soul
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Where does one even start with Anthony Wong? Know that what I’m picking from his diverse catalog is just a snapshot (perhaps my favorite of his, 1994’s 明明不是天使 (I’m No Angel)) of what continues to be a fascinating career and life. And for those that know him best (and better), this is just an introduction…
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“Prince.” Now with that out of the way, can I focus on what I think is one of J-Soul’s least heralded and easily most slept-on albums: Shinji Harada’s Doing Wonders (ドゥーイング・ワンダース)? Before you think that all this blog likes to share is background music for taking a nap or studying, I’d like to let you…
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More fierce humans to support: Monday Michiru Akiyoshi-Mariano. Where does one start with the wildfly prolific career of Monday? How about the beginning with Mangetsu. Unlike little released in Japan at that time, Mangetsu was the sprawling debut of a young Japanese-American who couldn’t quite suss out any style she wanted to gravitate to (nor…
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Just something for the lovers out there: Cindy’s exceptional J-Soul heavy, Angel Touch. Perfectly distilling that gorgeous in between period of the early ‘90s r&b scene, it can’t help but be a tad dated but also more than a tad timeless and (surprisingly) au courant. For those who need a bit of comfort and joy,…
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Let me be forthright, I wish I had more info to share about this album. Doris Monteiro’s Agora, released in 1976, was a revelation then as it still is now. It’s a funk album, it’s a chanson album, it’s a detached post-bossanova album, it’s a whole bunch of other unclassifiable stuff, but first (and foremost)…
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Next, in my continuing series of the redemptive power of house music, I take a look at EPO’s Fire & Snow. I’m half-joking, of course. However, EPO’s Fire & Snow is one of those hidden full album burners that sounds like an anomaly in someone’s discography but has that sound made for them. We had…
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Going back into the well of zouk music. It’s not often I tap into it because I’d be afraid to turn this whole blog into a zouk-only thing…and who knows who’d be into that? Especially, around this time of the year. However, as long as I have your interest in “bass” music piqued — let’s…
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American Clavé. What a name. Kip Hanrahan is one of those musicians that deserves, mightily, to be a large household name, but for reasons unbeknownst to me, never quite could break that final barrier. No matter how perfect his blend of outsider jazz and instantly “getable” ideas were. We’re worse off as a music culture…
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Truly no one is a prophet in their own land. Simply scroll down and look at the all Japanese superstars of boogie, funk, AOR and all other sorts of genres backing up British-born singer Loretta “Zoé” Heywood. Members of Mariah, the elite boogie duo of Yuji Toriyama and Ken Morimura, shall I continue? Mr. Logic…
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Heretofore, I bear witness that someone is going to come along and school me on my knowledge of K-Pop (and possibly Jang Pil-Soon herself). Therefore, whatever I’m going to write about Jang Pil-Soon’s 어느새 / 내작은 가슴속에 (which roughly translates to Suddenly/In My Little Heart) might require a huge asterisk beside it. It’s with romance…
ambient art pop art rock balearic brazilian electro-acoustic england environmental music experimental folk-rock fourth world Funk fusion japan jazz minimalist neo-folk neoclassical new age walearic