Current mood:	accomplished
Current music:	B'z - Arigato

Koshi Inaba's Peace of Mind - Album review

This is not word by word translation nor it is very accurate. I had to change a lot of the words and work around them to make it more flowing, although I doubt that it helped much =p All the nonsense, laughable mistakes are most definitely mine. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it. And I also hope that for music-tech-idiots out there (I'm one), it helps define 'just WHAT IS IT about that song that I like so much' =p Maybe or maybe not.



PEACE OF MIND
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A review by Shinji Kurosawa


01. Okaeri
Bass: Tokunaga Akihito | Guitar: Inaba Koshi
Chorus: Inaba Koshi, Tokunaga Akihito, Ohta Shinichiro

Review Along folky sound of powerful acoustic guitar strokes is Crobsy, Stills, Nash & Young-style of 3-voice harmony. The syncopation created by Zeppelin-style of riff and groove gives the song its strong and manly feel. The lyrics are heart-warming to people who 'have just come home'; "More important than anything, you're back safely and happily".

Note: I find the 'manly' chorus very addictive and cute! ^0^



02. Wonderland
Bass: Tokunaga Akihito | E. Guitar: Stevie Salas | Slide & A. Guitar: Ohga Yoshinobu | Drums: Greg Upchurch

Review Opening with an acoustic-style slide-guitar and backing instruments that warms up one's 'skin', this song's lyrics look very deeply into a human's heart. Even when looking at himself with cynical eyes, the main character still gives positive message and at the same time, invites listener into his fantasy world of 'wonderland'. Stevie Salas' plays a sharp weaving solo. Tokunaga and Upchurch's team-work on rhythm and pause creates a groovy feel for the song.



03. THE RACE
Bass: T-Bone Wolk | Guitar: Stevie Salas | Drums: Kenny Aronoff

Review The intro is a sequenced phrase that sounds like game music. Next, the same phrase is played by a cutting guitar(?). Highly dancable rhythm ansemble creates an image of a race. While attacking the competitive society with proding questions, the main character stands firm to his beliefs, hence his positive message of "to seriously become something" is both thrilling and satisfying.

Note: I agree with you Tamashii-chan, the intro is so Friday Midnight Blue. My theory is Koshi came up with that riff and Tak couldn't say anything when Koko claimed it now =p. OK, who also thinks that the pre-chorus has completely same melody as I Am Your Baby's pre-chorus?



04. Shoumen Shoutotsu
Bass: Jara Harris | Guitar: Stevie Salas | Blues Harp: Inaba Koshi | Drums: Joe Travers
Click here for lyrics.

Review Backed up by the power-trio of Stevie Salas, Jara Harris and Joe Travers, Inaba's blues harp is wilder-than-ever and his words are exploding out of him like fireworks. At some parts, the drum beat follows the beat of Jimi Hendrix's "Fire". This explosive rock number packs a message 'to get yourself on to challenge'.



05. Suiheisen
Bass: Aoki Tomohito | Guitar: Inaba Koshi | Piano: Kojima Yoshinobu | Drums: Kenny Aronoff
Click here for lyrics.

Review The beautiful melody, accompanied by piano, is matched splendidly with lyrics that create instant images of peaceful scenery, bringing out nostalgic feelings in one's heart. A gentle caressing vocal performance throughout and a combination of piano, accordion, xylophone plus an acoustic solo performed by Inaba himself, seam together this ansemble. A heart-warming, lovely piece of ballad.



06. Subete no Shiawase wo Oazukeni
Bass: T-Bone Wolk | E. Guitar: Stevie Salas | A. & E. Guitar: Ohga Yoshinobu | Drums: Kenny Aronoff | organ: Kojima Yoshinobu

Review Guided by Stevie Salas' sensitive intro phrase, the song takes off on a bluesy atmosphere. But the weary-feel is soon accompanied by bass and from there it builds into the happier chorus. The undulation of the lyrics and the ingenious synchro once again proves that words and music can truly be drawn close together. Just as the title hints, the lyrics argue that even when you are not going for the big, giant-scale of happiness, in daily life, there are so many 'small happiness' around us to be experienced. A message that warms the heart.



07. Tamayura
Bass: T-Bone Wolk, Tokunaga Akihito | E. Guitar: Stevie Salas | A. Guitar: Inaba Koshi | Drums: Greg Upchurch | Piano: Kojima Yoshinobu
Click here for lyrics.

