Kaori
Eri Sugai has been called the JapaneseEnya, but in the intervening five years since her last CD,Mai, Sugai has clearly been listening to a lot ofAdiemusandMiriam Stockleyas well. In fact, "Voyage to Asia" sounds more like a voyage to Adiemus, with its stacked choirs and glossolia incantations. But deeper listening toKaorireveals, once again, a singer of frighteningly wide vocal and stylistic range. Tracks like "Iroha" swoon in celestial choirs while koto glissandos and shakuhachi melodies ripple through the deep choirs. Her tribal take on "Breath of Life" again recalls Adiemus, but there's no denying the distinctly Asian tone of her singing or accompaniment. Produced by Kazumu Yoshioka, the label president and one of the guiding forces behind the studio projectUttara-Kuru,Kaoriis a deft mix of tradition and technology. Several artists from the Pacific Moon roster provide her backing, including erhu playerJia Peng Fangand koto playerMizuyo Komiya. The hyper-layered production can detract from the purity of Sugai's voice and melodies, andKaorihas enough moments of sickly sweet expanse that can be hard to down in one sitting. But when Sugai sings a multitracked, a capella song like "Silence," or a spare chant on "Etenraku," she sounds descended from the heavens.--John Diliberto