Think of J-pop and artists like Utada, Amuro or Hamasaki immediately come to mind. This is unfair. God's gift to Japanese pop is Hitomi Yaida. The voice of the 27-years old female singer (and composer, lyric writer, producer and mixer!) is heavenly, far from the high-pitched wobbles of the teen idols who overpopulate the archipelago.
More rock than pop (comparable to Nippon rock singer Shiina Ringo), Yaida (aka Yaiko in the UK) vibrato vocaling is wonderfully accompanied by distorted guitars and a solid base line on "My Sweet Darlin" and "I Am Here Saying Nothing." The musical chemistry is, in a word, perfect.
Singles Collection, released in China by EMI, is a good start to discover what Yaida calls "heart rock" or music that comes with a lot of soul. This is one of the best J-pop records released this year.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
August 2005 issue



Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
August 2005 issue