Review A quietly rocking piano-riffs and repetion of chords on 5-beat, creates an urgent atmosphere of reaching a certain peak. This suprisingly bold and daring intro is not very unlike QUEEN in their golden days. Under the thick sound of the piano, Inaba's vocal drops drastically to adopt a Tom Waitts-like cold pressing tone. In the lyrics department, the striking contrast between "tamayura" (= brief) and "eiein no sora" (= eternity sky) is refreshing.



08. Hazumu Sekai
Bass & Keyboad: Jara Harris | Guitar: Stevie Salas | Drums: Joe Travers
Click here for lyrics.

Review As if one breath that completely loosen the tension of the previous song, the lo-fi sound of a light guitar intro is a bit of 'playing innocent'. But needless to say, it gets exciting pretty soon in the uki-uki waku-waku (cheerful, excited) beat. With this number that is coloured with influences from classic American pop-hit like "Stand By Me" and Japanese pop-hit like "Mitsumeteitai", Inaba has made another big leap in stating his special style.



09. Koufuku e no Nagai Sakamichi
Guitar: Terashima Ryoichi | E. Piano: Kojima Yoshinobu

Review A folky acoustic guitar creates the rich sound on this number. Its seemingly harsh chords going on in a circular movement like an old LP. The chorus works resound well right into one's heart. Casual atmosphere is very apparent here when actually the key is high and the lyrics are occasionaly tongue-twisting.



10. Yokorenbou
Bass: Asai Hiroshi | Guitar: Koshi Inaba
Click here for lyrics.

Review The song opens with exotic flamenco-nuance guitar intro that prints impression to the mind. A fretless bass plays harmonic overtone on the charming Latin-beat, further bringing the mind to a hot sunset in the Southern islands. On the whole, the song presents an inviting perfume of a passionate, forbidden love that was kept in secret but is now showing. Even Inaba's frequent falsetto-shifts sound like a scandalous whisper.



11. Saihate Hotel
Bass: Tokunaga Akihito | Guitar: Stevie Salas | Drums: Kenny Aranoff

Review From the intro, we are introduced to mysterious, dubious atmosphere, created by the grange-sounding unison-riff of bass and guitar. When the 4-beat verse rolls into 8-beat chorus, it feels like it has gradually left that darkness behind with the beat going louder and faster. The lyrics takes off from the previous song, continues to explore the intimacy of 'forbidden fruit'. But the contrasting description is ingenious.



12. I Am Your Baby
Bass: T-Bone Wolk | E. Guitar: Stevie Salas | Fiddle: Kishimoto Ichiyo | Blues Harp & A. Guitar: Inaba Koshi | Drums: Kenny Aranoff
Click here for lyrics.

Review It's an uptempo, very folky number that is all the way reckless at full-speed. T-Bone Wolk and Kenny Aronoff's skills put together a magnificent tempo feel. With a backdrop of scenes that he sees along the drive, the main character is 'going to where you are'. On top of the drumming, fiddle (violin) and Inaba's own harp solo flavourings are added, hence this number takes on a definite bluesy feel.

Note: One of the reviews I read said this song is a sequel to Shizuka na Ame (K.I single). After seeing that he can't get the girl in the taxi with all those traffic, he's now off to see the present girlfriend, declaring 'I'm Your Baby' all the way. 0____o Beri naisu.



13. Toumei Ningen
Bass & A. Guitar: Tokunaga Akihito | E. Guitar: Stevie Salas Drums: Greg Upchurch
Click here for lyrics.

Review Performing along the transparent piano tone, Inaba outpours utter loneliness in this song. In the lyrics department, detailed description of the dark side of one's heart is shockingly real and serious. The main character has for a long time suffered from loneliness, resulting in a twisted outlook of life. His inner heart appears to have some desire to hurt other people. But somewhere we are to feel that there's a light of hope for him.

Note: I think the character is reaching a sacred, happy place, 'swimming his mother's ocean'? What do you think? Did he kill himself? This is quite a mile-stone for Koshi's usual positive lyrics.



14. Ano Inochi Kono Inochi
Guitar: Inaba Koshi

Review This final song is just a rough singing and acoustic guitar by Inaba. In this simple, no-boundary, story-telling style of a song, he gives an observation of political unrest of the world, not unlike "Farenheit 9/11", only he doesn't critizise. In the same tone with Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind", the song has a positive theme that questions casually about 'precious lives' and closes up with a universally rooted message.



Koshi's self-liner notes of PEACE OF MIND