In her first release, singer/songwriter Tania Cordobés looks back on the lessons of her life and finds solace with a guitar and piano in a forthright, emotionally revealing set of songs. The album is still in demand by new listeners who are thrilled to discover a vocal talent that is hidden from the mainstream.Ms. Cordobés leads with her heart from the opening track, "Music and Time." This is her manifesto: that music enables her to slow down the inexpressible, fast-moving inner life that we all have and find momentary peace in a song. And while the answers in life aren't always clear, the emotions in a song are, and "the music soothes what time can only figure out."She ventures into the territory of lost love in several tracks, "I'd Put Us Together," "Love Remains," and in the album's most poignant track, "Ghost Kisses." Ms. Cordobés focuses on what is left after the fighting and recriminations-the loss of a beautiful feeling that you can recreate only in your memory. In a literal and figurative drive down memory lane, she passes a restaurant and imagines her love in the seat next to her: the smile, the kiss, and "still amazed at how the memories linger through the years." A single violin, reminiscent of the Beatles "Yesterday," helps the song sail into its chorus.Another great track is "Ponderosa Pines," a toe-tapping travelogue that picked up some modest national airplay.Tania's 2nd CD, a recording of the material frequently performed when she had her band "Surf Salsa" which was a group that performed traditional Cuban and Mexican tunes along with rootsy Americana. Hence the term Surf Salsa which really was an effort to just mix things up rather than play what one would initially think of when you hear the phrase "salsa music". One of the songs from that second CD effort, "Que Lindo" (a song about the immigration experience of her father's family) won an honorable mention in the prestigious Nashville Songwriter's Association/CMT International Songwriting Contest in 2003.Tania Cordobés is an artist whose original songs span the genre's of folk, pop, Cuban, country and jazz. An accomplished pianist, Tania began formal piano lessons at the age of six and continued on to obtain a bachelor's and master's degree in music and music therapy at Southern Methodist University assisted by full scholarships. After completing her master's degree with a thesis on songwriting with patients struggling HIV, Tania studied music in Cuba (voice under Sonia McCormick of the Escuela Nacional de Musica and Leonel Aleaga of Adelberto y Su Son). Her love for Cuban boleros led her to study voice and piano with the late Carmen Torres (sister of Aidita - bandleader for Cuarteto Las de Aida) who taught her about the movement of "filin" music in Cuba. She has published her songwriting research with HIV patients in the spring 1997 Journal of Music Therapy. The coolest part of the music therapy career is being able to use songwriting and improvisation to help people find new ways to heal and address issues. It's truly an adventure to discover the music within a person.Tania was voted one of the top five latin music acts in Dallas/Fort Worth in 1999 by the readership of the Dallas Observer (a local entertainment newspaper). In 1998 she was invited to sing at the annual 4th of July Willie Nelson Picnic in Luchenbach, Texas. Her voice has been used in various regional jingles in Spanish and English and she has appeared on local Spanish variety TV shows including "De Todo Un Poco" and "Variadissimo". In 1997 and 1998 Tania created "Cultural Knowledge Through the Arts Workshop and Artist Exchange" in which she brought musicians and dancers from Cuba to Texas.A little bit of info about Tania is that she is the daughter of a Cuban immigrant father ( who is a very proud American citizen) and American mom (of irish/german descent). This layout was handmade with love by the folks at My space or yours? Go get one!
