No matter how much I gripe and complain that the artists I like need more exposure and are seriously, almost criminally under appreciated – such as Japanese acoustic-pop artist Ai Takaoka, whose eighth single (this one!) hit stores in late July – I’ve come to the realization that for the most part, my griping and complaining isn’t going to make all that much of a difference.

But, you know what? For all the times I’ve wished that artists such as Takaoka would get more exposure, part of me actually enjoys their lack of time in the spotlight, because I think that were they the subject of mass popularity, their music would decrease in quality, and that would be a bad thing. (See: Angela Aki, whose music, while remaining quality piano-pop, seems to have lost the personal touch it had before she struck it semi-big.)

Thankfully, however, Takaoka’s music remains just as personal and filled to the brim with quality as always. koi hanabi the track, takes a cue from two of Takaoka’s previous singles (namely the slight country twang of darenimo ienai himitsu and the catchy acoustic-pop of Ah anata ni ai ni ikanakya) and while not quite as catchy as the latter, it far surpasses the former in terms of song quality. A laid-back, mid-tempo piece, the song starts quite quietly, pitting Takaoka’s straightly-sung vocal over a quiet layering of simple acoustic guitar riffs and a small keyboard part before the chorus kicks in; however, even here, the song refuses to show off, adding little to the instrumental (mainly some more keyboard effects and the occasional chiming in from an electric guitar) and instead choosing to allow Takaoka’s vocal to shine. While she’s never had the strongest voice in Japanese pop, I find her vocal to be far more enjoyable than that of, say, YUI, who probably would have wailed all over the chorus. Takaoka doesn’t play around with vocal gymnastics, but the passion she puts into her performance is evident throughout the song. Definitely worth a listen, and probably one of her best singles to date.

The B-side, anata no KOKORO hare masu you ni, changes things up a bit and allows us, once again, to see Takaoka’s more flirtatious, playful side. Not much changes in terms of instrumentation – there’s still a healthy dose of acoustic and electric guitars, plenty of drums, and keyboard parts – but the song just emanates a sense of fun without going overboard into cheesiness. Although more upbeat than its companion track, the song’s still rather restrained, a simple piece that relies on the interaction between Takaoka (and her backup)’s vocal and the instrumental to create the atmosphere. Vocally, Takaoka’s again on top of her game and lets herself loose, breezing her way through the song’s admittedly repetitive (but catchy) lyrics and singing with such passion that it’s impossible not to smile as the song goes along. I applaud her once again, as her B-sides have always been just as good as, if not better than (at times) her A-sides. Quality work all around.

An instrumental of koi hanabi (which, with its decently easy-to-memorize lyrics, is perfect for karaoke!) rounds out the disc.

While I would’ve liked to see this disc chart higher than it did (#121, Takaoka’s second-highest position to date), the chart position is the furthest thing from my mind where Takaoka’s concerned, because her music, regardless of popularity, has remained some of the most quality Japanese pop put out in recent years. koi hanabi is a pleasant offering that’s sure to bring a smile.

Ai Takaoka: "koi hanabi"
[ CDS | GZCA-7093 | ¥1,050 | 2007.07.18 ]

01. koi hanabi [ 4:13 ]
02. anata no KOKORO hare masu you ni [ 3:36 ]
03. koi hanabi ~Instrumental~ [ 4:11 ]

[ http://www.ai-takaoka.com ]

Other Ai Takaoka Reviews:
Sunny (2004)
acoustic love (2006)


Recommended: Yes