PINK LADY: MIE & KEI'S SOLO ALBUM DEBUTS
a review by Trooper Tru McCray
Ladies and Gentlemen… Pink Lady fans of all ages… it is time once again for the Trooper’s Review! I had the opportunity (and privilege) to check out the very first solo albums from Mitsuyo “MIE” Nemoto (I My Mie) and Keiko “KEI” Masuda (Hitori Ga Suki).
Mitsuyo “MIE” Nemoto – I My Mie
This was a very lively album from MIE. Of course, we can only expect the best from Mitsuyo Nemoto when it comes to lively and high-energy J-Pop music. My favorite songs from this album/CD are: “Don’t Call Me, Mister X”, the rather mysterious “Animal House”, and the upbeat title track “I My Mie”.
Keiko “KEI” Masuda – Hitori Ga Suki
The sultry sounds of Keiko Masuda make this a top-notch album/CD. Although “Sparrow (Suzume)” was the only song with which I was familiar, I think KEI did an awesome job with the other nine tracks as well. And although she doesn’t ad-lib like her partner MIE, her simple sultry sound was enough to make her first solo album/CD a success.
My thoughts on their English-language songs
According to what I read in the January 2012 edition of Pink Lady America, “Kiss in the Dark” was the only original English-language song (it is unknown if it is also the case for “Strangers When We Kiss”). Now I knew that “Walk Away Renee” was originally performed by Left Banke… but after reading about the other English-language songs that turned out to be re-makes of other people’s songs, I was blown away! Nonetheless, this Trooper loves Pink Lady… now and forever.
That’s it for now, but I will be back next month for another edition of The Trooper’s Review. 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.