Polina Kourakina
Jersey City, New Jersey, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2000 | SELF
Music
Press
Polina Kourakina has a special talent. She combines folk, jazz and soul into something very sweet and passionate. During the past six years, she has honed her sound, and it’s continually evolving. Her soothing voice coupled with her fabulous acoustic guitar dexterity ignites a shared intimate experience with her listeners.
And her songwriting is top notch too. A happy talent trifecta! Here’s a live video of Kourakina playing her track “Liquor and Wine.” Kourakina is playing a couple of music festivals later this month. Check her site to see if they’re near you! - Laura B. Whitmore
Polina is a newer addition to our thriving Cleveland music scene, come from Russia to Cleveland by way of DC and Dallas and a few stops in between. She’s a breath of fresh air, and brings a lot to our rusty table. Her 6-song EP “Wanderlust” is a riveting, lyrically intelligent album that delivers on all levels. The music is structurally dynamic, and she possesses an impeccable sense of musicality.
The first track, “Catching the Port”, is explosive. Jazzy, silky smooth vocals carouse over a groovy, toe-tapping arrangement that makes you want to dance. Her guitar-playing goes beyond rhythm with a blues-infused skilled technique that’s occasionally hidden in the accompaniment, but knows when to appropriately rear its head. From there, we move into a folksier song with lyrical vocals that sail across harmonic acoustic guitar. The second track, “Fields of Life”, is a sonic treat, and the complex notes dance across the fretboard with occasional guitar percussives. She has a unique, expressive pronunciation that’s incredibly enjoyable.
“Liquor and Wine” carries a smoky smooth latin beat, with spot on, powerful and dynamic vocals that weave and bob like a boxer. “Somebody (Useless)” is a track you want to sing along to. The lyrics are resonant and powerful, smart while remaining accessible to a pop music audience. The song is melancholy, but not in a way that makes you feel dragged down. There’s a sense of hope in it.
“Lock and Key” is probably the least enjoyable track, only because she takes a backseat to a male vocalist. But that’s not to say there’s anything bad about it – by “least”, we’re talking about the least in a phenomenal collection of songs, so in other words, still fantastic.
The final song in an all-too-short CD (we want more, and can’t wait for the next release!) is “Me and My Friends”, and sounds the poppiest of them all.
Her vocals are sometimes a mouthful, like a giant bite of delicious cheesecake – sweet and smooth, a bit of sharp tang, and a little grit. The album ranges from complex jazz to folksy rock arrangements, and showcases such a well-rounded musician. Soulful, joyful, and powerful, Cleveland is incredibly lucky to have her here.
Find out more about Polina Kourakina at www.polinakourakina.com
Buy “Wanderlust” at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/polinakourakina
Support her effort to create her next record! http://www.indiegogo.com/polinak
by Samantha Baine - samantha baine
Discography
Pelagheya LP 1.26.13 itunes, 87.7fm cleveland, last fm, spotify, tune core, etc.
My pleasure ep. 11.10.2009. on spotify.com,itunes.
Wanderlust ep. 03.17.2011. on itunes,lastfm.com,cdbaby.com, iheart radio.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Polina Kourakina fundamentally embraces the absolute power of the here and now. As an artist her music provides the listener with a tool to experience the intimacy of the present. Her ability to bring souls together, evolve, and create art on the spot is what makes her so very unique.
Perhaps it was her childhood move from Moscow, to Northern Virginia that provided Polina with a wealth experiences for which used to hone her craft into something that could effortlessly be embraced by so many people from seemingly endless walks of life. Or maybe it was her mothers skillful interpretations of Russian piano music that enveloped her consciousness and wove itself into the very fabric of her existence. Or maybe, to put it simply, she is just that good.
For the last six years Polina Kourakina has been developing a sound. Its a sound that when played solo has the power of a cannon or the softness of down, but when arranged for a small group has the intimacy of cabaret and the intricacy of a Faberge egg. Aptly title Wanderlust, Polinas most recent offering is a musical journal of her travels through DC, San Diego, Dallas, Manhattan, and her home base of Cleveland, Ohio. At each stop she plays her music, never the same twice, and always in a state of evolution. With each performance her music grows just as all living art does.
Polina Kourakina masterfully combines jazz stylings and soulful vocalizations with intimacy of a folk singer. She captivates, impassions, arouses and excites. Either alone or with accompaniment, she has the power to grasp hold of the present moment and shape it like an artist does to clay. While philosophers may dispute the importance of events in our past or future, no one can argue that anything is more crucial or pertinent to each individual than the absolute present. For it is within the present that we reside exclusively. No one knows this more than Polina Kourakina.
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