Customer Reviews

Urban World Music

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I love Hiroshima. They have a very special sound that is both unique and endearing. That is why I was very diappointed with this CD. I think they tried to do something different which is okay but when you lose who you are it is going too far. I hope Hiroshima learns from this. I don't expect them to keep playing the same music all the time but I do expect them to remember why they have such loyal fans.

I don't understand how others could have given this album anything less than 4 stars!

Please note the title of the album is URBAN world music so it's a bit of a departure from their usual sound. There is a light tinge of R&B in many (but not all) of the songs.
The lead vocalist has a beautiful and full voice.

#6 Love How You Love Me got them noticed for the first time by people outside of the Jazz world as it has a nice smooth jazz/r&b sound.

I like all of the songs although Love How You Love Me, Through My Eyes, and Walking with Angels ( beatiful instrumental!)stand out a little more to me. A solid album and worth the money.

I love Hiroshima. There isn't a CD that they make that I don't like. This is my favorite CD of theirs. This CD features the smoky Hamish Stuart and the sultry Kimaya Seward. Hamish is a talented Irish soul singer, and Kimaya is a first timer. Hamish is usually a background singer so it's nice to hear him up front. There is a problem witht hat though, he strains too much. It's ok though he still sounds good. I love the songs Unspoken Love & Love how You Love Me (produced by Kimaya's husband Monty) The band is of course top notch as usual, and June is still the baddest koto master around Dan is still one heck of a sax player and Johnny drums his hands off. This is what die hards love this band for. Pick up all you can from this brilliant band from East L.A. You won't be sorry

I believe Hiroshima tried to change their successful music formula with this CD. I wasn't very thrilled with the changes. This is the worst Hiroshima CD I have (and I have them all). I hope their next one brings back the old elements in their music that has made them one of the best bands out there.

Not up to Par for Hiroshima material. I'd buy another cd if you really want t ohear Hiroshima. Too many vocals not their style.

Love this cd. Hiroshima definately outdid themselves on this one. I purchased this one for a friend. He also loves it.

I have enjoyed Hiroshima since their self-titled debut album. The band's membership has undergone numerous changes since their inception, but the quality of their music never diminished (thanks in part to Dan Kuramoto's leadership and overseeing of each musical track, plus major contributions from the 3 members who have remained with him from the beginning: June Kuramoto, Johnny Mori, and Danny Yamamoto).
Unfortunately, this album strays a great deal from the 'mood' that is synonymous with Hiroshima's music. The vocals are poor: I found myself skipping past numerous songs after listening to them for no more than 20 seconds. Only one track features any contribution by Johnny Mori and it was poorly done. In fact, only one instumental really carried a melody in tune with the band's style: Kuramoto's wonderful 'Koto Blues.'
I really hate writing such a negative review about a group I have long enjoyed. I just hope Hiroshima rebounds from this apparent 'slump' in quality and their subsequent releases offer material more in line with the group's character (a big improvement, in other words!).

I agree with the other reviewers that this CD is a big departure from "classic" Hiroshima, but I disagree with their negative judgements. I happen to like the result of this experiment of Hiroshima's. Urban World Music is bass-heavy make-out music in the vein of Vanessa Daou or even Massive Attack, rather than the fusion / jazz / novelty music that Hiroshima is best known for. I like a lot of other Hiroshima albums too, but this album is very good in its own right. It will seem disappointing only if you insist on comparing it too closely to the group's other releases.

I've been a Hiroshima fan since the 80s, but this disc didn't live up to my expectations. I've always felt that Hiroshima's strength was in creating great instrumental pieces, which is why it was a mistake on their part to flood this CD with stuff from Hamish & Kimaya Seward. Don't get me wrong, I think that the two of them are good vocalists but they're not Hiroshima material.

On the positive side, "Timekeeper" is the best instrumental on this album. It reminds me of autumn fog rolling through the Oregon forest! "Koto Blues" is nice to listen to on rainy nights. "Urban world" is busy, reminding me of another great instrumental of theirs called "East." Walking with angels is nice, but not long enough.

Experimenting is ok, but it should be kept to a minimum just in case if it doesn't work out.