Search - Rie Fu :: Rie Fu

*Insert title here* (This should NOT be a required field...)

innominate | 05/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ahem. Sorry about the title-field rant. Anyway, disclaimer: Imports from Japan are so expensive that I wouldn't buy one without listening to some samples first, and definitely not based on a review alone!



With that said...



I've lived in Japan for ten months, and "Rie Fu" one of only three albums I've paid full price for. Keep in mind, I have the option of -renting- CDs here. But I wanted to own this one myself, and it was too new to be in the used CD shops in my area. So I went ahead and splurged on the full price.



End testimonial, onto the review - Rie Fu studied in London, so her English is almost perfect (they're a couple clunkers in pronunciation and writing, but they're more than forgivable.) The album itself is heavy on the English. Three songs are entirely in English, and eight are bilingual, with enough English that it's translated on the side for native Japanese speakers. Only two are predominantly Japanese.



Since it's not listed at the time I'm posting this review, here's the track listing:



1) Waratte, Megumi No Moto E

2) Beautiful Words

3) Somebody's World

4) 2 cm

5) I So Wanted

6) Decay

7) Prayers & Melodies

8) Ame No Hi Ga Sukitte Omotte Mitai

9) Voice (Album Version)

10) Tsuki No Ue (Jamming version) ["

Thoughtful and Soulful

Mark Johnston | Boise, Idaho | 06/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rie Fu is perhaps most widely known for "Life is Like a Boat" used in the first season of Bleach. I was enchanted by that one and felt the same way about almost every track on the album.



Her sound is generally soft and adagio, contemporary, largely acoustic, heavy on the piano. Her lyrics are about 50% English, usually whole verses or songs, not random snippets of Engrish, so those who don't speak Japanese can appreciate her philosophical depth as well as her gentle music and calming voice. I compare her to Dido, Norah Jones, and the softer side of Alanis Morisette."

Marvelous

mako | SF Bay Area, CA USA | 11/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rie Fu writes great songs that just flow naturally, with evocative lyrics and interesting music. Her style touches several genres, but I can't put it in a single category -- it's like nothing I've heard, yet quite distinctive in itself. The songs on this album range from mellow to driven, and her seamless mixing of Japanese and (good) English is something that is quite marvelous.



I agree with the other reviewers' opinions, so I won't bother repeating them. My favorite song on this album, though, is "Tsuki no ue" ("Over the Moon", or "Above the Moon"). To describe it briefly, it's a song with mellow guitar but a solid beat. The chords are simple, but the melody wanders to interesting places. The first half is in Japanese, and the second half in English; it's not a translation between halves. The Japanese lyrics are somewhat metaphorical, but the English is even more so, which really gets me.



This is an import, so it's pricey, but Amazon's price is particularly egregious."