*. Hako Yamasaki .* (Reissue + Bonus)

Album: 綱渡り(Tsunawatari) (1976)(Reissue 2006 + 1 Bonus)
Genre: Prog Rock (Folk/Psych./Rock/Pop)  /  Japan

This is a very simple album, which can be taken as either a good or bad thing. The arrangements are straightforward, the singing is lovely, with a fair amount of soul, and traces of sadness here and there, and the guitar work is obviously meant purely for accompaniment, and not as the focal point of the songs. Everything is understated except for the emotionality of the songs, which can often verge on the melodramatic. For me, she seems to lack a certain sincerity to the way she sings, which makes the songs themselves somewhat contrived. As a folk-pop album, it is certainly not bad. But the lack of variation in the song structures, the sleepy feeling of the composition, and the often overwrought vocal delivery become a bit tedious a few songs in. She has a potentially powerful voice, and I wish that she had released more albums. This is still a very fresh and raw album, which is charming in its own way, but I think she could have used a bit more polish and experimentation. Review by "phthora" (Rate Your Music).

RATING:  7.75 / 10

.