[.ca] Blue Marble

Untapped talent from Seattle via Japan:
If you want something that's unique and powerful, purchase this. Aiko Shimada comes from Japan, but has made Seattle her home in the last few years. I came to her from a magazine clipping, which said she was "jazz with a Japanese voice". While there are some jazz stylings, her music is much more than that. If anyone remembers a band from the early 90's called Ether, this is what BLUE MARBLE sounds like. Relaxing, soothing music with an edge not found in today's popular music, which is good because I don't think the world is ready for someone as bright as Shimada. DJ Olive appears on this as well.

No language barriers to great music:
I do not speak Japanese, but it doesn't matter. Aiko Shimada's voice is hauntingly beautiful, her guitar work solid, and the story that she unfolds for the listener transcends any language barrier. She knows just how to apply emotion and rhythm, pauses and flow to her lyrics to create seemingly perfect moods from one track to the next. With guest artists - like Eyvind Kang (violin, viola) and Bill Frisell (electric guitar) - lending their immense talents, there is unique depth to every track. Compositionally, each song offers something all its own that still manages to mesh flawlessly with the whole. Kang's work here is especially noteworthy, as he lends poignancy, mystery, subtlety and beauty with even the sparest of notes, and plays off Shimada's vocals as if they shared a psychic link. Simply put, Blue Marble is a treasure perfect for rainy autumn evenings and sunny spring mornings alike. I still can't believe my good fortune at finding it. It's one of my all-time favorite recordings.

It's a Tzadik record, but don't expect avantguarde:
It's a set of nice, very female, very personal songs. Usually, the japanese music series on Tzadik features artists, who want to break boundries, but Aiko Shimada doesn't want to break anything, she rather want's to build a gentle sound world of her own. It's a successfull attempt, the record is enjoyable, it contains great string arrangements and orchestrations by Eyvind Kang and some little, ambient sounds by special guest Bill Frisell.

Cool Title.:
Blue Marble is an exellent album. This did not surprise me, because I own several of Aiko's other cds and have come to expect unique, well thought out compositions from her. This cd quickly became one of my favorites. I highly recommend it.

Absolutely Magical Album!:
I had heard one of her songs on a local NYC radio program and bought the cd on the strength of that one song. I am THRILLED that I did. I was more than pleasantly surprised when I heard the entire cd... hauntingly beautiful melodies, sweet yet moody, the atmosphere is kind of reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins, but Aiko's voice is deeper and smoother. A consistently mellow mood throughout the entire album, but not in the least boring like a lot of slow music can be. Although this album is classified under the "folk" category, it's *not* folk. It's so much more than that, and I think people probably just don't know how to classify it. This is the most unique album I have purchased in quite some time, I'll be listening to it over and over. I highly recommend it.

• Mezame (Morning, Pt. 1)
• Toki Wa Sugi
• Wakare
• Busy Rabbit
• Hikari (Morning, Pt. 1)
• Blue Marble
• Silent
• Song for Mark
• Asa (Morning, Pt. 3)