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| Megumi Habuka will release her first EP "Perfect" in Oct.  The New York-based jazz songstress, {{Megumi Habuka}}, tackles lounge jazz and pop standards with ease on her latest four-track release, Perfect. The music is instrumental, vocal, and everything in-between. Megumi dazzles listeners with swooning vocals and an upbeat, jazzy ambiance that sets the stage for nothing but the best. "Nobody Not Really" opens with a few pensive, yet glittering piano notes and Megumi's airy, albeit wispy, vocals and lounge-jazz ambiance. The piano sounds merge into a medley with spritely, cascading notes and a deep French horn or trumpet that interrupts the melody with careful elegance. The swishy percussion kicks in with a little metallic chimes and a J-pop lounge standard that highlights almost every instrument used throughout the release on one song. The J-pop sound in this case stands for jazz, but it is nevertheless very pop-focused. The jazz veins are evident with the ambulating jazz lines, roving trumpet, fluttering piano keys, and experimental or improvisational percussion that is very bright, cheery, and multidimensional. "Come Over" opens with a jazzy, ambient beat with a trudging trumpet and echoing sounds of sonic beauty glistening from the smooth keys of the keyboard and the swishy sounds of the percussion set. Megumi's pop-centered vocals are as charming as the melodies throughout the song. The breezy trumpet-driven, piano-centered, and raw percussion sounds signal a classy, downbeat and down-tempo jazz tune with R&B-like vocals. The smooth jazz ambiance is more pronounced with a fading percussion set and sparkling tones of soft sounds at the end of the song. "Perfect" begins with a few piano notes, light swishy percussion, and jazzy touches. Megumi's vocals are in Japanese early in the song, but change to English within a minute. The onset of the English vocals lead into a vibrantly-textured percussion segment with rippling echoes of colorful and fluid sound on the electric guitar. An instrumental piece in the middle of the song is void of vocals and writhes with jazzy piano, swaying percussion, and melodic rhythms that are very rich in aural likeability. "Cry Me A River" opens with a few quick percussion sounds on cymbals and drums. The piano appears, along with Megumi's heartfelt, jazzy, and languid vocalizations in English. The soft, classy and jazz-focused composition picks up speed with more jaunty percussion and melodic instrumentation within two minutes. The vocal ranges are not too far from each other and the instrumentation is more varied than the other songs. The guitar and bass get a work-out mid-song, but it only increases the likeability-factor of the song. Megumi Habuka's short, four-track release is nothing to overlook. The candid vocals, breezy instrumentation, jazz-centered and pop-focused melodies, and improvisational abilities by Megumi and her band, create a compelling and noteworthy release. There were no notable shortcomings or misgivings throughout the album. Anyone with an interest in jazz standards, smooth jazz, and contemporary jazz with some variability will love Megumi. eview by Matthew Forss Journalist/Entertainment Critic of Ariel Publicity write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |