It's a J-POP kind of day: Buono Fan Club and Kat McDowell

Two posts in two days? I know, strange for me, eh? Well, it was just a J-POP kind of day and I happened to find some gems I wanted to share with you (...before I forgot.)

First up, Kat McDowell, out of Tokyo, Japan. Yes, you heard me right, she's in Japan. How this songbird ended up in Japan, I do not know, but it's Japan's gain and now it's ours as well.

Kat McDowell

Lovely voice and good delivery of lyrics (in both English and Japanese.) Her musicians are first rate professionals, as is the overall production. Whether she's doing J-POP, acoustical or even soft rock with a bit of rap thrown in, Kat is a pleasure to listen to.

My only complaint was that her sample selection was too short -- as regular readers know, I really hate getting just 'snippets' of songs to listen to, I want full songs people!

Still, check her out for yourself...I think you'll like her.

Her site is located at

http://www.myspace.com/katmcdowell

Buono Fan Club

Second but only in order, some "brand new to MySpace" cuties out of Japan as well.

If you love the J-POP look and sound, complete with Japanese school girl outfits, rocking beats and bouncy melodies that just ricochet around the room, then check out Buono Fan Club. These three cuties have got the J-POP thing down pat. They are fun and lively and definitely lifted my day, especially when my energy began to wane. I loved 'em. I've got a personal bookmark on their page for whenever I need extra bounce in my step or a good cheering up.

Have some fun and give them a listen.

Their site is at

http://www.myspace.com/buonobuono

Enjoy!

CG "Shin" Anderson

Music Review: Japan's American songbird, Olivia Ong

OK, the Olympics are over. They were spectacular, weren't they? I think China did a great job and from what I understand China spared no expense in order to make these Olympics one of the best ever. (40 billion dollars, I heard, was the amount they spent overall.) I hope China continues to progress and become a great world partner.

But now time to get back to music...

Today was a bit stressful for me, so I was in the mood for something to calm down the day.

I found her in Japan's "fluent-English" jazz soloist, Olivia Ong. She's unsigned but her voice is lovely and the musicians accompanying her were first-rate, especially the resonant, fluid tones emanating from the saxophonist.

She sings American easy jazz classics and does a nice job with them, too. Her voice fits quite well with classical jazz. For some reason, as I listened and relaxed, instead of being transported back to the heyday of the forties and fifties, the world of Mack the Knife, smoke-filled lounges, black ties and cocktail dresses,. I found myself on a beach in Hawaii. It was sunset. It was warm with a light breeze that smelled of flowers I couldn't identify, and the sound of the ocean rolling in my ears.

Go figure. I didn't realize that I associated jazz with Hawaii. But who cares? It made me relax and that was what I really needed today.

So thank you, Miss Ong. I hope you get signed soon. I'd like to hear you tackle some original songs as well as the classics next time.

Give her a try. What exotic locale will you end up at, I wonder?

Her site is at

http://www.myspace.com/oliviaongsongs

She hasn't logged on to her site since May, so I hope she is well and I hope someone out there who knows her sends her a message that she got reviewed (and favorably too!) (I wish I could but I can't create a comment on her site, only send her a friendly message that she won't see if she doesn't log on.) Ah, the joys of MySpace!

Aloha!

CG "Shin" Anderson

No Music Review this week: Call for suggestions from readers! 今週の音楽レビューはなし：読者から提案を要求しなさい！

I'm too fascinated with the Beijing Olympics right now. I totally haven't been looking for bands to review or singers to review. My apologies, but the Olympics only happen once every four years (or two years, rather, if you count Winter. So the seasonal Olympics only happen every four.) :)

But I'd like to hear from readers...

Who are your top five or ten favorite bands or singers?

Any country. Any genre. Famous or Unknown. I want to know.

If I get any responses, I'll summarize the results and review some of the top contenders.

So let me know!

Email your list to cganders1 "at" yahoo.com

Looking forward to hearing from you!

CG Anderson

---and now in Japanese----I hope-------そして今日本語で----私は希望する----

私はちょうど今北京オリンピックであまりにも魅せられている。 私はまったく再検討するべき音楽のグループあるいは再検討するべき歌手を探していなかった。 私の謝罪、しかしオリンピックは４年ごとに１度ただ起きるだけである。

けれども私は読者から便りをもらいたい・・・。

あなたの５あるいは１０人の大好きなミュージシャンあるいは歌手は誰であるか？

どんな国でも。 どんなジャンルでも。 有名である。 有名でない。 あるいは未知である。 私は知ることを望む。

もし私が回答を受けとるなら、私は結果を要約して、そしてトップの競争相手の若干を再検討するであろう。

それで私に知らせなさい！

あなたのリストを電子メールで送るから cganders1 <@> yahoo.com

あなたから便りをもらうことを楽しみにする！

CG 「シン・」 アンダーソン