Covers (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)

One-fourth Japanese, Jero learned enka - which can be simply described as "Japanese blues" - from his Japanese grandmother while growing up. After several years of vocal training set up by his record company following the Noto Jiman appearance, Jero saw his first release, the original single Umiyuki, eaten up by curious young fans and impressed enka listeners alike earlier in the year. In a rather wise move, his record company decided to make his first album a cover album, appropriately named Covers, instead of original works. This allows the young enka talent to further prove his talent by taking on well-known classics, as well as opening up possibilities of a new generation of fans for the fading genre. All the covers have been updated with modern arrangements with instruments usually not heard in traditional enka.

The 7-track mini album gets to a solid start with a soulful rendition of Hisame (Track 1), which follows the mid-beat pace of the original. However, Jero gives a magnetic vocal performance that conveys the sadness of the lyrics even more effectively than the original. His voice still sounds too young to match up to his seasoned elders, but it also comes with a smooth fluidity as he hits every single note accurately without losing the emotion of the songs. At the same time, he also avoids overdoing the traditional tone-twisting vocal style that turned contemporary generations off enka in recent years. Unlike many young singers, Jero has an amazing control of his voice, only opening it up when a specific passage calls for it. This is done to impressive effect on Yozora (Track 3), in which he takes on its notoriously difficult chorus. While the effect doesn't quite reach the level of original performer Hiroshi Itsuki, Jero manages to make the song his own with a delivery that emphasizes hitting the right notes, deviating from Itsuki's more emotional style.

As for the "modern arrangements", producer River Feathers and arranger Suzuki Suguru (responsible for most of the arrangements) doesn't resort to playing the hip-hop route by giving these covers arrangements of different genres. The standouts are those that employ lounge/jazz style arrangements such as Kimi Koishi (Track 2) and Saraba Koibito, which are truly effective in taking enka out of its genre shell with stylistic makeovers that make them acceptable to a modern audience. However, some of the arrangements try too hard to be contemporary for their own good. While the funky 70s soul arrangement for Yozora works because it keeps to the style of the original, the 80s power ballad arrangement for Pusan Kou he Kaere (Track 6) features too many modern elements, overshadowing the melody and lyrics themselves. The result sounds like the song is produced for Karaoke renditions rather than a professional cover.

Nevertheless, the star of the album is Jero, and he shows why he has managed to impress so many of his elder colleagues over the past few months. He (and his hardworking promotional team) has single-handedly brought enka back into the pop music spotlight because of not only his hip modern appearance, but also because of his sincerity in doing these songs justice. There may be more talented enka singers out there that can do the same old-fashioned enka act, but Jero has done something that these singers have yet to achieve: he made enka relevant again. At only 26, Jero has a long way to go in matching the level of the best enka singers in the business, but he's certainly getting off to an excellent start. Still, the hip-hop dancing may be a little too much modernizing.

Recommended Tracks: Hisame (Track 1), Kimi Koishi (Track 2), Yozora (Track 3), Saraba Koibito (Track 4)

by Kevin Ma