Toko Furuuchi Interview – Round 2 by Dennis A. Amith (J!-ENT Interviews and Articles)
October 14, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Toko Furuuchi is one of the more recognized names in Japan when it comes to singing and also creating songs for a good number of music artists in Japan.
With a new album in Japan and a recent performance in New York City, J!-ENT’s Dennis A. Amith recent followed up with a second interview with singer/songwriter Toko Furuuchi in regards to her new album “PURPLE” and getting to know the music artist upfront and personal.
Make sure to read our first interview with Toko Furuuchi before reading this second interview.
Download our second interview with Toko Furuuchi here!
Toko Furuuchi – Purple (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)
September 18, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Singer/songwriter Toko Furuuchi has been going strong since 1993 and there are no signs of her music getting weak. Her 14th album “Purple” is fantastic! If you are a Toko Furuuchi fan, “Purple” is much different from her previous albums and the music arrangement is well-done. Definitely recommended!
ARTIST: Toko Furuuchi
ALBUM: Purple
LABEL: Tearbridge Records
CATALOG #: NFCD-27255
DURATION: 1:02:36
RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2010
BUY THIS ALBUM from CDJapan.com:
- LOVE SONGS
- PURPLE
- Where you are
- 映画を観よう
- Pages
- 涙
- 広いシーツにひとりきり
- コラージュ
- Boyfriend
- スロウビート (feat. KREVA)
- レッスン
- 太陽
Toko Furuuchi is a singer/songwriter who came into the music scene in 1993 and has established herself as one of the prominent singer/songwriters in Japan. And for me, having followed her career since she first debuted, I’m still amazed by how far she has come as a talent and to see how much of a demand there is for people to work with her, may it be for a musical collaboration or for her songwriting and musical talent but needless to say, her music is romantic, beautifully written and the musical arrangements for her songs are wonderful.
In 2010, Toko released her album “Purple” (her 14th album) and I have to admit that I have been listening to this album over and over again. There is something that is different with this album compared to others. The music production is simply wonderful, vocals are magnificent and for the most part, she is consistent with staying with the romance theme but there is a more contemporary vibe that is hard to describe with this album that caught me by surprise.
So, I had to ask Toko about “Purple” and why it sounds so different than her previous albums. In my upcoming article with Toko, she told me, “it turned out to be something I’d never done before, and that would be because the change of how I make songs? I’m becoming more “digital”.
I suppose I can see how the digital component comes into play with her music, but for the most part, I found “Purple” to be a wonderful album and another well-done collaboration with producer/musician Kono Shin.
Just from the starting track “LOVE SONGS”, you are just drawn into this romantic upbeat ballad. The music is simply wonderful and Toko’s vocals just melts your heart. The second track is the title track of the album, “Purple” which she sings how purple is representative of love and relationships and how the color comes into play. A wonderful track!
You also get tracks that are vintage Toko as “Where you are” is a track that takes advantage of the brass and is a jazzy, catchy track. The same can be said with the track “映画を観よう” (Try watching a movie), another jazzy style of track with “広いシーツにひとりきり” (All alone on a single sheet) and the breezy and wonderfully performed “Collage”.
And what Toko Furuuchi album is the same without a ballad and there are quite a few. “Pages” is a mellow track, while “涙” (Tear) is upbeat, “Boyfriend” is also vintage Toko with its deep beat and once again, the vocals that simply melts your heart.
Another track that I simply loved is “Lesson” which shows her positive side (as Toko is an optimist) and another favorite track on the album is “Taiyou” (sun) and a good balance of strings and cool beats. I asked Toko about this track in particular, because it stands out. Toko said, “I remember writing Taiyou truly from heart. It kills me everytime I sing it at concerts. Shin Kono did the arrangement beautifully, too. I’m a big fan of Kinbara Strings.”
A track that people will be familiar with is “スロウビート” (Slow Beat) which Toko collaborated with the hip-hop artist KREVA. The two have collaborated for the track “Synchro” for KREVA’s album and there is no doubt that the two have an awesome music chemistry and it shows on this track and it also helps that KREVA is Toko’s favorite hip hop artist.
The CD insert features the lyrics and production notes to “Purple” including an insert promoting Toko’s live concert at The Peninsula Tokyo and it’s important to note that there is a normal version of this album and a CD+DVD version of this album which comes with her music video for “Love Song”.
Overall, this is a fantastic Toko Furuuchi album and I’ve had it on my playlist for over three weeks now and I’m still listening to it, that’s how much I enjoyed this album. Highly recommended!
