Shintaro Sakamoto: Love If Possible (Zelone) Review

Shintaro Sakamoto

Love If Possible

Zelone

Feb 14, 2017 Shintaro Sakamoto By Lauren Hardy

With Love If Possible, Shintaro Sakamoto continues his disappearing act, cleanly morphing into his churning, porously sultry corner seat of jazz-luau personified, poring over pleasure-inducing, supple lounge drops, that play so nicely in the background anywhere. Sakamoto wrestles while he seemingly dallies through a splattering of jazzy arrangements, fondling spaghetti-surf, like some enchanting meanderer who knows his game unknowingly, repeatedly entrancing through beaded doorways to the soundtrack of a heated percussive jungle. Chipmunk vocal effects and harmonized altos—signature Sakamoto—reemerge as surprisingly charming vocal accompaniments to his waking-eyed saunter. These voices and drifting, lonesome guitar plucks frequently appear among a cascade of Marimba, saw, cabasa, and güiro, like fresh, hot potatoes from the soil of Sakamoto’s imagination, well-placed and organically cultured. It isn’t a surprise there are potatoes in the doo-wop. But it is a surprise that more aren’t enjoying this. Love If Possible is the pay-attention-moment. Not enough know. More should know. (www.zelonerecords.com)

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