Rare treats Vol. 7: ALL ABOUT TOSHIAKI OTSUBO

ALL ABOUT TOSHIAKI OTSUBO (1) Peace of Mind (2) Triangle Again Sound Track Vol.1 (http://vgmdb.net/album/7949)
ALL ABOUT 大坪稔明 ① Peace of Mind ② トライアングル・アゲイン ～ サウンドトラック Vol.1

FLAC | CUE | LOG

VOCAL | JAZZ FUSION | POP

FLAC (https://mega.co.nz/#!tMZHxYTB!VF6DSlNN1d3QkceFS3OwUlm4HRa535oRM0N1fV9 oFPE)

This double album needs a proper introduction for a better understanding of what is in store for you if you decide to give it a try. The name of Toshiaki Otsubo is not particularly well known in Japan, let alone in this part of the globe. FYI, this artist has an extensive career as keyboardist and support musician of bands like T-SQUARE or arranger for J-POP/R&B artists. In the realm of vgm, this album (http://vgmdb.net/album/1685) is the best example of his arranging skills and jazzy-inspired music. Toshiaki Otsubo has a very refined sound, you’ll notice that once you start to listen to this album.

The first disc of the album, titled "Peace of Mind" (completely original and not related to any game or anime), is primarily comprised of songs that go from a B-version of The Sopranos opening theme to smooth jazz or R&G offerings. All the songs are sung in English and vocalists don’t sound Engrish at all, which is a always a good thing. Furthermore, the first disc includes a few instrumental tracks to improve the flow of the album. Special mention to the track "No Place To Hide" which could be used as BGM for a Gran Turismo title or any other racing game, jazz fusion at its finest.

The second disc is the soundtrack to a pretty rare Xbox game, only released in Japan, whose title is "Triangle Again". This game is more or less a typical visual novel with a story centered around aspiring pop singers, music bands and the like. As expected, this soundtrack is composed of several J-POP songs, standard fare for the most part, and BGM that is decent if a bit generic. The track titled "A Thousand Swan’s Torn Feathers", above all the violin version of it, stands out for the fiery playing and raw-nerve intensity of the violinist (this track could be mistaken as a caprice or partita for solo violin, really virtuosic). It’s somehow ironic that this piece (IMHO, the most accomplished composition of the whole album) was composed by the wife of Toshiaki Otsubo, a jazz pianist named Hiroko Kokubu.

Hope you enjoy it.

Thank you.

Niiiiiiice!! I love Otsubo. It’s a shame he olny released 1 album with Pryme Tyme.

Thank you.