Audio CD review:
Yoko Kanno, Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop: Blue

Yoko Kanno, Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop: Blue

Band: Yoko Kanno, Seatbelts Title: Cowboy Bebop: Blue Rating: Release Date: 04 January, 2001 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Blue - Gabriela Robin 2: Words That We Couldn't Say 3: Autumn in Ganymede 4: Mushroom Hunting 5: Go Go Cactus Man 6: Chicken Bone 7: Real Man 8: N.Y. Rush 9: Adieu 10: Call Me Call Me - Steve Conte 11: Ave Maria - Anthony Inglis 12: Stella by Moor 13: Flying Teapot - Emily Bindiger 14: Wo Qui Non Coin 15: Road to the West - Steve Conte 16: Farewell Blues 17: See You Space Cowboy - Emily Bindiger

Customer Reviews Not my favorite Cowboy Bebop disc, but some gems sparkle in the rough. - 3.5 Stars S. Cowboy Bebop - Blue For me, the greatest appeal of the first Cowboy Bebop disc (O. T. 1) is that all of the pieces (except the abysmal "Rain") work well together and form a cohesive whole. No Disc approaches the sounds of Cowboy Bebop from multiple perspectives and from various bands. There are more actual songs (music with lyrics) on No Disc than on O. S. T. 1. At first, I didn't like this approach, but the music grew on me with time. Not every piece or song is as complete as those of O. S. T. 1, but there is plenty of great music to write about. The third original soundtrack album, Blue, follows No Disc's lead and offers more songs and fewer instrumental pieces. As on No Disc, Blue has some hits and misses. I'll review each song/piece briefly in the following section, and then comment on the album as a whole. "Blue" - The title track of this album opens with a chorale that soon gives way to a soft rock pop song, with lead vocals sung by Mai Yamane. Yamane has a smoky voice that strikes my ear nicely. I think she'd be better at singing jazz or rock songs, but "Blue" isn't a bad song at all. "Words That We Couldn't Say" - I don't like this song much. It has a likeable pseudo-Spanish melody, but the lead vocals (perf. By Steve Conte) grate on my nerves. The guy's voice is too thin and weak. (He also sings "Rain" on O. S. T. 1 and I didn't like him there either). "Autumn in Ganymede" - The instrumental piece combines 1970s brassiness with a funky beat. The jazz guitar is a nice touch as well. The piece fits with the Cowboy Bebop show better than the first two tracks. "Mushroom Hunting" is a fun, upbeat, jazzy song. I'm not a big fan of the lyrics. They sound like a bad poem designed to guide the listener through the song. I don't think the vocals are necessary, but they aren't overbearing. "Go Go Cactus Man" - This instrumental is a hilarious homage to The Man With No Name trilogy. The song sounds like what The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly might look like as an anime. Great piece, indeed. "Chicken Bone" is a strange blend of R&B, hip-hop beats, and slow rap. The lyrics are almost completely ridiculous, but the song is definitely catchy. One of the weirdest sounds on the album occurs regularly on this track: a fake-sounding record scratch, like what a DJ at a club might do. It's both funny and unique. "The Real Man" is fast and noisy. It sounds like a classical orchestra trying to play heavy metal music with a jazz bass guitar keeping the time. It's not one of my favorites. "N. Y. Rush" is true to its name. It sounds like jazz in a hurry. Some excellent solos punctuate this piece: trumpet, electric organ, bass, and guitar. They lead into one another nicely. The piece ends suddenly and without resolution. "Adieu" is a beautiful slow jazz song. Emily Bindiger's voice is very thin, but it works well with this piece. If she didn't sound like she was struggling to sing the song, some of the meanings of the lyrics would fall to the wayside. There's a nice, traditional jazz sound all around. Oh, and the lyrics make sense. "Call Me Call Me" is Steve Conte's second lead vocal track. His voice isn't bad on the bridge and chorus, but he is melodramatic on the verses. I don't listen to this track often. "Ave Maria" - This song sticks out like a sore thumb. It's certainly a beautiful classic, performed here by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, but I'm not sure that I like it in the context of this album. "Stella By Moor" is one of my favorite pieces on this album. It's a simple, haunting reprise of a tune you might hear from a