BUY THIS ALBUM from CDJapan.com:
or YesAsia.com
J!-ENT’s Dennis A. Amith interviews Toko Furuuchi (古内東子)
February 10, 2009 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Japanese singer/songwriter Toko Furuuchi (古内東子) has been winning hearts with her music since 1993 but in 2009, the music artist wanted to make her dream of performing in the United States come true. In January 2009, Toko Furuuchi performed in front of a full house at Joe’s Pub in New York City.
Going on her 16th year as a singer/songwriter, a new album on the avex label and having a successful concert, J!-ENT’s Dennis A. Amith recently interviewed Toko Furuuchi. Featuring photography by J!-ENT’s Mimi Ko, the special feature celebrates Toko’s musical career and more.
Click here to read the interview
Toko Furuuchi – IN LOVE AGAIN (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)
December 30, 2008 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
“Beautiful, smooth and sensual, Toko Furuuchi continues to showcases her vocals and in-depth songwriting for her thirteenth album, ‘IN LOVE AGAIN’.”
BUY THIS ALBUM:
ARTIST: Toko Furuuchi (古内東子)
ALBUM: IN LOVE AGAIN
LABEL: Tearbridge Music
DURATION: 1:07:31
RELEASE DATE: October 15, 2008
- 歩幅
- 恋の不思議
- あなたのトモダチ
- IN LOVE AGAIN
- Mystical
- カサノバ
- 今夜ベッドで
- 帰る場所はあなた
- よくある物語
- Confusion
- game
- 半分だけ
- Beautiful Days – New Version-
Toko Furuuchi returns with her 13th album on a new label and a scheduled performance in New York City in January 2009.
The singer/songwriter from Tokyo who once lived and studied in Connecticut in the US has had a string of hits in the 90′s especially with the hit song “誰より好きなのに”, which continues to be a wonderful song today with many artists having covered the song.
Having wrote songs and produced hits for a good number of artists such as Ueto Aya, Sowelu, CHEMISTRY, alan and many others, it’s actually great to have a new album from Furuuchi, her first in three years since “CASHMERE MUSIC” from 2005.
“IN LOVE AGAIN” continues Furuuchi’s staple of music which is beautiful vocals, in-depth songwriting, producing and also composing the music on this album. So, to say Furuuchi is talented is an understatement, she’s definitely one of the most sought out producers/songwriters in the Japanese music industry.
The album starts of with “歩幅”, a beautiful mid-tempo ballad that features a beautiful arrangement from Shin Kono and features a good balance of strings courtesy of Kinbara strings and an overall beautiful medley.
The second track “恋の不思議” is an upbeat track featuring another smooth arrangement and many instruments by Shin Kono and followed up by another upbeat track “あなたのトモダチ” featuring an arrangement, keyboard-driven dance track by Toshiyuki Mori.
The fourth title track “IN LOVE AGAIN” features an arrangement by Shin Kono for a beautiful, smooth ballad which features beautiful acoustic guitar playing and bass.
The fifth track “Mystical” features an arrangement by Toshiyuki Mori and has a funky style to it. While the sixth track “カサノバ” has a more Summer-like arrangement by Shin Kono with the acoustic guitar and jazz like upbeat arrangement. One of my favorite tracks on the album!
The seventh track “今夜ベッドで” features a smooth, bass driven track and another wonderful arrangement by Shin Kono that also sports a hint of brass. Very cool song and followed by a beautiful ballad titled “帰る場所はあなた” which is piano and acoustic guitar driven. While the ninth track “よくある物語” is more upbeat keyboard driven track, while the tenth and eleventh track “Confusion” and “game” features a little experimentation with keyboards and electronic bass.
The 12th track on the album “半分だけ” is a beautiful ballad and another favorite on the album. I can imagine Furuuchi performing this song live and delivering a beautiful performance.
The final track on the album “Beautiful Days -New Version-” features a sort of live-band type of feel with the piano, bass, percussion and strings in coordination with each other. Another awesome track on this album.
As for the CD insert, the CD insert booklet features lyrics, a picture of Toko, a message from Toko Furuuchi and production credits.
Personally, it’s hard to go wrong with a Toko Furuuchi album. Her music tends to be quite elegant and you know that with each song, you get a well-sung, well-written album that features music that incorporates strings, a bit of brass, piano, acoustic guitar and overall, just a refreshing, lively and elegant album.
Some may consider her music more adult contemporary but overall, it’s well-produced and well-done. Furuuchi has been doing this for nearly 17 years and she continues to look and sound incredible over a decade later when I first discovered her music.
“IN LOVE AGAIN” is a lovely album that is just smooth, sensual and enjoyable. Highly recommended!
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