2011, Haikaa
Haikaa Yamamoto is a pan-cultural pop-star in themaking. Born in Brazil, Haikaa wasraised in Japan and has studied both there and in the United States. Her music shows influences from all threecultures and beyond, and her message is classically eastern: peace, love andrespect. Haikaa?s album Work Of Art is undeniably warm andsweet, and the songs are delivered with a voice that gets inside of yourhead. Haikaa breaks down barriersthrough her understanding of the world, but she also projects the sort ofpersonality as a performer that will draw listeners in and help them feel moreopen to ideas they might not have considered otherwise.
At the outset of WorkOf Art, before you even really take notice of her songwriting, you?ll beenthralled with Haikaa?s voice. It?scharming and out of the ordinary, with a warm sound and unusual tone that?sinherent both in herself and in her multi-cultural exposure. In this day and age it?s not always possibleto know whether a voice is doctored on a recording, but the end result is quitewonderfully unique. Haikaa wastes notime impressing with her songwriting ability either, launching into ?EverythingI Know About Love?, a solid, low-key pop ballad that?s wonderfullyconstructed. There is awkwardness in thelyrical constructs at times, but this fits well with the young and uncertainvoice the song is written in. Theharmony vocals here feel out of synch with both Haikaa and the arrangement, andtherefore become more of a distraction than an organic part of the whole. ?Work Of Art? finds Haikaa demanding to beseen for who she is. It?s a positivemessage that parents will like their daughters to hear from pop music, and itmanages to avoid clich� to become truly meaningful. The message itself is wrapped in a pretty poparrangement with Alan Parsons?s style vocal harmonies. It?s simply gorgeous.
?Call Me By Name? continues in a similar thematic vein, andcontinues the wonderfully-constructed pop path that Haikaa has embarkedon. It would be easy to see this songserving as a soundtrack component for a teen television drama or even for amovie. ?Happy? has a positive, feel-goodvibe. It?s a piece of fluffy pop musicthat isn?t ashamed to be what it is, and is ultimately enjoyable. ?I?ll Wait? finds Haikaa digging into a sweetlove song that could have serious commercial potential if it gets airplay orother exposure. From the sweetly honestaffirmation of love to the wonderfully constructed pop arrangement and memorablemelody, all the elements of a great pop ballad are here.
?Vision? shows off a slightly more mature sound fromHaikaa. She captures a Stevie Nicks vibehere, although you can understand everything she sings. There?s something of an edge to this numberthat shows avenues Haikaa may follow on future albums, but the vaguely sensualsweetness that runs through the album survives even in this maturingsound. Work Of Art winds down with ?You And Me?, a solid love song withgood energy and approach. It?s a goodeffort, but not as strong as much of what?s come before, and perhaps not thebest way to say ?until next time?.
Haikaa shows talent, maturity and youth on Work Of Art. She is a compelling young songwriter with areal gift for melody and pop construction. That?s not to say everything works perfectly on Work Of Art, but Haikaa is on-target most of the time, andoccasionally delivers moments of brilliance. The most compelling aspect of the album is Haikaa?s voice, which ismainstream enough to fit in on pop radio dials, but unique enough to standout. Don?t be surprised if Work Of Art is just the start forHaikaa.
Rating: 4 Stars (Outof 5)Learn more about Haikaa at www.haikaa.com or www.myspace.com/haikaa.
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Source: http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2012/01/haikaa-work-of-art.html
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