Poland-based, Ukrainian singer and formerly a member of the rock band De Shifer, Julia Kotova, collects the beauty and wealth of music from all over the world, and weaves those exotic and vibrant threads of influences together into exquisite soundscapes that reflect both her striking talents as a musician and her admiration for the diversity and depth of the artform. With influences ranging from traditional folk music, to classical to rock, Julia Kotova remarkably captures the true essence of the musical styles and cultures she explores, while also bringing her own magic and modernity to the sound. The latest album, World Music, is a testament to her impressive artistic abilities and wide-ranging musical palette, bringing us 16 songs that traverse all the way from European folk music to Indian classical music. Let’s dive right into the tracks.
Avrix Mi Galanica is a Sephardic folk song and opens the album with its rushing rhythms, incandescent strums, sweeping strings, and commanding vocals, starting the album off to an exhilarating, dance-inducing momentum.
Apareka, a Georgian folk song is rendered beautifully and energetically in a folk rock atmosphere, laden with vibrant acoustics, thumping drums, and power-packed vocal melodies. The brightness and mesmeric richness of the string-driven opening coupled with Julia’s charming performance makes this song uplifting and memorable.
Ev Chistr Ta Laou envelops you in the elation, warmth, and luminosity of its ambiance. The galloping rhythms, the stunning violin solos, the lush guitars, and Julia’s emotive vocal performance ensures that even if you may not understand the language, you surely feel the beauty of the music.
Scarborough Fair transports you to a mythical, ethereal world with its captivating story and mesmerizing sounds. The folksy, whimsical melodies opening the music to the operatic violins and lush atmospheric spreads creates a mystical backdrop. Julia’s gleaming, weighty vocals guide you through this absorbing tale, like a beacon through mist. It is truly enchanting.
E Kertemben brings you swelling, winding melodies, pounding, upbeat drums, and refreshing, vervy vocals, the entire soundscape teeming with energy, passion, and enthusiasm.
Sol Invictus brings magnificent, soaring string sections, racing, dynamic rhythms, and dramatic vocal melodies. The song shifts swiftly and pace and intensity, bringing a dark, tense, and mystical soundscape that will grip your senses from start to finish.
As you venture further into the album, the music evolves and travels across musical and geological landscapes, bringing more of that wondrous diversity and richness of sound. Experience a spanish-themed, classical-infused instrumentation in Nie Ma Nie Ma Ciebie, a lively flute-embellished folk rock cover of Czech folk song in Za vodů, an alluring, mambo-esque, violin-fueled cover of Romanian song in Leliță Săftiță, a pulsating Bulgarian folk song in Pustono Ludo I Mlado, and more such breathtaking soundscapes in the following songs with influences from Middle-Eastern tunes, Turkish notes, and Indian melodies.
World Music by Julia Kotova is an all-consuming, spectacular journey across the vast, varied, and vitalizing musical gamut that our world has to offer. This album displays her unwavering commitment and sincerity to the artform, her exceptional vocal and musical skills, and the passion for bringing music from all over the world to her audiences. Experience the brilliance yourself by listening to the album here!
If you would like to submit your music for playlist or review consideration, please submit here.
Discovered via https://app.musosoup.com #sustainablecurator