Beautiful later work from Japanese singer Yoshiko Sai – tracks that are every bit as sublime as her classics! Sai has this vocal range that's incredible – an ability to slide up and down the scale that's somewhere in the territory of Minnie Riperton or Kate Bush – even though the music here is nothing like theirs at all, as the instrumentation mixes fuller, soaring charts with some occasional stronger guitar lines – all set to superb lead vocals from Yoshiko, always at a level that's much more experimental than commercial. Lyrics are in Japanese throughout – as are the titles – but there's a very universal appeal to the record! LP, Vinyl record album

A Japanese electro pop masterpiece from Akiko Yano – done with lots of help on production from Ryuichi Sakamoto, and lots of musical help from other members of YMO too! Yet the set's got a very different vibe than Sakmoto's music and that of his group – maybe more tuneful, at a level that really takes advantage of the fantastic vocal range of Akiko – which sometimes stretches and inflects at a level that might rival Kate Bush at the time, although in a much more electronic setting overall. Titles include "Tadaima", "Vet", "Iranaimon", "Sensei", "Otosan", "Taiyo No Onara", and "Okasan No Ohige". LP, Vinyl record album