Tokyo Jihen
Otona

Jazz has never been so Rock, and Rock has never been so Jazz.

That the Tokyo Jihen (Tokyo Incidents) would nod to Jazz sounds was well known: the singer and founder of the group, Shiina Ringo, from the beginning of her career had always proposed an Indie Rock sound with a "varied" Jazz twist that gave her fame, first as a solo artist and then in the band's first album (which dates back to 2004). However, in previous works, Ringo had never intentionally labeled her music as Jazz, always maintaining a stylistic middle ground. With the new album "Otona" (Adult), the band makes a sort of musical "coming out".

Right from the first track "Himitsu" (Secret), you can feel that something has changed. Ringo's beloved musical recipe of electric bass, drums, and piano is always present, but in this case, the voice and melody take on that Jazz "vibe" which permeates the album. The album continues with "Kenka Joutou," a very fast Jazz Funk piece sung both in English and Japanese. Ringo seems to have transformed into a chanteuse from the fifties. In "Keshou Naoshi," the bossa nova rhythm takes over, in "Yukiguni," a very classical piano accompanies Ringo's hoarse voice, which then transforms into a kind of blues, rich in echo and distance effects. But it is in "Tasogare Naki" that the band openly declares its style: halfway between a piece by Billie Holiday and one by Sinatra, the song takes us back to times gone by, to those cabarets and private clubs out of Dick Tracy comics. Instead, "Blackout" seems straight out of a James Bond movie, a rhythmic track with Ska influence. Up to this point, the album seems coherent, but lapses in style are lurking. Coincidentally, the only three songs not written by Ringo but by bassist Kameda Seiji and pianist Izawa definitely clash with the overall atmosphere in which the album is immersed. "Superstar" seems to want to emulate the Beatles' style without succeeding, while "Toumei Ningen" could be mistaken for a song by the early Jackson 5. These are shortcomings that make you regret Ringo's solo career, as if founding this band almost as a whim, she wanted to limit her personality to make room for others as well.

If you listen to her last solo album reviewed here "Kalk Samen Kuri No Hana", you realize, however, that this is not possible. Ringo's peculiar and eclectic personality overshadows that of the other members of the band. If with "Otona" Tokyo Jihen wanted to prove they have grown and become indeed "Adults," the goal is partially achieved. At most, Ringo has become the "mom" of the group even in a musical sense.

The final word is: the album can be truly enjoyable and fitting for the atmosphere and overall quality of the songs, but be careful, it might make you frown on some occasions.