Aya Shimazu - Aya'S Soul Searchin' ～Aretha Franklin～ - Japan Vinyl LP Record

Credits:

Aya Shimazu

Aya Shimadzu's Aretha Franklin cover album is now available on vinyl to celebrate the first anniversary of its release! Aya Shimadzu is known as the "singing monster" for her overwhelming singing ability. AYA Shimadzu's cover album of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, "AYA's Soul Searchin' -Aretha Franklin-," released last year in 2024, will be released on July 16 (Wednesday) as an analog record version. Aya Shimazu made her major debut as an enka singer at the age of 15, being called "a genius girl" and "the poster child for enka.In recent years, Aya Shimazu has been called a "singing monster" for her one and only singing ability, and she is expanding her activities beyond generations and genres, from enka to the latest pop and Western music. After that, when she performed "Think" on a music program, her powerful and impressive performance was greeted on social networking sites with comments such as, "Wow! Too cool! The performance was a hit on social networking sites, with viewers of all ages commenting with surprise and praise, including, "This is too cool! After encountering the movie "RESPECT," which depicted the life of Aretha Franklin, Kiyoshi Matsuo learned of Shimazu's desire to sing Aretha's songs someday, and became the overall producer. The album was completed with Ryo Nakata of Osaka Monorail, a leader in the Japanese soul/funk scene and well-known overseas, as sound producer, and with the full participation of the band's members. Aya Shimazu's superb vocals and Osaka Monorail's soulful performance create a sound that perfectly blends the exuberance of the 1960s soul scene in which Aretha Franklin was active with the zeitgeist of 2021 Nippon. The album features eight carefully selected songs, including the classic "Think," "Respect," which inspired the launch of this project, and "A Natural Woman," a classic song written by Carole King. The last song on the album is the only original song on the album. In the song "Dokodemo Futari," Shimazu tells the story of a toy poodle girl, who had lived with her family as if she were her own child, who suddenly passed away due to an illness. The song is about Shimazu, who is deeply distressed and feels crushed by a sense of exhaustion and loss, and how he will continue to live with his grief, which cannot be easily healed. Aya Shimazu's soft and warm voice speaks directly to the listener's heart. The album title "Soul Searchin'" has the meaning of "self-discovery" or "journey of the heart," and the original Japanese song "Dokodemo Futari," which is unique to this album, is truly Aya Shimadzu's "Soul Searchin'" and a fitting song to end the album with. and is a fitting song to close the album. The cover photo was taken by Matthew Jordan Smith, who has been the official photographer for Aretha Franklin for many years and has also published a book of her photographs. Aya Shimadzu's natural smile gives a powerful impression.