Although most people -- both in Japan and abroad -- know twenty-nine year old Maki Yano from her single ookina tsubasa, a hard, driving pop-rock number similar to some of Michelle Branch's earlier material, Yano has never been able to be pinned under that stylistic moniker. Throughout her career, she's dabbled in a bit of everything -- from the aforementioned pop-rock style to a hybrid of folk and jazz, and now to a more laid-back, Lisa Loeb-esque acoustic style. It's interesting and shows her diversity as an artist, but can also have its drawbacks when a stylistic experiment doesn't turn out all that well.

Unlike her second album soba no kasu, which focused more on the pop/rock side of things, kono sekai ni ikite, Yano's third album, shows hints of what sort of style she would eventually find herself using, trading in catchy hooks and gritty guitars for a more refined, laid-back style. There are hints of her previous stylistic influences here, but on the whole, the album is much more Norah Jones than Michelle Branch. There's an overwhelming focus on instrumentation and arrangement here and how they interact to create music that's more than simple pop. One might call it a mix of acoustic pop -- with a slight jazz and ethnic twist thrown in for good measure. It works well, giving Yano another new way to express herself artistically and showing that her songwriting and vocal skills aren't hindered because of a change in genre.

On vocals, the way the songs here are arranged and mixed is wonderful, as Yano's voice -- which is sometimes rough on the ears for those who aren't used to her slightly rougher edge -- is given plenty of room to breathe and really be presented. She keeps things in check throughout most of the songs, only occasionally dipping into her harsher upper register and infrequently (thankfully) trying to ad-lib (a process at which she most certainly does not excel). She handles both the more uptempo songs and ballads well, whereas in the past she sometimes sounded out-of-place on ballads because they were so generic sounding. Again, it all comes down to composition and arrangement.

So, with all the positive spin I'm giving the album, it must be perfect and devoid of flaws, right? Close, but no cigar, as there are a couple tracks here that fall short (but never completely flat). jouzu na HEBI dukai is decent, but the way it's mixed makes things come apart at the seams: like the live version of ashi ta from Yano's previous album, this track sounds as if it was recorded live, this time by a seashore instead of in a concert hall. Accompanied by only an acoustic guitar, Yano gives a valiant performance, but she sounds slightly off in points and given the song's arrangement and odd choice of recording type, the vocal comes off slightly harsh when she does go off. Thankfully, the track is short, so someone made a good decision there.

kono sekai ni ikite
Probably the most "industrial"-sounding track on the album, the title track is sparse on instrumentation, but what is here works well. Founded on an opening drum line that follows the same pattern throughout the entire song (one-two, one-two-three in terms of drum strikes) and a bass beat that's simply awesome, the song also includes a sparse keyboard line, the song is a fairly low-key affair that's designed more to showcase Yano's voice than anything else. The verses feature her lovely lower register, which is emotive and raw; the chorus, however, switches to her stronger middle register, which she (again) performs in perfectly. As a straightforward song, there's never any call for belting or vocal gymnastics, and Yano manages to make the song interesting and well-done without ever being boring. It's different, too, in terms of sound, which I like a lot -- I don't think too many other people could have pulled this off without sounding weird.

sayonara iro wa BLUE
If Yano ever wanted to do a retro-sounding album, this track would be perfect to include. A throwback, somewhat, to 60's crooner tracks (think Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., etc.), the song is a big-band styled number with a bit of funk thrown in -- opening on a bass line and shakers (with a funk-inspired wah-wah guitar line sprinkled about for good measure), the song quickly adds a lovely horn section, keyboards, and drums and runs. It's fun and invokes images of Yano bouncing around in the studio when she recorded it, and she sings it with a smile, I think. She stays in her lower register for the verses, which works well given the song's style, as her performance here is smooth and controlled, even in the chorus, where things get a bit heavier. Yano emotes the heck out of the lyrics here, and she does so without sounding like she's trying to fake. The instrumental solos during the bridge (a jazz flute and then bass) also work well, and the song as a whole is one of Yano's best.

shougo no ginza sen
Although the transition between tracks is odd, this is a good choice following the energetic chaos of sayonara. Low-key and pleasant, the track is a midtempo number using a light keyboard section, a simple-but-effective drum line, and acoustic guitar to their fullest potential. The instrumentation is never overwhelming but wisely stays in the background, allowing Yano plenty of room to breathe and perform well. While she sometimes stumbles on ballads, this one doesn't overcome her, and she amicably works her way through it, again utilizing her extremely-warm lower register to its greatest potential, wrapping her voice around the lyrics and making the listener feel like she really cares about what she's singing. The chorus takes her higher, and while she has the chance to delve into histrionics, she never does, singing straightforwardly and pointedly, the emotion of a simple performance more powerful than any belting could ever be.

shinikake ta ashi
Slightly jazz-inspired, this track -- whose usage of a bright, uptempo underlying piano line might remind some of Lauryn Hill's Doo Wop (That Thing) -- is another in the line of fun tracks with a slight ethnic undertone (the drum line, played on bongos, adds a vaguely-African vibe to the song) and crazy amounts of instrumentation (as the song goes on, gritty guitars, a more traditional drum arrangement and backing vocalists are added into the mix). However, while all of this could've come together to be a big messy example of how not to structure a song, the arrangement ends up working, as things smooth out when the chorus hits and the song becomes more traditional. It's certainly a very unique way to put a song together, but it works. Yano's vocal stays on top of everything, and her controlled technique only serves to make the song all that more enjoyable, as she could've gone just as crazy as the rest of the song, but instead she chooses a technique that works well instead of experimenting.

minna ni uta
Yano channels Michelle Branch again -- a bit -- here. Primarily an acoustic guitar song, the song's a very pleasant uptempo number that rides on a clap track and very simple drum line and adds in some shakers during the chorus. It's the most "free"-sounding of the songs, and is one that's very easy to clap along to because it's just that enjoyable. Yano gives another smile-filled performance that is slightly harsh at times, but I'll forgive her because the song calls for something like that -- if she had sung it in a somber tone, things just wouldn't have worked out in the way they did. Her call-and-response with her backing vocals in the chorus is cute, and the song, while having a five-minute running-time, doesn't sound that long at all because it's so easy to get caught up and have a good time right along with Maki. I love it, and if she had chosen to end the album here, I certainly wouldn't have been disappointed.

kono sekai ni ikite, like most of Maki Yano's other albums, shows her as an artist who really enjoys what she's doing. While she may not have the biggest number of fans, she puts out music that's enjoyable and well-made, and that gives her a fan in me. I hesitate to call this her best album to date, but it's up there. Highly recommended.

Maki Yano: "kono sekai ni ikite"
[ CDA | TOCT-24880 | ¥3,000 | 2002.11.27 ]

01. kono sekai ni ikite [ 5:07 ]
02. 1-CENTI no yoake [ 4:57 ]
03. sayonara iro wa BLUE [ 4:32 ]
04. shougo no ginza sen [ 5:47 ]
05. itsuka boku ga kaeru basho [ 4:43 ]
06. jouzu na HEBI dukai [ 3:04 ]
07. shinikake ta ashi [ 4:43 ]
08. hitotsu dake [ 5:03 ]
09. PAYAPPA [ 5:49 ]
10. minna ni uta [ 4:58 ]
11. otona to kodomo [ 5:00 ]

[ http://www.yanomaki.com/top.htm ]

Other Maki Yano Reviews:

soba no kasu (2001)
tooi sekai ni (Single) (2005)

Recommended: Yes