| Jazz |
This artist is a sort of jack-of-all-trades UFO, originally from Tokyo and now residing in New York, singing in Brazilian language with only one song in English on this album, endowed with a strong and unique vocal imprint, which gives each track, even the most well-known ones, a particularly interesting sense of displacement. She has been performing publicly in a wide range of styles: pop, rock, R&B, jazz funk, gospel, free jazz, and various forms of Brazilian music since high school. Her early musical career began when she founded the girl’s rock band Sissy Boy, which produced two CDs: Marcy’s Factory, with Vaan Media, and Kick Off Boy’s, with Crown Records Japan. Even with her early success in Japan, Yuko’s musical vision was broad, and she chose to move to New York in 1994.
Surrounded by remarkable musicians who offer her a silver platter to lay her voice upon, with Helio Valdes on piano, Edward Perez on bass, Alexandre Klauz on percussion set and drums, Romero Lubambo on guitar, Willie Ruiz on percussion, and the voice of Vanessa Falabella, we are carried away in this unexpected proposal. It’s a bit of the magic of all these artists from elsewhere who find themselves in the USA, each bringing in their suitcases their culture and vision of certain music. Here, Yuko alternately presents her interpretation of Jobim, Nascimento, and Djavan. The only regret is that this album is not solely composed of this artist’s creations, because with such a voice, it is easy to imagine how deeply we would be touched. This album is a “favorite” for us, from an artist whom we await in a more personal register. It’s an album of cultural passion, interpreted by a passionate soul. While perhaps not sufficient for airplay on Bayou Blue Radio, where we prefer originality in creation, we are delighted to have been able to review this album from an artist who leaves us anything but indifferent, and whose future developments we will now eagerly follow.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, May 6th 2024
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