Kittenish Love by ACO (Album Review) โธ J-Music Exchange/Rate
This month, we discuss albums that are older than me ๐
This month, we discuss albums that are older than me ๐
Hello and welcome back to another J-Music Exchange/Rate review! In case youโre not familiar with what this is all about, allow me to explain: this is a cool little segment that I do alongside my good friend/Japanese music fan Leap250 where we both pick out an album from our own libraries, exchange + listen to them, and later review on our blogs. Weโve been doing this for four years straight and not only has this served as a good opportunity for us to suggest cool music to each other, but being able to widen our knowledge and tastes within the realm of Japanese music has genuinely been awesome. Plus, we hope that everyone reading can have a similar experience!
But before we get started, I wanted to make a really exciting announcement, which is that the J-Music Exchange segment officially has its own branding now!
This has been in the works for a few months now, and Leap and I are really happy with how the final design turned out; it wouldnโt have been possible without the fantastic artist we commissioned, nonloarts! They were awesome to work with and came up with some incredible ideas regarding the logoโs look, so I have to give them all my thanks for what they created for us. Definitely go check out their art (via Instagram, Twitter) and based on my own experience, I would 1000% recommend commissioning them if youโre in need of a logo (we found nonlo on a site called VGen, which you can check out their page by clicking here!). Again, super exciting to be sharing and using these new logos, and we hope you all like them as well!
Back to the review; as always, Leap and I base our album choices on a specific theme each month. For July, it was Leapโs turn and he thought itโd be interesting to talk about the oldest albums in our libraries (based on release date). Now let me be honest for a bit and say that Iโm not really one to listen to older Japanese music; I think being someone who got into JP music fairly recently (at least compared to other fans), Iโve been more privy to whateverโs come out nowadays rather than exploring stuff of the past. DEFINITELY NOT saying that older music is not worth listening to (if anything, I do exactly that with American/Western music instead) but on the Japanese side of it all, itโs just not something I go out of my way to do. Although, I will say that Iโve listened to a handful of records from the 2000s, which most have been extremely good.
However, my choice goes a tad bit older than the 2000s so allow me to share the albums for this month. Leap went ahead and tossed over a 1998 release from Japanese singer-songwriter ACO, titled Kittenish Love; while I gave him a cool little hip-hop album from 1999 called Respect from the RHYMESTER trio.
Letโs jump right in!
ACO is a Japanese singer-songwriter, hailing from the Aichi Prefecture. The musical endeavors of ACO came at a pretty early age, as the story goes that after sending in a demo tape to her former agency, someone caught wind of it and noticed her potential as an artist. From there, she was able to make her debut under a major label in 1995 with the release of her first single, titled Fuan-nano. She continued to release music in the following years but 1999 is when she started to make a significant name for herself around the industry, after she was a guest feature on the hit song โGrateful Daysโ by the Japanese hip-hop icons Dragon Ash.
From then on, ACOโs approach to music evolved overtime and she began to dabble in other styles of music, with her most well-received album, absolute ego, taking on more of an electronica influence.
As of this postโs publication, ACO has released eleven studio albums, eleven singles, two EPs, as well as a pair of live and best albums.
(info sources: Sony Music Artists, Wikipedia JP, Arama Japan)
Tracklist
Yakedo / ใใใฉ
Fuan-nano / ไธๅฎใชใฎ
KITTENISH LOVE
Chime / ใใฃใคใ
Deteoide / ใงใฆใใใง (Smooth Mix)
Hayaku Hanashi Kaketeyo / ใฏใใ่ฉฑใใใใฆใ
Koocchattandawa / ๅใฃใกใใฃใใใ ใ
Kakurenbo / ใใใใใผ (Deeper Mix)
Released: 1996.04.21
I don't think I can confidently say how exactly ACO's Kittenish Love ended up in my library. While I definitely was not listening to Japanese music (or, any music for that matter, at least proactively on my own) at the time it came out, it's still funnily enough one of the first couple of albums that I remember having first come across when I started this hobby. If I were to give my best estimation, based on a vague recollection that I have regarding ACO, is that I'm almost positive someone (maybe in a comment on a video or in a forum post somewhere) was recommending for people to go listen to her songs if they liked singers with a "coquettish" singing style as it were.
