Pizzicato Diva solo--a fresh stereophonic sound spectacular!
J. Lund | SoCal, USA | 08/29/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Rest assured if you're a PIZZICATO FIVE fan: their stylish diva MAKI NOMIYA retains the pop-potpourri (pop-pourri?) mentality that has for years made the P5 a provocative joy to listen to, albeit the 1960s-vintage pop influences aren't as consistently prominent. The self-produced disc starts out sounding quite un-P5-like, with the likes of Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda/Sean Lennon and Towa Tei dressing up Maki's voice in tomorrow's clothes. Yet Nomiya's charming melodic vocal approach is right at home. Although Maki sings primarily in Japanese, over the course of the album there are French and English-language segments, too. As the disc proceeds, the Pizzicato Five sound seems to occasionally seep back into the production, to the point where on some tracks the listener might start looking for the familiar "KONISHI yasuhara" name in the credits (in fact, he IS on board, but only for one track!). Although not the case, the results also sound at times as if Maki teamed up with Cosa Nostra, a lesser-known, like-minded Japanese pop group who--along with the P5 and a few others--are regarded by some to be key ingredients of Tokyo's eclectic contemporary musical scene (and who accordingly puts today's musical face on the pop-culture encyclopedias of years past). Overall, MISS MAKI NOMIYA SINGS twists the P5 formula without losing their prevailing sense of fun. There's enough of the P5 mentality to make fans feel right at home, yet enough differentiation to establish the album as a distinct solo endeavor."
P5 fans will be comforted
David Schleg | Dallas, Texas United States | 05/17/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"A good cd worth owning if you are a P5 fan. Solid production. Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto) provides production and band support on my favorite track Star Struck. I love Miss Maki's voice, so she could sing Happy Birthday and I'd buy the cd. But that's me!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1