Fakin' Pop

Listening to Ken Hirai outdo himself on record once again is an experience of a lifetime. Hirai is my favorite recording artist next to Jeff Buckley, and despite not being a native Japanese speaker, I own everything he's ever released (including out of print CD-Singles from way back when). This 2008 album was highly anticipated, and it surpassed my expectations - for ages, my favorite Ken album was 2004's sombre "SentimentaLovers", but this one is at least twice as good.

Remember this though - in Japan, an artist often releases three or four physical CD Singles before their actual album comes out. In Hirai's case, he had consistently released CD Singles in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, and this album, "Fakin Pop" collects all of them in one place, alongwith some brand new songs. For example, the first cut on the album, "Pop Star" is actually a song from 2005, but it kicks off the album. Another minor hit, "Elegy" is from early 2007, but still finds its way here. No matter though - all of these songs were excellent the first time around, and sound even better here in their new remastered avatars.

However, all credit must go one new song - a bizarre little ditty entitled "Kimi Wa Su.Te.Ki" (translation - "You Are Won.Der.Ful"). When Japanese pop is cheesy, there's nothing quite like it, but this propels that cheese factor into a whole new stratosphere. Hirai has always been known for his ocassionally high pitched voice, but here he marries that high pitch with an even squeakier version of that same high pitch - lending the entire song an air of Minnie Mouse-ish cartoonism. This is perhaps best experienced with headphones on, as the song shamelessly revels in its out-of-tune vocals and giddy studio experimentation. All this culminates in one glorious pop mess - "Kimi Wa Su.Te.Ki" is the best song on the album, and clearly one of the Top Three songs Hirai has ever recorded.

Other gems find their way onto this excellent record. Prime amongst these is "Aika" ("Elegy"), a mood-piece of lost love that hit the Oricon Charts in 2007. Its Hirai's greatest ballad, surpassing even his 2004 signature tune "Hitomi Wo Tojite", and its sequencing here works wonderfully in the context of this album. Another CD-Single "Kimi Na Suki no Toko", sounds even better here than upon first release, and the fun, upbeat vibe of Ken's 2008 single "Fake Star" also seems matched to the unique vibe of this CD.

Remember though, that when Ken releases CD Singles, he releases them with innumerable B-Sides that rival some of the best work he's done. Prime amongst these last year were the B-Sides on "Elegy" and "Bye my Melody", but you won't find those B-Sides here - you have to get the original CD Singles for that. Some new tracks on this album really take it to a whole new level though. While Hirai scores best on ballads, he has been consistently getting better with his upbeat songs. "Twenty Twenty Twenty" and "Upbeat" are prime examples of these - happy pop songs soaked in Brazilian Bossanova, with a dash of Sergio Mendes-inspired instrumentation to take things higher.

The album closer is a new song entitled "Shashin". Try watching Videos of Ken performing many of these songs on a Japanese TV Program entitled Music Station - he really brings his best to the table when he's live, and his live version of "Kimi Wa Su.Te.Ki" especially is a treat to watch, especially during those infamous high-pitched out-of-tune verse bits!

Heres the thing - granted Ken Hirai's music is not for everyone. No one I know seems to understand my fascination with both his persona as well as his music. Its easy to like Ken's presence - he is a supermodel in his Native Japan after all - but I'm more interested in his output as a musician. Seriously, the man is an extremely underrated musician. What Maxwell, D'Angelo and Robin Thicke do so well, Ken can do better. Try finding an album called "Ken's Bar" where he does covers of some of the all time Jazz and Blues Favorites. There's nothing out there thats quite like it.

"Fakin' Pop" is my Album of the Year so far. As appreciative as I am of Indie Rock (The Raconteurs, The Fratellis, etc) or regular pop (Kelly Clarkson, Ingrid Michaelson, Feist, etc), there is a special place I reserve for the music of Ken Hirai (or Hirai Ken, as he is known in Japan) - who is producing some of the best music in his life in his thirties. Do yourself a favor - try picking this up (its a tad expensive on Amazon though) and discover a new and exciting world artist. Then go back in time and try getting Ken's back catalog (from the early 1990s). Though dated, the tunes are still good.

Five Solid Stars. His Best Album.

I love this latest outing from the King of R&B of Japan, Mr.Ken Hirai. His songs are fun, funky, playful, sad and all into one. It's the voice of his that captivates me because there's an honest soul in there be it the fast and funky song or the sentimental chill out groove.
The best thing is, for the first time as evident from the jacket and the inside of his booklet, he looks relax and seems to be having fun! Those who love R&B no matter in what lingo it is presented, try Ken Hirai's latest and you'd want to check out his previous discography too!:) A five star delight for the ears!!!