Release Date: Jan 23, 2019
Track Listing
- TOKYO NITE
- Free! Free! Free!
- ペチュニアの花
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
Review
at TWO is Anna Takeuchi’s second EP release that follows the same layout as her debut at ONE. The lead single is once again is a radio friendly mainstream pop song. This time in the form of Free! Free! Free!
It is an up tempo track that combines dance music with her acoustic guitar driven pop. It makes for a catchy song where her clear vocals and uncanny ability to spit a few rap verses are emphasized once more.
Her bread and butter still lies on the laid-back side and the remaining three songs are great examples of that. TOKYO NITE has a smoky lounge feel to it while Petunia no Hana is a stripped down ballad that gently puts Takeuchi’s soothing voice over a bed of acoustic guitar and string instrumentation.
The final song on this EP is another cover. This time it is of Guns N’ Roses classic Sweet Child O’ Mine.
[spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/0Gt9eVkcVe5Lbe6vN2lAH1]
Of course her take on this is the complete opposite of the original. The iconic guitar riff is now replaced by a jazzy piano and horn combo. The first third over this cover reminds me a lot of the music like the music on Be The Voice’s cover album Music & Me, where the entire arrangement is flipped into something unexpected but still true to the essence of the original song.
It is when the track starts to end that it goes into a higher gear and rocks out a little bit before going into a cold stop and fading out quietly.
Much like Takeuchi’s first EP at TWO is a short but very enjoyable listen. Her step into slightly funkier territory with TOKYO NITE and Free! Free! Free! shows some versatility in regards to pushing her sound in different directions. There was some inherent risk doing another cover song, especially something like Sweet Child O’ Mine. How she translated it into her world was definitely interesting to hear.
If you combine this with her debut last year and you have the makings of someone whose music is something to look forward to as she develops as an artist. Her future releases should be some fascinating stuff to listen to.
