's fiery vocals are a variety of young New Orleans jazz musicians. Vibraphonist James Westfall(The Wee Trio) lends his ferocious talent enhancing not only the dreamy sensation of the album but bringing a fearless heroic quality as well. Guitarist Danny Abel(Gravity A/Dark Matter) adds a flavor all his own with epic jazz-rock solos and Jason Butler(Shamarr Allen/The New Sound) featured on the Rhodes rises to the occasion with spine tingling harmonies.
Pianist Eduardo Tozzatto(Otra) shows off his advanced rhythmic understanding and selfless sensitivity in harmony with drummers Julian Addison(Jeremy Davenport/The New Sound) and Nicholas Solnick(Shamarr Allen) as they etch the lines of the album with hard grooves and dynamic performances. Holding down the whole project is bassist and arranger Nathan Lambertson(Hot Club of New Orleans/Chris Thomas King) whose unique style of hard hitting punk and traditional New Orleans jazz flavoring ground the album. Throughout, Kristina Morales' voice deeply penetrates listeners with an astounding wisdom and seductive joy.
Reborn of the renaissance that blossomed in the city of New Orleans, native Kristina Morales has made a name for herself carving out classic standards and traditional world and latin music with a refreshing new approach. Kristina's musical journey began when she was a child. Her deep passion for the performing arts led her as a high school student to the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts where she trained intensely as a musical theater major in Classical and ContemporaryVoice, Theatre Arts, and Dance along with a demanding performance schedule.
Her dedication landed Kristina a spot in the highly esteemed Boston Conservatory where she received a B.F.A in Musical Theater. In Boston, Kristina was able to grow freely as an artist exploring not only the Theatre Arts but participating and collaborating with musicians of all genres from around the Boston area. After graduation, Kristina returned home to New Orleans in hopes of contributing to the artistic rebirth of the city. Since her return, Kristina has journeyed through a variety of musical projects and genres. Constantly seeking to grow as a musician, she has studied and played with some of New Orleans's finest musicians and creative visionaries.
Her own band is a testament to that musical journey that is ever-expanding. The project draws its inspiration from the celebratory spirit of New Orleans music and ethereal hues and textures of modern jazz, while traveling through genres of neo-soul and rock and breathing in new life to classic jazz standards and traditional world music. “The 'Wonderful World' voyage presents itself as a roadmap of life. It can be tricky, full of mystery with glorious moments of love and clarity. I put together an album that encompassed these themes lyrically, musically, texturally and spiritually, and at the end of this chapter I find myself still hungry for more."
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