Mixing old and new: Hitomi Shimatani's PRIMA ROSA
Written: Apr 18 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fairly-good mixing of old and new sounds. Vocals, as usual. PRAGUE no onna.
Cons: Where are the ballads?
The Bottom Line: Not as good as her last, but very good overall. It's good to hear her revisiting old styles.
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| shimatani87's Full Review: Prima Rosa by Hitami Shimatani |
(A note: The artist for this release is Hitomi Shimatani -- a minor spelling error occurred during the addition of this album to the database.)
PRIMA ROSA, the sixth original album from Japan's very-own "cover girl" Hitomi Shimatani, draws a strong parallel to her chart-topping 2002 album SHANTI, as it's a showcase of Shimatani's vocal talents against a wide variety of genres. Unfortunately, while I think this is a better album, Japan didn't, as its ~21,000 copies sold (so far) and low chart debut at #16 are a far cry from SHANTI's #1 and 433,000 copies.
Much like Tori Amos' 2004 album The Beekeeper, PRIMA ROSA is sequenced in a way that almost instinctively divides the album into what Amos called "gardens", with each division prominently featuring a certain style or genre of music. Although there are some tracks that throw this logic a bit off, I find it an interesting and well-played hand on the part of the album's producers (Norio Higuchi and Max Matsuura).
Unlike SHANTI, the multiple-genres presented here are ones that, for the most part, Shimatani has worked well with in the past -- gone are the underwhelming twinges of R&B that made that album a bit hard to listen to at points; however, the album also introduces a few new genres for Shimatani the style chameleon -- including garage rock (Dragonfly) and pseudo-funk (PSYCHEDELIC FUTURE) -- and while their inclusion may seem a bit jarring at first, after a few listens, these songs blend in to the album's mix just as well as all the others.
The album also seems a bit short on ballads -- a genre that, on Heart & Symphony, Shimatani proved she can handle superbly -- and is weighted heavily toward the upbeat, pure "pop" songs that defined Shimatani's earlier career. Aside from the pretty-but-bland koimizu -tears of love-, the only other "real" ballad on the album is Brand new Dream, a fairly lightweight Shimatani-penned track riding on a simple acoustic guitar line, the occasional chiming-in from a string section, and a programmed bass beat that sounds incredibly out-of-place. Vocally, Shimatani's performance here is typical of her ballads -- soft, clear and pronounced, and not overly histrionic -- but something about the way it meshes with the backing bugs my ears. As well her over-enunciated "brand new dream" at the end is plagued with the "r/l" problem Asians have when speaking English, effectively coming out as "bland new dream", an unfortunate adjective that essentially describes the song: pretty and there, but nothing all-that-special.
However, while the overall failure of the album to have any ballads that really contribute to the cohesiveness of the album (or any ballads at all, really), the rest of the album more than makes up for this oversight. Some of the highlights include:
kimi no koe
Sounding a bit like a fusion of 60's sensibilities and modern-day pop, this track resonates with a cheerful vibe without coming across as cutesy (I'm looking at you, BoA). Featuring a catchy instrumental section led by a somewhat-muted drum section, an underlying guitar part, strings, and the occasional chiming in of a keyboard, the track proves that "pure" pop music isn't completely dead. Shimatani's vocal is inspired and pleasant, meshing well with the backing instruments so that she's neither drowned out by them or singing too loudly above them, and the hook-driven chorus is catchy and easily-memorable. Of the three "pure pop" songs that begin the album, this one stands out the most, although the other two (Ramblin' and hareta hi wa...) aren't too far behind.
PSYCHEDELIC FUTURE
Yes, there is absolutely nothing original about this track. Yes, it's a blatant rip-off (and, in some ways, parody) of funk-tastic 60's and 70's-styled pop, right down to the restonating organ in the background, the bouncy-happy rhythm complete with clap-track and addictive drum beat, and the completely-random, out-of-nowhere horn section. And if 60's/70's music didn't really sound like this, sue me, I'm not the expert. :-) Regardless, the song -- which sounds slightly odd placed as it is after the grunge-rock of Dragonfly -- is an addictive romp that knows its place in the musical ladder. It does nothing but try to entertain, and Shimatani capitalizes on that aspect, singing in such a manner that it's impossible not to smile and clap along. The chorus, too, is easily-memorizable and made for singing-along. This is pop music for the sake of pop music, and it's done incredibly well.
