Onika - Onika's Cafe France (2012)

×

Onika - Onika's Cafe France (2012)

Close

This album is a nostalgic look at French musette music. Picture a golden light streaming from a late night Paris café. A beautiful lady is singing romantic French jazz songs accompanied by piano, accordion and violin. The light and music draw you in to the inviting atmosphere. Welcome to Onika’s Café France.


The album “Onika’s Café France” has the aura of a Parisian muse, dripping with nostalgia, bridging jazz and French chanson. When we listen to “Mon Amant de St. Jean” and "C’est Magnifique" we realize we are listening to someone special. Her phrasing and voice style blend contemporary sensitivity with the sophistication of French musical heritage. From the sultry ballad of “Le Soir” to jazz standards like “La Vie en Rose” Linda uses her enchanting voice, accompanied by piano, accordion and violin, to bring you the feeling of old Europe. Her art expresses a special bond between American and French culture.

The album tells a story and captures the emotion and a mood of the French musette music. She is faithful to the jazz vocal stylings but her arrangements are anything but typical. You can picture the golden light streaming from a late night Paris café, drawing you in to the inviting atmosphere. Your heart can feel the quickened pulse in Linda’s own composition “Sarkozy Waltz”, the old world gypsy song “Tchavolo Swing”, and “The Can Can” burlesque.

Linda delivers fresh interpretations of classic French songs “J’attendrai”, “Je Te Veux”, and “C’est Souvenir”. It is not by coincidence that she covers “La Foule” because she honed her craft listening to jazz great Édith Piaf. But Linda’s timbre, pitch and delivery are genuine; a voice all her own. She has the smarts to work superb material. She grew up in California listening to her parents records of Sacha Distel, Dusty Springfield, Chet Baker, and Sara Vaughn.