Wow, so quite here lately at S::L, but certainly it's not for lack of new good
music out in
Japan and elsewhere. I've had a few too many irons in the fire myself to post
as regularly
as before, but when the inspiration hits me I'll try to post on notable new
releases and
some fresh NP reviews...like here: (hopefully the youtube links will hold)

[MINK] SHALOM (Japan CD)
Mink's gorgeous voice seems to have found its niche via mostly pop ballads that
are hard
to describe, but imo sounds somewhat like a halfway point between pre-hip-hop
Mariah
and maybe Sarah McLachlan. Mostly singing in Japanese, but also effective in
English,
don't go there if you're looking for edgy music. Mink is more for those who
want to focus
on smooth, soulful, mostly subtle, emotively penetrating vocals. Although at
times I'd say
the tunes Mink has recorded are a bit generic, for the most part this CD has her
more
distinctive cuts, regarding the material she's singing (not her voice, which is
consistently
attractive). Although she had a #1 dance hit in the USA, only a remix which
closes the
album returns to that approach. One version of this set has a DVD with
videoclips and a
neat little mini-doc of Mink at various events around the world (with commentary
in
English).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27hR0nMToPc
... and latest single:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzoAbMuCmr8

[SATOMI'] DIAMONDLILY (Japan CD)
The latest r&b/hip-hop J-pop up-and-comer leans towards attractive ballads, much
more
spiced with contemporary urban flavors than say, Mink (see above). A cut or two
gets
dragged down a bit by the occasional cookie-cutter rapper and overheated beats,
but the
CD's dominant feature is Satomi''s voice over smoother, more subtle Y2K r&b-ish
cuts.
Taking two steps back from trying to outdo the r&b/hip-hop mainstream gets her 5
steps
ahead of most of her peers (in the USA, let alone Japan). As with Mink's
SHALOM, this set
has a CD/DVD combo ltd-ed package, with videoclips, off-shots, and CMs, and her
image
matches her voice: sexy, soulful, but not skanky. Btw, although this CD is sung
in
Japanese, she's also recorded a few English tracks that were released recently
in Europe.

Here's one of my favorite cuts ("Candy Magic"):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0wcOWMHTJ8

[CRYSTAL KAY] Konna ni Chikaku de [Japan CD5)
The second new CK single out in 2007, and it settles into a nice, mid-tempo
smooth
contemporary r&b-like flow. Not particularly memorable tunes, but Kiri's voice
is typically
built to please (well, me anyway). And the CD5 becomes more noteworthy once the
remixes take over (electronica-tinged club tracks that don't obscure the tune or
the
singer). My highlight is the Singo.S remix of "Feel." Probably not an
essential disc ...
unless you're a CK fan. Above-average for what it tries to do, though.

Here's the PV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDV8YFz0LA0

[SOIL & PIMP SESSIONS] Mashiroke (Japan CD5)
The only thing disappointing about this is that it's only three tracks, but with
a full-length
album coming soon there will be no shortage of fresh S&P cuts to absorb in `07.
Among
the tracks here are a cover of trumpeter Marvin Hannibal Peterson's "Mandela's
Dream,"
which sounds like it wouldn't be out of place if it were issued on the Impulse!
jazz label in
the 1960s. Overall, 16 minutes of energetic acoustic jazz energy, with the seal
of quality
one would expect from this impressive ensemble. Groovin' pretty hard here with
only a bit
of free-form rowdiness at the end of track one. I wonder if the mainstream jazz
community knows/cares about these guys?

Here's a PV of an older track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYKVvysl-Mo
(love that horn quote from MFSB's "K-Jee" in the middle)

[RINGO SHIINA/NEKO SAITO] HEISHI FUZOKU (Japan CD)
Well after one spin I thought I'd just heard a classic destined to be on my
end-of-2007
best list (which reminds me: I suppose I should post my 2005 and 2006 lists
someday).
However, I went to HMV Japan and the current rating was 46/100, so obviously
she's
tested her fans' loyalty n' expectations with this set. Anyway, the concept
here starts with
Ringo's edgy vocals, that take on different characteristics from track to track
(sometimes
very pretty, other times sounding close to unraveling without actually losing
composure).
Her adventurousness reminds me of UA: both are musical free spirits
walking/talking their
own walk/talk, sometimes along overlapping paths (e.g., jazz influences).

Having heard sampling of Ringo's past cuts (including a few with Tokyo Jihen)
-- but not
to the point of feeling I can competently interpret her career path trajectory
-- from what
I've read some or all of these tracks are/may be remakes of her older music.
The catch is
that Neko provides orchestrated accompiament (which might be what's irritating
older
fans). Although the first track sounds somewhat alt-rock despite the fresh coat
of
orchestration -- and there's several amazing mixtures of electronica with
orchestration
popping up later in the set -- much of the album utilizes strings (and horns) to
match
Ringo's darkly soulful vocals, which as mentioned tend to be on edge but still
fall short of
excess (maybe a drama queen at times, but in a good way). Jazz textures (and
angular
melodies) are up front on some of the cuts. In fact, the way some tunes begin
you might
expect Frank Sinatra or Diana Krall to be taking the mike, not Ms. Shiina. But
when R.S.
starts to sing, her voice and the song material quickly separate her from what
the opening
notes may suggest.

