Kristina Train
The staggering voice and timeless sound of new Mercury Records signing Kristina Train is set to be showcased in full with the release of her brand new album ‘Dark Black’ on November 5th.
The truly extraordinary album features entirely new material, including ‘Dream of Me’ released by Kristina earlier this year, which won her rave reviews and substantial radio support.
An intense, intoxicating record, ‘Dark Black’ immediately sets Kristina apart from her current contemporaries with its vintage feeling production, gloriously languid pace and vocals that have already been compared to the likes of Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight.
From the devastating sadness of opener and title track ‘Dark Black’ to the fragile intimacy of ‘Don’t Leave Me Here Alone’ and the breathy heart-aching elegance of ‘Saturdays Are The Greatest’, the album is imbued with a level of passion, insight and emotion that is simply startling, particularly in such a new artist. The album also includes Kristina’s mesmerising take on the Band of Horses track ‘No One’s Gonna Love You’.
The new tracks on the album have been written with songwriter and producer Martin Craft who releases his own work under the name M Craft and collaborates on around half of ‘Dark Black’.
Since moving to London full time in 2011, Kristina has worked closely with Martin to perfect both her melody driven sound and the timeless feel of the album that she has been waiting her whole life to create.
The record also saw Kristina write with singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt, Simon Aldred of Cherry Ghost and Justin Parker (Lana Del Rey). It has been produced by Martin, Ed, Dave Kosten (Bat For Lashes) and Danton Supple (Coldplay). Kristina’s approach to writing and performing is simple - she tries to make the notes themselves illustrate life. She’s clearly achieved this on ‘Dark Black’ as you can hear a lifetime of emotions packed into 12 beautifully performed tracks.
It is a record Kristina has been working towards for as long as she can remember. Born in New York City, she was raised by her mother in Savannah, Georgia from the age of 9, playing violin in youth orchestras and performing in school choirs throughout her childhood.
By her 20’s, Kristina had signed to the legendary Blue Note Records and went on to tour extensively as part of Herbie Hancock’s band, before returning to work on her own material last year.
By then, Kristina had seen the world, loved and lost and grown up the hard way, and she has now poured every painful experience, thwarted longing and deepest feeling into this breathtaking album. It deserves to be heard.