mobile hanging over a baby's crib. It's both creepy and soothing. Emily Bindiger's thin voice works for "Adieu," but it falls short on "Flying Teapot. " The accompanying piano and trumpet are nice, but the lyrics and vocals ruin the song for me. "Wo Qui Non Coin" is probably my favorite song on this album. While the lyrics are in Japanese, Aoi Tada's child-like voice is absolutely perfect for this simple, bluesy pop song, and she spans the language bearer. "Road to the West" is my favorite piece on this album. It's a sprawling, spacey jazz piece that gives me the impression of a sleepy, long spaceship ride to an unknown destination. The sax work is superb. "Farewell Blues" is too long and slow for me, but I respect its craft. "See You Space Cowboy. . . " is a bonus track, and one of the better songs on the album. As I write above, Mai Yamane's voice is better suited for a rock song, and she definitely rocks out here. It's all in Japanese, but the tune is that of "The Real Folk Blues" on the Vitaminless album. I don't recommend buying this album at full price. Find it used. Few albums are worth over $46. Of the first three original Cowboy Bebop soundtracks, this one is easily the weakest, but there are enough good songs and pieces for me to recommend it. Cowboy Bebop blue is Fantastic!!!!! The nuances in this music are beautiful and the sounds are original and mood setting. Blue is a mixture of american and japanese jazz if there is such a thing. I love the title track Blue because it takes you back to the end of Cowboy bebop and the emotions you felt when it ended the way it did. Another favorite is Wo Qui Non Coin I find it playful, simple and beautiful. It reminds me of Eds character joyous and smart. I thoroughly enjoyed this music I hope every one gets a chance to listen to blue and any music by Yoko Kanno, the seatbelts or any of the various and talented artists associated with the Cowboy Bebop series. The emotional Climax of the OST series There is a random live song thrown into this album that doesn't seem to fit quite as well as the others do, but it's still welcome. This album contains the most emotional songs of the series mixed in with some of the most fun songs. "Blue": Is another Mai Yamane beauty from the series. It's the emotional end of the series, the end of the journey with the characters we've grown to love. The angelic chorus adds to the serenity of the ending, how things go back to somewhat normal but will never be the same again. "Words That We Couldn't Say": A song full of regrets, and Steve Conte does it beautifully. The darker latin feel to the song makes you want to dance, especially when the strings come in. "Go Go Cactus Man": Oh my god, the idiot with the horse's theme song! The whistling could be annoying, or it could be brilliant and catchy. . . you choose. "Chicken Bone": The other cutest song of the series with talk of how to cook up some chicken. Poppy and danceable and very cute. "Call Me": I can't say enough about how great this song is, it is by far my favorite song of the series. In episode 26 when this song was playing, I cried. I cried so hard I had to pause the episode to collect myself. The soft drum and the way the strings build for the chorus, the way the bass sounds so damn sad, how Steve Conte's voice reminds me of singing with everything I have to cut through the tears. The emotional wailing of strings and voice and bass in the bridge area. Then the proper orchestral regrouping and everything coming back together to finish the song of with as much emotion as is possible. . . Worth paying for the album alone. "We Qui Non Con": You can definately tell it's Aoi Tada (Ed) from the series. This song is sweet but sad, especially with the dog whines in the background. There is a lot of mixing languages and gibberish, but that adds to the cuteness. "See You Space Cowboy": The end of the end theme. . . the final version of the end theme, in japanese and soothing and beautiful. There is a definate feeling of finality in the version, a feeling of closure. In my Bebop mixed CD's this song only fit at the end of the disk. Mai Yamane's voice is perfect for this song, it sounds like she's sad but getting over it. Beautiful album and worth every single penny to import in, even if the shipping rates were super-high. . You can see a complete list of all Yoko Kanno, Seatbelts discography, or go back to the Yoko Kanno, Seatbelts tabs