Shishousetsu

10th Album

Warner Music Japan WPC6-8459

Released 8.26.1998

Track listing

1. Kanzen na Ai (words & music: Shoko Suzuki)
2. Prive (words & music: Shoko Suzuki)
3. Damatte Waratte Soba ni Iru On'na (words & music: Shoko Suzuki)
4. Atashi no Basho de (words: Shoko Suzuki/music: Hiroaki Sugawara)
5. Tashikamete Ite yo (words: Shoko Suzuki/music: Shoko Suzuki & Tamio Okuda)
6. Akai Mi ga Hajiketeta (words: Shoko Suzuki & Natsumi Tadano/music: Shoko Suzuki & Tamio Okuda)
7. Izon to Shihai (words & music: Shoko Suzuki)
8. Tada no Koi Dakara (words & music: Shoko Suzuki)
9. Koi wa Yume no Hana (words: Shoko Suzuki/music: Hiroaki Sugawara)
10. Nikki (words & music: Shoko Suzuki)
11. Soshite nao Eien ni (words & music: Shoko Suzuki)

Upon leaving Epic/Sony, Shoko signed with Warner Music Japan, and this was the first record she released under that contract. Both Hiroaka Sugawara and Takeshi Namura are around, but this time Shoko didn't use the same three-piece band as she had on the previous two albums (indeed, Sugawara and Namura only appear on one track together). Among the outside musicians assisting, the most notable was Tamio Okuda, one of Japan's best known rock stars. He co-wrote and co-produced the album's single, "Tashikamete Ite yo," which ended up being Shoko's highest charting single to date (though interestingly, apprarently "Prive" was initially slated to be the album's single at one point). The romantic pop of "Kanzen na Ai" and "Prive" starts off the record, with further dabblings in country balladry ("Koi wa Yume no Hana"), gentle pop/rock ("Tashikamete Ite yo," the country-flavored "Atashi no Basho de"), straight ballads ("Tada no Koi Dakara") and rock ("Nikki" and "Soshite nao Eien ni," the latter being one of Shoko's best-ever rock songs, and also my favorite song on the record). So, yet another solid record (but what else is new?).

This album is currently out of print (insert sad face here).

Favorite songs:
Atashi no Basho de
Tashikamete Ite yo
Izon to Shihai
Nikki
Soshite nao Eien ni

Credits:
Shoko Suzuki: vocals, background vocals, drums, piano, keyboards, wind chime, percussion
Hiroaki Sugawara: electric guitar, acoutstic guitar, bass, mandolin, piano, Wurlitzer, programming, background vocals, strings arrangment
Takeshi Namura: bass
Tamio Okuda: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, background vocals
Yuta Saito: piano, Hammond B-3 organ, accordion
Mitsuyoshi Hagashiyama: bass
Nobutaka Tsugei: pedal steel guitar, mandolin, banjo, background vocals, percussion
Yoshihiro Matsuura: electric slide guitar
Tokuo Nakano: mandolin, background vocals
Tadahiro Wakabayashi: sitar, tabla
Hitoshi Watanabe: wood bass
Toshibumi Shibata: organ
Takuo Yamamoto: tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, brass arrangment, strings arrangement
Akiko Mori: oboe
Toshio Araki: flugelhorn, trumpet
Yoichi Murata: trombone
Hijiri Kuwano Strings: strings

Produced by Shoko Suzuki and Hiroaki Sugawara
Co-Produced by Takeshi Namura and Jinji Okamoto
Arranged by Hiroaki Sugawara (M-1, 3, 4, 9, 10)
Hiroaki Sugawara and Shoko Suzuki (M-2, 7, 11)
Shoko Suzuki, Tamio Okuda and Yuta Saito (M-5, 6)
Shoko Suzuki and Takuo Yamamoto (M-8)