Reviews of the album 'We pray the brooze'.

 

Blues in Britain Vol 1 Issue 17

The band on this, their second album, comprises Koichi "Fuji" Fujishima on National steel guitar and vocals, Paul Shearsmith on pocket trumpet and various home-made wind instruments, plus newcomer Shimaky Fumica on violin. On paper, that kind of line-up, especially fronted by an ex-welder turned bottleneck guitarist singing in Japanese might make you a bit wary, but believe me, the resulting music is never less than beautiful and at times quite stunning.

At this stage in the review, some blues purists may already have left us, but the more broad-minded of you, especially those with aliking for world music and for further extending the frontiers of the blues, I strongly recommend investigating this CD. The dominant sound throughout is that of Fuji - he provides the material, some outstanding slide playing on a single-cone National and vocals more influenced by Japanese folk music than the sounds of Mississippi. His instrumental heroes include the likes of Fred McDowell, Son House and Bukka White and he certainly has embraced the true spirit of Delta blues, adapting it to suit his style. Paul Shearsmith's background is one of jazz and experimental music, whereas Shimaky Fumica comes from a classical background, and both are sympathetic to the blues cause. So often, when jazzers and classical people try to play blues and other folk musics, they do not get the plot. This is not the case here as both players obviously have a feel for the genre.

"World music" would be a very apt description here, but it has to be said that, although singing in Japanese alongside a manwho often plays a tuned gas main and a classical fiddler, Fuji is truer to the spirit of Delta blues than a number of self-professed expert exponents of this music.

I recommend this album highly to all readers who are of a more adventurous nature than those who want to hear another lacklustre version of "Cross Road Blues".

 

Rating: 9 -Michael Prince

 

Feb. '04 issue of Cadence.

"Ranging from solo to duo, trio, and quartet performances, Fuji's adept and versatile National Steel Guitar stylings are the consistent focal point here. His mastery of slide guitar animates "Sun Down" and evocative ballads like

"Listen The Sound Of The Creek", and the instrumental finale "Paper Balloon". Violin player Fumica is featured on seven of thirteen tracks (three of which are just brief samples ranging from the aeroplane of "Aero" to the bleating sheep of "BlackSheep") and she shows real flair from [sic] the Cajun groove of "After The Flowing", the slow free blues of "Under the dry" and the evocative dirge ballad "Delta" to the raw rock'n'roll energy of the upbeat "Inner Self". The contemporary Japanese folk theme "Searching" and the slow ballad "TONBO" confirm why Fuji and Fumica possess a special creative partnership that gives this project the aura of a gem to savor and cherish for years to come."

 

David Lewis

 

 

Mojo August 04

The title may seem a bit dodgy, in a Benny Hill sort of way, but Fuji chose it as acknowledgement that what he plays would never be as authentic as his heroes like Mississippi Fred McDowall. But what emerges is a glorious hybrid where the moaning

Blues of the deep South merges with Eastern music traditions. He is joined here by Fumica's Spartan fiddle and Paul Shearsmith on homemade wind instruments and percussion. A fine guitarist favouring a combination of bottleneck and National Steel, Fuji sings finely articulated, high-flying melodies in his native tongue, cut with guttural intonations in a style which sounds as

Natural as breathing. The stately, melancholic Listen The Sound Of The Creek, the percussion-driven Inner Self and the exquisite guitar and violin instrumental Paper Balloon couldn't have been produced by anyone else.

 

Mike Barns