Because
of my recent visit to Japan I thought it would be a nice opportunity to talk
about a Japanese artist again. This time I've chosen Ringo Sheena. As you can
see from the title of this post I had some trouble defining the genre in which
Ringo makes her music. Unlike the previously mentioned Koda Kumi, Ringo does
not really sing typical J-Pop songs. More often than not her songs are a mix of
rock, punk and jazz with a pinch of electronica.
The
multitalented singer started out in 1998 with songs still very focused on rock
(e.g. Queen of Kabuki-cho). In the
early 2000s however she started to make more funky/jazz sounding songs like Chastity at Midnight. When I first
discovered Ringo somewhere in 2009 I really had to get used to her, let's say
'unique', voice. Over time however I became more used to it and even started to
appreciate the distinctive sound. What kept me hooked all these years however
was mostly the amazing arrangements she makes. From the jazzy ones like Season and her collaborations with jazz
band SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS (e.g. MY FOOLISH HEART～crazy on earth～) to the larger orchestrated pieces
like The Leading Hitter and Carnation. And from the electronica
influenced Detecting Love (awesome
music video by the way) to the more rocking CollateralDamage. Every song she makes has an uniqueness to it which gets me excited every
time she releases a new one.
Other
favourites: Close Shave Assassin, APPLE, It Was You and A Long andShort Festival
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