PEACE OF MIND Koshi Inaba Solo Album | Release date: November 22, 2004 Review by --- Shinji Kurosawa Self-liner notes by --- Koshi Inaba

Koshi Inaba's Peace of Mind - Album review
Foreword: This is not word by word translation nor it is very accurate. I had to change a lot of the words and work around them to make it more flowing, although I doubt that it helped much =p All the nonsense, laughable mistakes are most definitely mine. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it. And I also hope that for music-tech-idiots out there (I'm one), it helps define 'just WHAT IS IT about that song that I like so much' =p Maybe or maybe not.

01. Okaeri
Bass: Tokunaga Akihito | Guitar: Inaba Koshi
Chorus: Inaba Koshi, Tokunaga Akihito, Ohta Shinichiro

Shinji's review: Along folky sound of powerful acoustic guitar strokes is Crobsy, Stills, Nash & Young-style of 3-voice harmony. The syncopation created by Zeppelin-style of riff and groove gives the song its strong and manly feel. The lyrics are heart-warming to people who 'have just come home'; "More important than anything, you're back safely and happily".

Koshi's note: I was wondering whether I should put this as the opening song. The first song of an album is always a starter of something, right. But for me, it's heiki, even if I didn't choose any song for this purpose. I think that's the change of my characteristic this time round.

02. Wonderland
Bass: Tokunaga Akihito | E. Guitar: Stevie Salas | Slide & A. Guitar: Ohga Yoshinobu | Drums: Greg Upchurch

Shinji's review: Opening with an acoustic-style slide-guitar and backing instruments that warms up one's 'skin', this song's lyrics look very deeply into a human's heart. Even when looking at himself with cynical eyes, the main character still gives positive message and at the same time, invites listener into his fantasy world of 'wonderland'. Stevie Salas' plays a sharp weaving solo. Tokunaga and Upchurch's team-work on rhythm and pause creates a groovy feel for the song.

Koshi's note: This one is from some time ago, before last year, even. Then I thought, maybe I should use it.

03. THE RACE
Bass: T-Bone Wolk | Guitar: Stevie Salas | Drums: Kenny Aronoff

Shinji's review: The intro is a sequenced phrase that sounds like game music. Next, the same phrase is played by a cutting guitar(?). Highly dancable rhythm ansemble creates an image of a race. While attacking the competitive society with proding questions, the main character stands firm to his beliefs, hence his positive message of "to seriously become something" is both thrilling and satisfying.

Koshi's note: The arrangement was done together with Ohga-san. Just when we decided that he's gonna be a support member for my tour, we also started to work on this song. We did the arrangement over and over many times. But that's how it started.

04. Shoumen Shoutotsu
Bass: Jara Harris | Guitar: Stevie Salas | Blues Harp: Inaba Koshi | Drums: Joe Travers
Click here for lyrics.

Shinji's review: Backed up by the power-trio of Stevie Salas, Jara Harris and Joe Travers, Inaba's blues harp is wilder-than-ever and his words are exploding out of him like fireworks. At some parts, the drum beat follows the beat of Jimi Hendrix's "Fire". This explosive rock number packs a message 'to get yourself on to challenge'.

Koshi's note: With this song, we OK-ed it on the first take ne. In the beginning, there was only the single phrase of 'shoumenshoutotsu' (laugh) and I had to scrap the rest to fill it up. The singing is quite indecent.

05. Suiheisen
Bass: Aoki Tomohito | Guitar: Inaba Koshi | Piano: Kojima Yoshinobu | Drums: Kenny Aronoff
Click here for lyrics.

Shinji's review: The beautiful melody, accompanied by piano, is matched splendidly with lyrics that create instant images of peaceful scenery, bringing out nostalgic feelings in one's heart. A gentle caressing vocal performance throughout and a combination of piano, accordion, xylophone plus an acoustic solo performed by Inaba himself, seam together this ansemble. A heart-warming, lovely piece of ballad.

Koshi's note: The arranger I worked with on this song, Terashima-san, had accordion in mind, and after trying it, we thought iin jyanai no. That's how the sound was fixed.

06. Subete no Shiawase wo Oazukeni
Bass: T-Bone Wolk | E. Guitar: Stevie Salas | A. & E. Guitar: Ohga Yoshinobu | Drums: Kenny Aronoff | Organ: Kojima Yoshinobu

Shinji's review: Guided by Stevie Salas' sensitive intro phrase, the song takes off on a bluesy atmosphere. But the weary-feel is soon accompanied by bass and from there it builds into the happier chorus. The undulation of the lyrics and the ingenious synchro once again proves that words and music can truly be drawn close together. Just as the title hints, the lyrics argue that even when you are not going for the big, giant-scale of happiness, in daily life, there are so many 'small happiness' around us to be experienced. A message that warms the heart.