This is important to note because I had just gotten into CICADA at the time (whom you guys might remember from a previous Exchange/Rate), and I was starting to branch out and learn about other artists who shared similar qualities with that of Kida Akiko. While I would later find out that CICADA's music was fairly unique, there was at least one person (at least as far as I can recall) who pointed me in ACO's direction. I specifically remember them talking about how CICADA was reminiscent of ACO's "earlier" sound, which is why I think I went and sought out Kittenish Love in particular as it is her first ever album.
1 โธ going back in time
As shown in the album choice I gave Leap for this month, Iโve been getting into 90s hip-hop/rap for a bit now, which has been really nice to finally experience. While I wouldnโt confidently say Iโm that knowledgeable on it, just being able to get a taste of the specific styles and sounds of that โgolden ageโ of American music has been pretty sweet and surprisingly something I vibe with a lot. Similarly, contemporary R&B was also a music genre that was really starting to gain traction during that same time period, which happens to be the kind of music that is shown on ACOโs 1996 release, Kittenish Love.
Now allow me to admit, and to kinda go off of what I said earlier, I donโt know that much about old-school R&B (lol). Throughout my life, Iโve heard certain songs here and there, enough to get the general gist of what these artists are trying to convey: cool, downtempo and dance-worthy pop music. A direct reference to this that immediately comes to mind is when I reviewed reinaโs You Were Wrong last year, where it had a song that felt very familiar/nostalgic to those clubby tracks youโd hear from the 90s/2000s. Other than that, I donโt think itโs that much of a stretch to say that the album weโre talking about this month is my first โrealโ foray into this type of R&B music.
Kittenish Love starts off with โYakedoโ, a pretty low-key track that is admittedly pretty simple in terms of its overall vibe and sounds, yet serves as an interesting opening track and one that helps set the tone of the album, as well as ACOโs take on the R&B genre. The consistent drum beat, the suuuuper subtle-yet-fitting inclusion of a funky guitar lick, and ACOโs cutesy-sounding vocalsโฆ itโs a fine song but from then on, we really get to, what I would consider to be, the good stuff.
โFuan-nanoโ (and โKoocchattandawaโ later on), similar to reinaโs โDo The Thingโ, feels like your normal โ90s R&B bop. I love the cool energy it gives off with its easily danceable beat, the high pitched synths that are sprinkled throughout the track are placed really appropriately, and there are so many other background elements in this song that add a lot to its atmosphere like the sparkly sound effects or another instance of a groovy guitar.
The same sentiments can definitely be applied to the next couple songs on this album such as โKittenish Loveโ taking on a much slower pace, while including performances from certain instruments like the jazzy trumpet and piano to create a climatic chorus. Meanwhile, you can absolutely get that well-known boom-bap hip-hop sound in โChimeโ and โDeteoide (Smooth Mix)โ, which I thought was amusing.
For me, the main takeaway with a lot of the tracks on this album is that it feels veryโฆ I guess the best word I can use to describe it is โauthenticโ, especially for its time. Given that R&B music is a foreign music style (relative to Japan), this feels like another instance of a Japanese artist being heavily inspired by a Western-originated genre and either attempting to replicate it or put their own unique spin on it. To relate this to a past Exchange/Rate review, Iโm definitely reminded of when I talked about the rapper/hip-hop artist Awich a few months ago, where she took her knowledge and true appreciation for modern hip-hop and has done an impressive job of reproducing that style of music for a completely different market. I do feel like that same exact approach is shown off here in Kittenish Love, with ACO herself taking the super familiar emotions and elements of American R&B and kinda making it her own. I think time and place is also an incredibly important factor of why thatโs the case, since the 1990s was packed with some fantastic female singers/artists that sang about romance/love in a sweeter, smoother and more poppier + hip hop-inspired fashion, and ACO does exactly that with a good handful of these songs (in addition, many of the tracks on Kittenish Love were actually produced in the United States, fittingly enough).
The American influence does continue to be prominent with the rest of the album, especially when it comes to the slower paced songs like โHayaku Hanashi Kaketeyoโ and โKakurenbo (Sweet Mix)โ. What I like about these two tracks in particular is that they both give off those sensual, romantic and heartfelt feelings that are all a staple in old-school R&B music (especially the ones from female artists), and I think ACO just nailed it when recreating that specific vibe. Just like what I said about the instrumentation earlier, itโs executed pretty well yet again in โHayaku Hanashi Kaketeyoโ where the addition of airy synths and even a soothing flute towards the end of the track adds so much to the meaningful sentiments that are being conveyed.
