Toki Asako “Standards on the Sofa”

"Standards on the Sofa"

(Pacific Records)

Toki Asako - Vocals

Oishi Manabu – Piano

Sakai Benisuke – bBss

Cecil Monroe – Drums

Haru Takauchi - Guitar

Toki Hedefumi - Sax     

Toki Asako has a pretty voice, sings directly and honestly, and arranges with creativity. There's not much more one wants from a singer other than those three things, but Toki has something on top of that. Call it liveliness, good taste, or energy. Whatever it is, it puts her newest CD far ahead of the competition.

Toki also has an understated feeling for performing. With such a dynamite collection of musicians, she could really have gone over the top, but instead, she keeps everything in proportion. Overall, balance is a key element of her style, along with a good selection of backing musicians and a nice variety of ways of delivering.

"Another Star," a beautiful melody, is given a tasteful Brazilian accent. Toki's vocals skip neatly atop the musicians' smooth, energy-laden drive. "Got You Under My Skin" is done equally well, slowed down to an even temp. Here, Toki phrases crisply and neatly, dropping up and down with an individual way of phrasing that never feels forced or rushed. She's clearly in control and the band is right with her.

"Nature Boy," which might well have been changed to "Nature Girl" to fit her very feminine way of handling the tunes, is given an especially sexy, even tempo. Though something of a vocalist's standard, Toki's phrasing makes the song interesting to hear again. In particular, her articulation has a deep strength running through it; lots of nuance, lots of human feeling. Even though "Little Girl Blue" veers towards cutesiness, a common failing among Tokyo's many jazz singers, Toki pulls it back from the brink, leaving it upbeat and fun, rather than too girlishly coy as many singers might have done.

Especially innovative is "Satisfaction," a Rolling Stones number. With strings and voice, it's a very unusual arrangement, a bit of a gamble, frankly, but one that pays off with great rewards. She gets the bluesy feel and a quirky, funky rhythm that renders this pop tune with real warmth and a dash of humor. It's perhaps even a new style; call it chamber/blues/rock.

This CD is recorded especially well. The sound is crisp and clear which is all too rare with singers' CDs and with small labels. All the instruments are well defined and positioned, which is especially important since the musicians are great. Haru's guitar is pushing the sound along above Oishi's very cool Rhodes piano. The two offer a nice bed of harmony for Toki to work with. Sakai and Monroe give taut energy, while Toki Hidefumi's sax offers nice melodic statements.

Though some of the strings, and also the too-pop bonus track, are too slick at times, the band pulls everything back into a tight group feel. That aside, the important thing is Toki's voice. Ultimately, maybe, whether you like a singer or not depends on whether you like her voice. With Toki's new CD, that's very easy to do.