Koshi's note: The title is very annoying (laugh). I think people who heard it would probably think, "It's obvious that you're happy therefore you're such a detestable guy".

Additional note: The title means "Leave your happiness behind"

07. Tamayura
Bass: T-Bone Wolk, Tokunaga Akihito | E. Guitar: Stevie Salas | A. Guitar: Inaba Koshi | Drums: Greg Upchurch | Piano: Kojima Yoshinobu
Click here for lyrics.

Shinji's review: A quietly rocking piano-riffs and repetion of chords on 5-beat, creates an urgent atmosphere of reaching a certain peak. This suprisingly bold and daring intro is not very unlike QUEEN in their golden days. Under the thick sound of the piano, Inaba's vocal drops drastically to adopt a Tom Waitts-like cold pressing tone. In the lyrics department, the striking contrast between "tamayura" (= brief) and "eiein no sora" (= eternity sky) is refreshing.

Koshi's note: Do you think that the intro where the singing comes in is very QUEEN-poi? Aaa, that's probably true. Every now and then, I would read synonym dictionary and find words like 'tamayura' and what they mean. I've heard of this word before. I thought that's interesting so I wrote it as a song. The lyrics is somewhat a bit religious or science-poi desu ne.

08. Hazumu Sekai
Bass & Keyboad: Jara Harris | Guitar: Stevie Salas | Drums: Joe Travers
Click here for lyrics.

Shinji's review: As if one breath that completely loosen the tension of the previous song, the lo-fi sound of a light guitar intro is a bit of 'playing innocent'. But needless to say, it gets exciting pretty soon in the uki-uki waku-waku (cheerful, excited) beat. With this number that is coloured with influences from classic American pop-hit like "Stand By Me" and Japanese pop-hit like "Mitsumeteitai", Inaba has made another big leap in stating his special style.

Koshi's note: The sound of this song was done with Stevie Salas. It might be the biggest sound in the album. We used this small box of an amp and gon-gon created the sound.

09. Koufuku e no Nagai Sakamichi
Guitar: Terashima Ryoichi | E. Piano: Kojima Yoshinobu

Shinji's review: A folky acoustic guitar creates the rich sound on this number. Its seemingly harsh chords going on in a circular movement like an old LP. The chorus works resound well right into one's heart. Casual atmosphere is very apparent here when actually the key is high and the lyrics are occasionaly tongue-twisting.

Koshi's note: Initially I only wanted to play with acoustic sound but then me and Terashima-san did this irregular tuning. We said, "Putting in some the irregular tuning is fun, tanoshii jyan". And then it became more and more difficult for us to do (laugh).

10. Yokorenbou
Bass: Asai Hiroshi | Guitar: Koshi Inaba
Click here for lyrics.

Shinji's review: The song opens with exotic flamenco-nuance guitar intro that prints impression to the mind. A fretless bass plays harmonic overtone on the charming Latin-beat, further bringing the mind to a hot sunset in the Southern islands. On the whole, the song presents an inviting perfume of a passionate, forbidden love that was kept in secret but is now showing. Even Inaba's frequent falsetto-shifts sound like a scandalous whisper.

Koshi's note: The rhythm was done by programming and that shamisen-like sound is a sampling of Japanese harp. It sounds something Latin or not so Latin, wakaranai kanji jyanai desu ka.

11. Saihate Hotel
Bass: Tokunaga Akihito | Guitar: Stevie Salas | Drums: Kenny Aranoff

Shinji's review: From the intro, we are introduced to mysterious, dubious atmosphere, created by the grange-sounding unison-riff of bass and guitar. When the 4-beat verse rolls into 8-beat chorus, it feels like it has gradually left that darkness behind with the beat going louder and faster. The lyrics takes off from the previous song, continues to explore the intimacy of 'forbidden fruit'. But the contrasting description is ingenious.

Koshi's note: Kenny Aronoff (drums) did the scream at the intro. He was actually screaming many different things. The tension was high. It's so interesting I had to put it in.

12. I Am Your Baby
Bass: T-Bone Wolk | E. Guitar: Stevie Salas | Fiddle: Kishimoto Ichiyo | Blues Harp & A. Guitar: Inaba Koshi | Drums: Kenny Aranoff
Click here for lyrics.