Camellia -CAMELLIA- (PRIMA ROSA Version)
When this track was released as a single (as the other half of a double A-side with harumachibito), I found it to be incredibly stale in terms of Shimatani's crossover material. Although it literally did combine classical music with modern pop -- by ripping the well-known piano-part from Mozart's Alla Turca/Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and using it as the song's foundation -- the dance beat used for the song's backing and the terrible backing vocals made the track subpar. That's all changed here. Rather than open full-force with the Mozart, someone made the smart decision to have the song build to its introduction, replacing the upbeat opening with a softer, orchestral-led, ballad section that is actually quite pretty. Shimatani's voice works wonders when placed against softer arrangements -- like the simple piano-and-strings (complete with harp!) line used here -- that allow the richness of her instrument to shine. During the swelling chorus, which sounds more majestic with an orchestra than a dance beat, I found myself wishing they'd keep the orchestral arrangement throughout the whole track. Alas, the familiar piano part began playing and I realized that not only had they rearranged the opening, whomever arranged the track also redid the dance part, and it wasn't as stale as it was before; in fact, when placed after the gradual build-up the song's first two minutes gave, the more-upbeat part of the song works incredibly well and actually sounds good. By turning a less-than-stellar track into a wonderful one, this one highlights just how much arrangement can play in to a song's likability -- and this one, I like.
PRAGUE no onna
Shimatani continues her trend of ethnic-sounding tracks by taking us on a trip to Prague. Now, I don't know if music from Prague really sounds like this -- slightly-ominous strings resounding, a fast-paced clap-track, frantic drums, and some form of chime-like instrument chiming (no pun intended) in -- but if it doesn't, again, I don't really care, because the instrumentation here is beautiful enough regardless. Shimatani's vocal line, which utilizes both her sultry-sounding lower register and strident, confident high notes in ways most of her upbeat tracks fail to, only adds to the slightly-haunting, mysterious sound of the track. This would have made a killer single, but regardless of where it's released, I'm glad Shimatani released it -- it's one of her best ethnic-sounding songs yet.
El Dorado
This wouldn't be a Hitomi Shimatani album without the inclusion of a Latin song. The woman oozes love for that genre, and this album makes up for the previous one's near-lack of such a genre by having not one, but two tracks in said style. Of the two, this is the better -- the other, pre-album single PASIO is memorable but kind of bland. This track, although short, manages to impress; it doesn't sound stereotypically-Latin. Rather, there's an attempt made to bring in a bit more flair than just a flamenco guitar and shakers; added in to the mix is a rousing violin, bouncy handclaps, and what sounds like a programmed horn section. All of this comes together in an arrangement that I can only say is addictive and fun, with a well-placed flamenco solo during the bridge. Shimatani adds her trademark signature vocals here, having fun and being serious at the same time without making it sound like she's trying to rip-off Jennifer Lopez or someone; however, I do have a nitpick with her vocals -- she pronounces "El Dorado" with the correct rolled r, but misses the "oh" sound on the end of the word, making it come across as "El Dorad", a glaring and easily-heard error. Oh well -- one can't be perfect all the time. Probably one of her best Latin-sounding tracks ever.
PRIMA ROSA is an album that, at first, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy all-that-much -- I liked Shimatani's crossover style and found Heart & Symphony to be one of her best, if not her best album to date. However, having given the album several close listens, I find myself warming to it each time. It's not perfect, but it harkens back to Shimatani's older styles, and it's nice to see her revisiting those. Four-and-a-half stars, if I could give it that, because its lack of a cohesive sound and short-end-of-the-stick on ballads knocks it a bit. Highly recommended, though.
Hitomi Shimatani: "PRIMA ROSA"
[ CD DVD | AVCD-23176 | ¥3,900 | 2007.03.07 ]
[ CDA | AVCD-23177 | ¥3,059 | 2007.03.07 | 1st ]
01. Ramblin' [ 3:55 ]
02. kimi no koe [ 4:32 ]
03. hareta hi wa... [ 4:36 ]
04. Dragonfly [ 4:08 ]
05. PSYCHEDELIC FUTURE [ 3:50 ]
06. Camellia -CAMELLIA- (PRIMA ROSA Version) [ 5:32 ]
07. Destiny -taiyou no hana- [ 4:36 ]
08. PRAGUE no onna [ 3:52 ]
09. koimizu -tears of love- [ 4:33 ]
10. PASIO~PASIO [ 4:40 ]
11. El Dorado [ 3:45 ]
12. harumachibito [ 3:43 ]
13. Brand new Dream [ 3:14 ]
First Pressing Bonus Track (CD-Only Edition):
14. futari de iijanai (Masayuki Suzuki & Hitomi Shimatani) [ 4:43 ]
[ http://www.avexnet.or.jp/shimatani/ ]
Other Hitomi Shimatani Reviews:
SHANTI (2002)
tsuioku LOVE LETTER (Limited Edition) (2004)
Heart & Symphony (2005)
Destiny -taiyou no hana- / koimizu -tears of love- (Single) (2006)
Recommended:
Yes
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shimatani87
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Member: Zach Jones
Location: Urbana, IL
Reviews written: 117
Trusted by: 17 members
About Me:
St. Louis-bound graduate student with a passion for pop.
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