Heisei Fuzoku

Prostitution for the Heisei Period, or something like that. That is a rough translation for the title of Ringo Shiina's latest addition to her discography. Released on February 21st, the new album has her collaborating with conductor, Neko Saito and his orchestra. As is often the case with Shiina, the album travels between musical genres; this time touching on elements of rock, lounge music, and electronica, all with a jazz slant.

The first song, Gamble, fuses rock and orchestration to create a symphony that ultimately crescendos with Ringo's powerful voice. Stem once again makes a Shiina Ringo album, sounding very similar to her jazzed but mellow DVD version. There is nothing new to be heard here.

The pace picks up on Sakuran, a song named after the upcoming manga movie, where Shiina worked as musical director. The song features a long piano solo and horns that make it reminiscent of a 70s show tune. The signature Shiina Ringo voice makes a strong presence here.

Hatsukoi Shojo has her voice masked and muffled, giving it a distant electronic sound. The music here, entrenched in electronica and strings, would not feel out of place in any new next generation game title.

Papaya Mango could have easily been stolen from a lost Tony Bennet or Frank Sinatra collection with Ringo's voice track recorded later and laid on top. Here though, her distinctive voice adds a new twist to the former crooners' styles.

Ishiki is another throw away: a good jazz rendition but we've heard this before. In fact, there are a total of 6 songs that have made appearances on other albums and DVDs but have either been rehashed or slightly tweaked and added here.

Karisome Otome (Tameike Sannoh version) is string heavy and palpably different from its acid jazz original. For this version, she chose to sing in English with words delivered much more deliberately. It adds strength to her conviction.

Oiran is experimental electronica. Again, Shiina choses to alter her voice to combine with the music and create an experience that can best be described as a surrealistic journey through space.

The album appropriately concludes with the Sakuran ending theme, Kono yo no Kagiri. This is a very upbeat sounding show tune. Though very removed from typical Shiina style, she collaborates with her brother, Junpei, to create a sound that inexplicably puts a smile on your face.

While Ringo chan has composed an album sure to please her die-hard fans, with a price tag of $26.20, it's hard to recommend it to those casual fans, who already own her previous works. Not only is this a departure from her earlier rock days, but there are too many songs that are being repeated here. This one is for new comers and loyalists only.

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