Shinji's review: It's an uptempo, very folky number that is all the way reckless at full-speed. T-Bone Wolk and Kenny Aronoff's skills put together a magnificent tempo feel. With a backdrop of scenes that he sees along the drive, the main character is 'going to where you are'. On top of the drumming, fiddle (violin) and Inaba's own harp solo flavourings are added, hence this number takes on a definite bluesy feel.

Koshi's note: It was explained to me then that fiddle (violin) has a grand story *laugh*.

Additional note: One of the reviews I read said this song is a sequel to Shizuka na Ame (K.I single). After seeing that he can't get the girl in the taxi with all those traffic, he's now off to see the present girlfriend, declaring 'I'm Your Baby' all the way. 0____o Beri naisu.

13. Toumei Ningen
Bass & A. Guitar: Tokunaga Akihito | E. Guitar: Stevie Salas Drums: Greg Upchurch
Click here for lyrics.

Shinji's review: Performing along the transparent piano tone, Inaba outpours utter loneliness in this song. In the lyrics department, detailed description of the dark side of one's heart is shockingly real and serious. The main character has for a long time suffered from loneliness, resulting in a twisted outlook of life. His inner heart appears to have some desire to hurt other people. But somewhere we are to feel that there's a light of hope for him.

Koshi's note: I wrote the lyrics feeling more and more pan-pan, as if reaching the limitation of my worldly desire.

14. Ano Inochi Kono Inochi
Guitar: Inaba Koshi

Shinji's review: This final song is just a rough singing and acoustic guitar by Inaba. In this simple, no-boundary, story-telling style of a song, he gives an observation of political unrest of the world, not unlike "Farenheit 9/11", only he doesn't critizise. In the same tone with Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind", the song has a positive theme that questions casually about 'precious lives' and closes up with a universally rooted message.

Koshi's note: From this phrase "Kocchi no ai no tame ni acchi no ai wo kesu" (= sacrificing that love for this love), I worked it up to 'then don't say that you love me', that kind of feeling. Regarding to the vocal, I have to keep singing the same melody so I tried to put some pause in between.

	(Anonymous) 2004-10-12 06:47 (link)
	You've done it again, Keenie. Hats off to you! I definitely fit into the "music-tech-idiot" group but I know what I like, and I think PEACE is a great album. Thanks for taking such a lot of time to translate this review. Kate

	keen_on_all 2004-10-12 11:14 (link)
	You's especially welcome! Thanks for sending the reviews to me! Now I remember the part of Ano Inochi Kono Inochi that I love best: "Ato iu ma ni, hi ga kureru, nemurenai mama ni, hi ga noboru". The lovely melody and the singing, I always feel that I can see the sun rising and warming the earth 0____o The magic of music.

(Anonymous) 2004-10-12 08:21 (link)

suiheisen is really a lovely ballad ne! love it! Tamayura is a must listen everyday ^.^ so is my toumei ningen! \^0^/ i can feel the loneliness of the character even b4 knowing what the lyrics mean. with the translation, i can imagine the shout inside the heart (is this bad english? i mean 心裡的吶喊 :p ) thanks keen for this review! =) this one 'seems' to have more substance than 178-3's self-liner notes ^^;; & much much more than b'z on BIG MACHINE -_____-;; (but i love the 無厘頭ness of tak & 178! ^0^ ) tamashii

	keen_on_all 2004-10-12 11:20 (link)
	yea, haha, Tak or Koshi can't get a side-job as music-critic, I don't think. I have a feeling that their self-liners are just gonna be even crazier! We'd think that all they do is goof around all day. That's why I'm glad to have real reviews keke.

(Anonymous) 2004-09-30 19:42 (link)

Thanks Keenie for all your hard work. As always much appreciated! Doomo...DOOMO!! I have a hard time comparing and trying to decide which of 178-3's albums I like best. As someone once said to me:What makes B'z albums so good is that every single one is so different. I guess I feel the same way about 178-3's solo efforts. They're all different but equally good. Kate P.S. A big thank you to Kazuo-san.

	tak178 2004-10-01 09:46 (link)
	I forgot how contrived the Big Machine comments were...SHEESH!!! At least Koshi puts some soul into some of these. I still haven't liked a lot of his stuff since Maguma...Shian was Ok...Akatsuki was a really good single, but this stuff from Peace of Mind still seems tepid to me...I need to hear more... ~Dave

lovely_chan 2004-10-02 10:09 (link)

^__^ I can say that..from the Inaba albums I have, this is my favorite. I liked every song-something that didn't happen in th previous albums-at least not for me. I like the energy felt through the entire album, the music arragenments, and of course his powerful voice. As for the lyrics..I cannot say much since I can't understand most of it -_- STIL I love the album very much! Thanks for sharing the translations!