2 โธย acoโs fitting vocals
Think itโs also worth discussing ACOโs vocals, since I do feel like it was a noteworthy part of this album. To echo some of the things that were said about ACO in an article from Arama! Japan, she does have a bit of a pleasant, charming and almost cutesy voice, thanks in large part to her usually performing with a higher pitch. And if youโve followed my blog for a good while now, youโd know that I do enjoy that particular type of vocal performances, as shown in the numerous female idol groups Iโve talked about and enjoyed. And yeah, I would say thatโs kinda the same thought process that goes through my mind when listening to ACO sing. With this album having a pretty innocent and sweet tone to it, ACOโs vocals do a great job adding to the overall atmosphere of this album and I think itโs obvious that she can hit those high notes very well.
But at the same time, the whole โcute factorโ Iโm talking about doesnโt get to a point where it feels too โchildishโ or โannoyingโ, as some people may feel when listening to female idol/pop music. ACO does sing in a way where itโs smooth and attractive, making her someone that I think a lot of people would find appealing. Especially when combined with this specific genre of music, what ACO showed off with her vocals and the demeanor she has when singing felt pretty fitting.
However, as much as Iโve been praising this album for its authenticity towards โ90s R&B music, one thing that I couldnโt help but to feel that Kittenish Love as a whole is kindaโฆ lacking. While it does have some interesting ideas behind it and a few intriguing instrumental performances throughout, I never really felt a strong connection to this album. Not sure if itโs because Iโm not all that familiar with the R&B genre, or the fact that I donโt listen to older Japanese music in general, but I do feel like this is a case thatโs similar to what I said with CICADAโs BED ROOM, and even last monthโs SHISHAMO 5 where, while itโs a cool collection of songs, I just donโt think it has enough โoomphโ for them stand out, as I kinda got a same-ish vibe and energy with the majority of it. Granted, this IS ACOโs debut album so I understand that thereโs gonna be a sense of โamateurismโ with all this. Plus, this is all subjective, and with contemporary R&B revolving around that sort of downtempo tone and also being something that has resonated with many people throughout the years, some certainly may favor an album like ACOโs.
But I dunno, man. I know the reasons for my opinion are not the best but itโs also interesting to take into consideration that ACO gradually started to change her sound in the years following the release of Kittenish Love, as she began to dabble more into the electronic and alternative/traditional singer-songwriter styles. And after getting a small taste of the kind of music that ACO has made more recently, I feel like I prefer that part of her overall music career, as it just seems a lot more polished and something Iโm more privy to as a Japanese music fan.
And I do want to make it clear that Iโm not trying to bash what ACO made here with Kittenish Love, as I still feel like itโs an interesting album to take a peek at and one that easily showed off ACOโs talent + potential as a singer/songwriter, especially with how notably on-par it is with other contemporary R&B stuff weโve heard from that specific time period. But for me personally, Iโm not sure if this album is something that falls in line with my personal tastes or one that Iโd go out of my way to listen to.
Rating: 6.5/10
Aaaand thatโs all I got for you today!
I know that 6.5 score seems bad when I usually average around an 8 whenever I review stuff for the Exchange/Rate, but do keep in mind that I genuinely donโt put a ton of thought into album scoring and (at least, for me) itโs just there to put a super general numerical value to it. 6.5 also doesnโt mean this album is terrible or anything, but rather itโs just leaning towards lower side of what Leap has given me throughout these past few years. Again, ACO seems like a really talented person and obviously someone who was really in tune with the music that was popping during those days, and it was honestly nice to see another non-American give their own take on a cool Western genre.
Now that youโre finished with my review, definitely go check out what Leap said about my choice for this month: Respect by RHYMESTER! Like I said earlier, Iโve been really into 90s, East Coast hip-hop for the past year or so and I think this album in particular lines up with the artists Iโve been listening to, so feel free to check it out by clicking here!
Also, as a bit of self-promotion, I wrote another album review earlier this month where I talked about FRUITS ZIPPERโs first full-length release, NEW KAWAII. I had a lot of fun doing another solo review, especially for an idol group that Iโve loved for the past year, so feel free to read it!
Thanks for reading!! :D
-al