A jazz vocal album, but one with a nicely different vibe – even in comparison to some of the other work by Japanese singer Mieko Hirota! The style here is often quite funky, even on older tunes – thanks to arrangements by jazz funk maestro Hiromasa Suzuki, who's work here gives everything a sweet, soulful finish, with lots of electric instrumentation in the mix! Mieko sounds wonderful in the setting – stretching her vocals in ways we've never heard before – bringing a lot to the English language lyrics of tunes that include "What's Going On", "Easy Evil", "My Love", "Day Dreaming", "Sweet Love", and "My Funny Valentine". CD

A great session that was recorded in Tokyo in 1973 – featuring Abbey backed by a small group that includes Dave Liebman on sax and flute, Al Foster on drums, and Hiromasa Suzuki on piano. The record's pretty darn hip – and it's a nice version of Abbey's haunting approach to vocal jazz, touched by some of the new directions vocalists were going at the time, yet firmly rooted in the firm command of voice and emotion heard on Lincoln's best records from the early 60s. Titles include "Africa", "You & Me & Love", "Naturally", "Living Room", and "Natas", which seems to have Abbey singing along with overdubs of her own voice, to very cool effect! CD