Search - Angela Aki :: One

Enjoyable Mini-Album from a talented pianist

Robert Aarhus | Alexandria VA | 01/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this album in Tokyo last Spring on a whim -- I'd never heard of Angela Aki before, but the album was a new release and prominently displayed, so I thought I'd take a chance.



Angela Aki is a talented pianist and has a good singing voice. The approach is slightly unusual: In this six-song solo album, only one number is completely in English, but others (including "We're All Alone", "Rain, Rain, Rain", and "Never is a Promise") mix Japanese and English (usually reserving English for the refrains). Having seen one of her orchestrated works recently, I much prefer the unaccompanied piano style in "One".



"One" is enjoyable, if brief. Aki's vocal style tends to be a little breathy, which can be distracting. But her command of Japanese and English is flawless, and she incorporates both well into her arrangements. She is passionate without sounding forced.



I am looking forward to seeing more from this artist."