Album Review of
Full, New, Luna

Written by Robert Silverstein
January 13, 2024 - 4:25pm EST
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Described as a fusion of jazz, neo-soul, pop and Latin music, Full, New, Luna is a good introduction to the music of Barcelona-born, Florida-based singer-songwriter Ona K (actual last name: Kirei). With song lyrics sung in both English and Spanish, Ona  gives these songs a refreshing, tropical delivery and her vocal range is quite impressive. Not easy to pigeonhole, on Full, New, Luna, Ona serves up an album of tropical, jazzy pop in a bilingual fashion, and the album will find an audience among both jazz and pop fans.

Also included on the 12-track, 46-minute album is Ona’s jazzy, post-rock sounding cover of “Black Hole Sun”, recorded in 1994 by the late Chris Cornell and his group Soundgarden. Although it’s been covered before, including as an instrumental version, here the song is given a jazzy, pop-vocal edge, topped off by a fiery electric guitar solo played by LaRue Nickelson and, as such Ona simply puts a new spin on a revered rock classic. Another cover here of Bob Thiele’s “What A Wonderful World” is given a most classy update.

Another reason Full, New, Luna makes for such an impressive experience is the 19 top-notch musicians that help her deliver the goods. There’s also a string section to give several songs a modern, neoclassical edge. The first musician in her family that was surrounded by the arts and a strong cultural tradition and, turned onto Chopin, Satie, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos at an early age, Ona Kirei makes a unique musical statement all her own with the sensual pop swing of Full, New, Luna.