KEIKO MASUDA: AISHOKA
a review by Trooper Tru McCray
Ladies and Gentlemen, Pink Lady fans of all ages, Trooper Tru is back with the Trooper’s Review! Today’s topic is the new solo CD from Keiko Masuda: “Aishoka”.
1) Ai Ga Uamarete Hi (Love Is Born) – This song starts the CD out in KEI’s usual style: mellow and very easy-going. The song itself sounds like something out of a dramatic series from the late 1980s / early 1990s (before they got rid of “All My Children”* forever).
2) Ai No Suichuka (Love Is The Water) – This song has a bit of a swing to it, but with the same feel as Ai Ga Uamarete. Very well-made.
3) Ai Wa Kagerou (Love Is The Mayfly) – A rather slow start to this song, as well as a bit of a sad feel.
4) Ai Shouka (Favorite Song) – The beginning of this song reminded me of the theme from “Young and the Restless”, but with a more “loving” twist. KEI brought even more life and love to the song with her voice.
5) Ai No Kurashi (Love Your Life) – A slow-rock song with a sad start. Upon hearing this, I visualize a lonely man walking in the rain. As the song ends, he sits at home looking out the window while the rain continues to fall…
6) Ai Jin (Mistress) – At the start of this song, I visualize a young lady walking confidently through the marketplace – searching for something known only to her. At the final notes of the song, she witnesses a man asking for a cup of espresso at the bar. At the closing note, she approaches the bar and pays for the man’s drink.
7) Ai No Mamade (Still In Love) – This song is just perfect for couples to slow dance. In fact, this continues my visualization from the end of Ai Jin. Just before the start of the song, the man finishes his espresso and asks the lady to dance with him. And so they do. At the final notes, they stop and hug each other.
8) Ai Sansan (Love Shining) – A slow-rock song with a happier start. During the song, I visualized my wife and myself on a boat enjoying the all-natural scenery; flowers growing on trees, ducks and swans swimming alongside us… just a beautiful song overall.
9) Ai Giri Giri – A remake of a PL classic with some Latin sounds… and dare I say it sounds more exciting than the original!
10) Ai Shiterutte Itte (Say I Love You) – This song started out similar to Ai Ga Uamarete Hi, but with a rather sad feel. The soft rock rhythm and the mandolin made it work perfectly.
11) Ai No Sanka (In Praise of Love) – Just the piano and KEI’s voice alone made this song very exciting! It’s like we’re in a jazz bar; I totally visualized KEI in a long black dress with white flowers and stars all over.
12) Suzume (Sparrow) – KEI takes this song and makes it slightly better than the previous versions (first from Hitori Ga Suki [1982], then in Now & Then [2008])!
* = Personal Note: “All My Children” was the only soap opera (now categorized as “dramatic series”) that I ever watched and followed.
This CD from Keiko Masuda really took me all over the place; left a lot to the imagination with the music and her voice! Next to Now & Then (2008), this is by far her greatest solo work to date! Domo Arigato, KEI-chan!
Well my fellow Pink Lady fans, that will do it for this edition of the Trooper’s Review. I hope you enjoyed reading this as I have enjoyed seeing/hearing these wonderful performances. Once again, I thank my fellow Chicagoan Joshua Parris for bringing Pink Lady back to my attention back in 2009, I thank Jeffrey Branch for creating the “Pink Lady America” website, and I thank Mitsuyo Nemoto & Keiko Masuda for bringing Pink Lady to this world. And most of all, I thank all of you for loving Pink Lady as much as I do. See ya next time, Think Pink, and God Bless. Imanotokoro Sayonara (Goodbye for now).