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Kaori Kawamura
Weed, 1992
Label: Pony Canyon
Website: kawamurakaori.com

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Not Forgotten …

Weed the fifth album by Kaori Kawamura demonstrates once again the depth and variety of the late performer’s talent. Songs included range from an acoustic tune to rocking pop tracks to an otherworldly multilingual number that reflects Kawamura’s mixed heritage … Japanese and Russian.

Weed released in 1992, is as fresh and exciting as anything on the contemporary music landscape. Kawamura, a major figure on the Japanese music scene, lost her long battle with cancer in 2009. The CD design, in retrospect, seems somewhat melancholy, but has a few nice photos of the artist.

fresh and exciting

Some thoughts:

1. Japanese title, translates into … We would like to stare, time 4:33
Entertaining harmonica and country guitar twang, but way too long.

2. Japanese title, translates into … Shoot me, time 4:10
Energetic vocals, happy and upbeat.

3. Japanese title, translates (roughly) into … Selfish Sandy, time 2:12
Mostly Japanese with a splash of English vocals and a touch of ska.

4. Japanese title, translates into … Cold Wind Siberian Railway, time 3:11
Retro spacey music as backdrop to dramatic Japanese and Russian vocals, wait for the giggle at the very end.

5. Japanese title, translates into … Geronimo, time 4:39
Slow, but moving, dreamy … la la la, belongs on a romance movie soundtrack.

6. Japanese title, translates into … Strange Fruit, time 3:07
A wee bit of the Irish in this one. Rollicking. Play it in a bar some time.

7. Hey Hey Hey ’91, time 4:11
Bouncy poppy rock.

8. Japanese title, translates into … Tension in the Brain, time 3:45
An invigorating rocker with great riffs, but a tad too long.

9. Japanese title, translates into … Everyone my consequence, time 3:16
A soft ballad with delicate guitar work.

10. WEED -a march of silence-, time 3:14
Just a hint of Lou Reed’s Sweet Jane on this one.

The Takeaway:
RiceburnerFM recommends Weed by Kaori Kawamura.
Despite it’s age, Weed remains vibrant and timely, although it may take some digging online to locate a copy.

kaori kawamura

photo courtesy Flickr / umitomo

video courtesy YouTube / mixtango2

note that the video is Hey Hey ’95, a slightly more rockin’ than the ’91 version.

myspace
obituary
Review: Sorrow, Tokyo Rodeo, Kaori Kawamura’s rockabilly band

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