Search - Dreams Come True :: Swinging Star

Ground-breaking and a lot of fun, too!

Lawrence Wilson | Evanston, IL | 12/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dreams Come True is probably the best Japanese band that nobody outside of a select few have ever heard of. Now, when most think of Japanese music, either Pink Lady or "Sukiyaki" usually come to mind, but "The Swinging Star" is as far away from that as could ever be. This album was the best-selling album in Japanese history for several years, and just one listen will tell you why. Lead singer Miwa Yoshida and her bandmates, keyboardist Takahiro Nishikawa and bassist/arranger Masato Nakamura can lay down a groove when they feel like it--and they feel like it fairly often. It also doesn't hurt that Yoshida is one of the most beautiful and versatile singers in the world, bar none. She even channels her idol Ella Fitzgerald on the big-band tribute "Ikitai no wa MOUNTAIN MOUNTAIN."



There's something here for everybody, and it's not hard to find the influence of American bands on "The Swinging Star." From the cutesy "Haretara ii ne" to funk masterpieces such as "Hide and Seek" and the Earth Wind and Fire-influenced "Kessen wa Kinyoubi" to the Swing Out Sister clone "Da Diddly Deet Dee," DCT provides the listener with one of the most potent antidotes to the banality of today's pop music. It's a thoroughly enjoyable throw-back to a better day in music. For anyone who's never heard Japanese pop music, this is as good as it gets.



P. S. : Dreams Come True also have a special spot in Japanese history. When they announced in 1997 that they were ending their business relationship with Sony Music Japan, the company's stock dipped 40% and actually stopped trading for several days. Not even Michael Jackson--a distant label-mate--managed that feat."