Baku Furukawa "Seascape" CD

A unique sound world woven by intricate and intimate music and a refreshing voice... California-born musician Baku Furukawa's long-awaited new album, "Seascape," is his first in about three and a half years. It is a masterpiece that is both dignified and full of warmth.

■Singer-songwriter/guitarist Baku Furukawa, who is also a member of Hyogen, Doppelzimmer, and Reizaburo Adachi Quartet, and also works as a support for cero. Following his highly acclaimed debut album, far/close (2014), his second album, Seascape, is here.

■In addition to the unique and original music that has evolved and deepened in each stage, mixing the essence of bossa nova, folk music, jazz, classical music, pop, etc., the Japanese lyrics that he put special effort into, such as "Halo" written by his good friend Shohei Takagi (cero), are very tasteful. The diverse arrangements are also extremely excellent, from gorgeous songs with a band arrangement featuring a string quartet to mellow songs with a guitar and vocal style featuring Yuuka as guest vocalist. We would like to declare that this is the singer-songwriter work to watch out for in 2018.

■The performances of the participating musicians, including Tanaka Yuji (bonobos, Sangatsu) and Chiba Hiroki (kinetic, Sangatsu, etc.), are also wonderful.

■Track list