Rikuo - Real - Japan CD

Credits:

Rikuo

Description:

This is a 2024 album by Riquo, who has earned respect for his performances with his rolling piano and heartfelt voice, as well as his songwriting that spins words without lies and melodies that are hard to share with others. Except for the cello and piano piece (12), "Spilling Over and Falling," all of the songs were recorded with the HOBO HOUSE BAND. This is the first album with band sound in 5 years since "Gradient World" (2019). Especially, Megumi Mashiro's chorus, which mixes exquisitely with Riquo's vocals like twin vocals, and Kosuke Miyashita's pedal steel, which sometimes plays strings and sometimes plays organ, add to the worldview of Riquo's music. The worldview of Riquo's music is broadened by the pedal steel of Kosuke Miyashita. On (7) "Shooting Star," Riquo is joined on vocals by Kaho Nakamura, who is also from Kyoto and has known Riquo since her amateur days. Here, Riquo takes a side, allowing Nakamura's free and soulful verse to come to the forefront, making this a must-listen for fans of Kaho Nakamura.While "Gradient World" (2019), the previous album recorded by the band, was an album before the Corona Disaster, this album is strongly influenced by the pandemic that began at the end of 2019. It seems as if Riquo is trying to connect the relationships between people that seem to be broken in the community, society, and the world that has been changed by the pandemic through "music. The lyrics of the album are as follows: "This gentle groove that connects us/You are just as you are..." (8) "Ensemble " Don't stop the music/I haven't lost anything, remember Every body It's all right-(10) "Our Live House " We're going to get back the night we lost, the freedom we lost And also a declaration of his intention to carry on singing. The song (1) "Real," which opens the album, begins like this. "Sora no kirisute kara kimi ga kitaite irasshite wo mukete wo mukete" (Cut through the sky, you came to me, and tell me to be steady) is a quote from RC Succession's famous song "Dedicate to a Hippie". The song (1), "Real," goes on like this: ♪ The dream you saw, now you understand/ It's not a picture, it's important ♪ The meaning of your song, now you understand/ It's not a pretty picture, it's important ♪ Although we should avoid making easy assumptions that rob listeners of their imagination, the song is a reference to Kiyoshi Imawano, who co-wrote the early career single "Mi Mi Ouchi-yo" (1992) with Ricuo, and with whom he shared many activities, including the song "Hibi ga Ouchi-yo" (I have a pain in my heart). The song reminds me of Imawano Kiyoshiro, with whom Riquo worked together in the early stages of his career, including co-writing the single "Haha ga Ouchi-yo" (1992). In this way, the album reveals the "human Riquo" who sincerely reflects his pure impulses in his songwriting with solid expressive power as a musician and songwriter. One of the songs, "Shooting Stars," co-written with Kaho Nakamura (7), reads, "Life goes on all right. The 12 songs that make up the album "Life goes on all right" should provide listeners with an opportunity to reflect on their own lives by experiencing the lives of the characters depicted in the songs, just as a good movie or novel does. This is one album that you should definitely listen to!