Without being obviously one or the other, the album's moods seems to traverse
from
irreverent to emotively subtle. The track released as a single ("Konoyo no
Kagiri") is a bit
more whimsical and theatrical than most of the rest of the album, so if you've
heard that
cut don't expect the rest of the album to follow closely. "Konoyo" quickly grew
on me, to
the point of addiction (doesn't hurt how attractive she looks imo in the PV).
Ringo Shiina
might be what the phrase different strokes for different folks was invented to
describe
(even if Sly Stone coined that phrase long before Ringo-san was born).
Whatever. This
folk finds this album to be a stunning achievement that crosses a number of
genre
boundaries without any seems showing. If you haven't heard her and enjoy the
likes of
UA, you might want to check this CD out.

Here's the PV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny5pT8FV10w

[UTADA HIKARU] UNITED 2006 (Japan DVD)
Hikki's career is an ongoing series of twists that seem to bend without breaking
her
musical strengths at every turn. As of Summer 2006 when this concert was
recorded, this
DVD sums up everything that has made me a long-time fan of her since she first
became a
star in 1999. In those seven years she's accumulated dozens of high-quality
songs, and
this concert provides an effective balance of oldies (going back to "First Love"
and
"Automatic"), the first live presentations of (three) cuts from her
English-speaking EXODUS
album (2004) -- which I've never gotten tired of even though it got mixed
reviews from
her fans -- and a broad selection of recent songs including a few that appeared
on her
recent impressive ULTRA BLUE album.

The key element here is that Hikaru has gotten remarkably stronger as a vocalist
in recent
years. Although some reports state she was battling a cold when this was
recorded, I hear
no ill effects on her voice. In fact, she sings with more endurance and
strength here than
on most of the album versions. For instance, on the album version of "Kremlin
Dusk" her
voice sounded a little thin in spots (although not to the point of being a
detriment), but
here she nails the difficult melody with room to spare. The visuals look great,
too
(although the typical live-concert DVD "lets cut to a different camera angle
every two
seconds" is a bit overused here on the uptempo tunes, but not quite to the point
of being
irritating).

[MOTION PICTURE] BABEL (USA DVD/HD-DVD release)
Just watched it last night, and thought the talented Rinko Kikuchi was
absolutely amazing
in her role as Chieko. Good to see SHALL WE DANCE's star Koji Yakusho in a key
role, too
(not to mention just a whole bunch of fine actors from all over the globe).
It's not a big
deal to me which movie won the Oscar, this is a powerful movie imo, period.

[METIS] Ume wa Saitaka Sakura wa Madakaina (Japan CD5)
After hearing this single I've started tracking down Metis' other music. She
has released a
few singles and mini-albums but no full-length as of yet. In general her music
leans
heavily toward reggae, but is distinct from other J-reggae acts I've heard
(e.g., Pushim,
Minehiro, Reggae Disco Rockers, etc.). The title track has a reggae flow, but
also adds
strings, while Metis's commanding but not overpowering voice rides the melody.
She's
got another single coming out in May, so no full-length CD yet. Btw, she
handles English
pretty well on several other cuts I've heard, with an accent but not to the
point of losing
the vocal effectiveness displayed in her primary language.

here's an excerpt of the PV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKwhwww0Wf8
...and a complete version of an older track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeJZtUGMUWk

[HEARTSDALES] THE LEGEND (Japan DVD/CD)
Although there is a mega-mix CD with bits of 49 (!!!) Heartdales tunes, the most
notable
aspect of this set is the DVD, which captures Heartsdales' final concert from
Sept. 2006
(they are apparently going to pursue solo careers). If the two shimai singing
their hits in
front of a turntablist for two hours seems like a stretch that won't invite
repeated viewings,
Rum & Jewels make it work via their own prime-time performances, as well as a
string of
guest stars (mostly vocalists, but occasionally an instrumentalist, too).
Joining HD for a
song or two each are Verbal from m-flo, Double, Melodie Sexton, Soul'd Out.
Miliyah Kato,
the Dixie Chicks (not really, they're on VH1 Storytellers in the background as
I'm writing
this), and a couple of others, performing roughly 20 tunes from their
half-decade career.
Between the music and their appearance (both looks and stage presence), this
2-hour DVD
moves along quickly and serves as a nice send-off for the group that started out
with m-
flo helping out, then gradually developing a more poppier sound that gives the
term
"guilty pleasure" a good name (and has the side-effect of inconsistent albums).
Seemed
like a good time to call it quits: I'm not sure how much mileage the duo had
left in regard
to what could they do that they haven't already done.

couldn't find a concert clip on youtube, but here's a PV collabo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzxJHYDvFXw

Hopefully I'll get around to some other NPs soon. Happy listening!

John

NP: Mion "Constructive Lyricism"