Shoko Suzuki Sings Bacharach & David
7th Album
Epic/Sony ESCB-1486
Released 6.1.1994
Track listing
- Don't Go Breaking My Heart
- I Say a Little Prayer
- Aozora no Kakera / This Girl's in Love With You
- Make It Easy on Yourself
All songs by Burt Backarach & Hal David
except lyrics on "Aozora no Kakera" by Shoko Suzuki
Shoko's next projet after the trying RadioGenic sessions was a mini cover album of Burt Bacharach songs (suggested, I believe, by Takeshi Namura). The sessions took place in Los Angeles, and featured a large number of well-known L.A. sessions musucians playing on the tracks. Shoko herself played no instruments, nor wrote any songs (outside of new lyrics for "This Girl's in Love With You"), which allows her to focus fully on her wonderful singing. The song arrangments have a very light '60s pop touch to them, unlike any of Shoko's previous records -- "I Say a Little Prayer" is the only upbeat song on the record, and probably my favorite as well. With only four songs, this is more like a single or an EP, but following the success of RadioGenic, this disc hit the Top 30 in the Oricon album charts (as it was officially promoted as a mini-album).
This album is out of print on its own, but is available in its entirety on the SHO-CO-SONGS collection 2 set.
Favorite songs:
Don't Go Breaking My Heart
I Say a Little Prayer
Credits:
Shoko Suzuki: vocals, background vocals
Hiroaki Sugawara: background vocals, chorus arrangment, horn arrangement
Leland Sklar: bass
Rick Marotta: drums
Fred Tackett: electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Bill Payne: piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Mellotron
Paulinho de Costa: percussion
Jerry Hey: trumpet, flugelhorn
Bill Reichenbach: trombone, baritonehorn
Jay Dee Maness: pedal steel guitar
Rosemary Butler: background vocals
Produced by Hiroaki Sugawara, Shoko Suzuki and Takeshi Namura
Arranged by Hiroaki Sugawara
Directed by Takeshi Namura
