Nashville native Carmen Canedo is back with another soft and dreamy record. Know It All, released August 6th on Oof Records shows a singer-songwriter on the top of her game.
Canedo wrote and recorded all the songs (Lily Ophelia helped with “August”) in a Nashville basement-turned-studio from January 2018 to February 2020.
This album is dedicated to “all of the women whose love, light, and wisdom have changed [her] life for the better.” Some of these women are directly mentioned on the first track, “Morrow.” Canedo sings that she “Climbed the roof of Morrow / with two girls I didn’t quite know.” These two, and “all of the gals who lived on the 4th floor of Morrow,” a house at Smith College are specifically mentioned in the dedication.
Set on the roof of a Massachuesetts campus, the lyrics “In pursuit of stars I saw / when I was back home” allude to the homesickness that clouds college dorm rooms.
That same sense of contemplation can be found in a number of songs on the record. Canedo’s warm vocals cover past relationships, the sting of goodbyes, and literal reflections. “Silver Spoons” covers the latter with lyrics like, “Baby’s in the market looking at the silver spoons / says she doesn’t like reflections looking back at her.”
All of the reflections she mentions are warped. Just as memories become hazier with time, the spoon and rainy passenger-side window she sings of seem to distort memories and desires into insecurities.
On “Ocean I Swam,” Canedo sings “I am not where I began.” Whatever self-doubt may have plagued her takes a back seat near the end of the record. “How Can I Know You,” one of three singles, is all about the overwhelming excitement of getting to know someone new. This song takes you back to the full-body chills that come with new vulnerability. This track is innocent, light, and relatable. We have all yearned to spend every moment with someone, yet being full of nerves (the good kind!) when the opportunity arises.
Know It All brings simple phrasing, warm vocals, and vulnerability together. The winding guitar work and lyrics will stay with you long past your listen. Carmen Canedo’s music is perfect for swaying in a dimly lit, musty, DIY venue — but your room will do the trick.
Know It All is available for streaming and cassette (Duplicated and printed by hand, quarantine style!) on Bandcamp.
Miranda Roberts is a recent graduate from the University of Kansas with a passion for writing, music obsession, and a serious crossword puzzle addiction.
Pass The Mic 