Yuki Maeda Zenkyokushu -Kenchana-

I've been listening lately to a lot of Hibari Misora, the "Queen of Enka," so I was quite happy to hear about this album from Yuki Maeda, the one singer I know of who could even remotely be considered the heir to Misora's title. I've been listening to Yuki for years, but only when she's been featured in a larger Hello! Project concert or when her singles and music videos are included in H!P's annual Petit Best collections. (She was sadly absent from last year's Petit Best 10.) Even though she's been performing for ten years, this is, surprisingly, her first CD album. And it's a great one. One beautiful song after another for a total of 16 tracks. Some of them are clearly enka songs, described by journalist Mark Schilling in The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture as "sad, soulful Japanese ballads." Others have more of a pop inflection, while still being enka-flavored. Some hark back to folkloric "matsuri" (festival) songs. In track 14, "Kaze Kaikyou," Yuki even vocalizes drum sounds. My favorites are the ones with the most interesting background music. #7, "Sarasara no Kawa," has lovely melodious flute accompaniment. #8, "Nishi Shinjuku de Atta Hito," has soft guitar accompaniment. #11, "Kaeri Sobireta Furusato wa," is just an achingly beautiful enka song and arguably the best on the CD. #13, "Tsuki Ressha," features guitar and an instrument that sounds a little like an accordion, but nicer. #15, "Zanza Koi Shigure," is a soft, gentle song with evocative string accompaniment. I don't know if the music is live or, like most H!P recordings, conjured up on a keyboard and then played back for the vocalist. I'm guessing some scores are "canned," while others are live. I wouldn't have minded an upbeat song or two. Track 5, "Tokyo, Yoimachigusa," comes the closest, offering a festival song with traditional inflections, but a somewhat fast beat and electric guitar, a very nice mix of old and new. (The music, however, sounds canned.) #6, "Tokyo Kirigirisu," is more of a pop song, with a pleasant beat, but I can't help recalling how Yuki stepped up to the plate when she was part of Salt5 in 2003 and they performed H!P's sole hiphop anthem, "Get Up! Rapper." Yuki worked it. In any event, this long-awaited album is as full of riches as I'd hoped it to be and occupies a special niche in my J-pop collection. I just hope we won't have to wait ten years for the next one.