Some people are confused by my fascination with "j-music". I don't understand what's so weird about it. Tons of great music comes out of Japan, music that would and should appeal to people who like any genre of music. Music from Japan shouldn't be marginalized based on it being Japanese. When you examine international music scenes, Japan is one of the few countries that offers music that is top tier in many diverse genres; and offers a lot of it. This is true with hardcore, punk, and other "underground" music, but more to my point, it's true with popular music.
If you think "R&B" (read: hip-hop influenced pop music) is popular here, you should have been in Japan in 2000. They have been riding this train FOREVER, this type of music is more relevant than ever in the land of the rising sun.
Utada Hikaru,
Koda Kumi,
Namie Amuro,
J Soul Brothers/
Exile,
Crystal Kay... the list goes on, and on, and on.
Of course, some of the most important artists in this equation are
Verbal, Taku Takahashi, and
Lisa. These three make up the hip-pop supergroup
m-flo. Lisa, after their first two records, left the group to focus on her solo work leaving Verbal and DJ Taku to adopt a sort of Handsome Boy Modeling School approach, collaborating with a different popular artist with every song. m-flo is international, working with everyone from
Ugly Duckling (underground hip-hop darlings and Native Tongues worshipers) to
T-Pain (uh... no introduction needed).
In fact, Verbal's other group, The
Teriyaki Boyz, gets decent radio play in the US and is promoted heavily here by
Pharrell,
Kanye West,
Chris Brown, ect.
m-flo's influence and importance to both hip-hop and mainstream popular music is undeniable, and you are doing yourself a disservice by ignoring them if you are a fan underground hip-hop or mainstream "R&B".
Ultimately, that little foreword establishes what every m-flo fan already knew... they deserve a tribute album. And they got one.
Maison de m-flo was released by Rhythm Zone on September 16, 2009. Each song is an m-flo hit being covered by an up and coming Japanese musician. This record, overall, doesn't hit the high point of a normal m-flo release, rarely can covers capture the majesty of the original. However, this record is not all misses, as several songs on the record are even better than the originals. It's due in part to better production values and a more focused and decidedly 90s sounding arrangement for most of the high points on the record.
Come Again by Thelma Aoyama, Yours Only by Kana Nishino and Wise, Been so Long by Jejung & Yuchun, L.O.T. by Beni, and Let Go by Shota Shimizu are without a doubt the best tracks on the record, and are arguably better than the original.
Come Again benefits from Thelma's more pop-oriented re-imaging of the classic and her better grasp of the English Language than Expo Expo-era Lisa. Yours Only opens with a beautiful piano intro that the original lacked, and is almost completely different from the original song. It's sped up, Kana's voice is great, and Wise's backing vocals are spot on. Been so Long and L.O.T. both have very 90s sounding production that would be right at home in a Jazzy Jeff beat,
New Edition song, or something out of an early R. Kelly record. That sort of aesthetic suits the song incredibly well, and is present but not fully capitalized upon in the original, resulting in a version that sounds more cohesive. Let Go, like many of the other covers on this record, is so different from the original you might not recognize it unless you heard them side by side. Shota uses a touch of auto tune (love it or leave it, I guess), changes the key, and cuts a lot of the piano interlude stuff from the original out. Shota's voice is great, though.
Miss You by May J. and Jonte is alright... but it's painful to hear that song without Verbal, Ryohei, and Emi. The Love Bug (by YU-A) and Come Back To Me (By Marie) are also mediocre but decidedly more derivative and uninteresting than the stellar original tracks.
Simple & Lovely by
misono is worth noting because it is truly the cover that is most different from the original. misono abandons hip-hop production in favor of guitars with a much more pop-rock result. I can't say I like it, but it's definitely interesting, and misono being Koda Kumi's younger sister is well exhibited in her excellent voice. It's an interesting experiment to say the least.
Ultimately, what results in a gigantic blemish on the quality of this record, is the nearly un-listenable third track... Planet Shining by Coma-Chi. It's garbage and I have nothing nice to say about it. If you download this record, skip this track. If you own the CD, copy it to your computer, and re-burn a copy WITHOUT THIS FUCKING SONG ON IT. To this day, I have not managed to get all the way through it.
Maison de m-flo is a MUST LISTEN for m-flo fans, and can serve as an interesting primer to first time listeners. It's not an exhaustive or even a good cross section ofm-flo material, considering it is all covers, but if you like any of the songs on this record you are going to love genuine article m-flo
If you like
R. Kelly,
Usher, T-Pain,
The-Dream or anything of that nature... do yourself a favor, take a journey to the east and you won't be disappointed.
Just forget this Tribute record and download Beat Space Nine, Cosmicolor, or Expo Expo.
Ugly Duckling