Nippon Columbia Japan レコード& CD

Review: Originally released in 1969, Exciting Drums African Rock Party is the first album from Akira Ishikawa under his Count Buffalo alias. It's a wide-ranging affair which includes covers of contemporary standards such as 'You Keep Me Hanging On', 'Back In The U.S.S.R.' and 'Soul Limbo', all given a bold and brassy jazz revision by Ishikawa's band, which included Hiromasa Suzuki on piano, Masaoki Terakawa on bass and Takeru Muraoka on tenor sax. This is the first time it's been repressed since its release, so you can expect all Japanese jazz aficionados to be jumping on this one quickly.

Review: Hitomi Toyama's 'Sweet Soul Music' originally made it to wax last year, when the track appeared as part of a rare Japanese funk compilation curated by the sound's brightest stars, Wamono. Now, though, it gets a proper release on 7", and is backended by the sultry B-side 'Wanna Kiss', which sounds pitched up and chirpy in its shrill alto vocals, which assure us we're held. The A, meanwhile, is as horny (in both senses of the word) as ever, quite obviously singing the praises of "sweet soul music... I love you!"