I feel that the musical style is fitting for a Kimura Takuya of today…soulful and if anything, a man who is going with the flow. Recommended!
ARTIST: 木村拓哉 (Kimura Takuya)
ALBUM: Go with the Flow
LABEL: Victor
CATALOG #: VICL-1679
DURATION: 58 minutes
RELEASE DATE: January 8, 2020
DISC 1:
1. Flow
2. One and Only
3. I wanna say I love you
4. UNIQUE
5. NEW START
6. Leftovers
7. ローリングストーン
8. Speaking to world
9. サンセットベンチ
10. Your Song
11. My Life
12. A Piece Of My Life
DVD: Region 2, 16:9, 22:27 minutes
1. One and Only (Music Video)
2. サンセットベンチ (Music Video)
3. Music Video Making
For many years, many have watched Kimura Takuya grow as a member of the popular group Johnny’s Jimusho group SMAP and watched him on the big screen, on television and seen him in many commercials, ads and the front page of magazine covers.
Kimura Takuya has always been the epitome of “cool” and many wondered if he would pursue anything music post-SMAP. Afterall, he was known for his cool vocals, guitar playing and music has always been part of his life, even before he became a well-known actor.
And on January 8, 2020, Kimura Takuya’s debut solo album “Go with the Flow” was released and the album debuted at #1 on the Oricon Charts, taking the single and weekly album charts.
And it’s a fitting name, considering he has a radio show titled “Kimura Takuya FLOW” and as an avid surfer, “Going with the Flow” is a name that fits!
As for the version of the album that I am reviewing, it’s Type-B, which is the version which comes with a DVD, while Type-A comes with a hardcover photobook.
The pre-release comes with a postcard, while the book insert comes with the lyrics and photos of Kimura Takuya on the beach.
The CD also comes with a slipcase which holds both the CD and DVD.
The first track “Flow” features Kimura Takuya waxing his surfboard, followed by synth and beats with the seagulls in the background.
The second track is “One and Only” composed by Superfly’s Tabo Koichi and arranged by KOME KOME CLUB/Big Horns Bee Murata Youichi and is a rock-driven track. An energetic track that actually is Kimura’s style with the emphasis on vocals and guitar.
The third track is “I wanna say I love you” is a beautiful ballad written by Uru and arranged by Togashi Hal-Oh and features wonderful vocals by Kimura.
The fourth track is written and arranged by the one and only Makihara Noriyuki. The popular singer/songwriter and also known for creating SMAP’s epic hit “Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana”. When listening to the song, you can hear Makihara’s musical influence and lyrical style with this sog. A solid track!
The fifth track is a rock n’ roll track along the same line with “One and Only” and is written by Supercar’s Ishiwatari Junji and is composed by Ikimono-gakari’s Mizuno Yoshiki. I can already see this as an encore song to get the audience up and dancing.
The sixth track is a very cool song composed by ALEXANDROS vocalist/guitarist Kawakami Yoohei. A very good song showcasing Kimura’s vocals and guitar playing (not sure if he’ll play the guitar when performing this live, but I can picture him doing so). A cool collaboration as Kimura Takuya collaborated with ALEXANDROS for their “Arpeggio” music video in which Kimura played the role as the cameraman.
The seventh track is a wonderful guitar track composed by Okachimachi Kaito and arranged by music artist Moriyama Naotaro. Both Okachimachi Kaito and Moriyama have written wonderful songs together, so I have to say this is a wonderful collaboration with Kimura Takuya and their styles are very similar.
The eighth track is by Maeda Kanro who is best known for his work with Little Glee Monster. And is a positive upbeat track.
The ninth track is “Sunset Bench” which is another beautiful ballad written by Uru and arranged by Togashi Hal-Oh and features wonderful vocals by Kimura and is a piano-driven and strings driven track.
The tenth track “Your Song” is the second track composed by ALEXANDROS vocalist/guitarist Kawakami Yoohei. Another solid ballad on the album.
The eleventh track “My Life” is a rock track written by KUMI and NAOKI and is an English/Japanese track arranged by LOVE PSYCHEDELICO. No doubt a track that has some Red Hot Chili Peppers and 70’s rock inspiration. Reminds me of RHCP’s “Give it Away Now”.
The 12th track is “A Piece of My Life” which is composed by Nishida Emi and arranged by Kawaguchi Susumu and Christopher Erixson and is a mid-tempo guitar-driven track.
The final 13th track is “Yowai Bokudakara (session)”, a song with Kimura Takuya sung on SMAP’s 11th album “Su” and is a song written by the latest Imawano Kiyoshiro (when he was with the band RC Succession).
I’ve always enjoyed this song by Kimura and was quite happy to see a version of it included on this album.
As for the DVD, the DVD kicks off with the music video for “One and Only” featuring Kimura Takuya singing and walking to the concert arena and arriving on stage and performing in front of an audience.
The second track “Sunset Bench” features Kimura Takuya listening to an old radio and hanging out at the beach and reading “Surfing Journal”, playing the acoustic guitar and video shots of Kimura surfing on a longboard. I actually expected this style of music video and glad to see Kimura Takuya incorporate his passion of surfing into his music video.
The final track is the making of the music video “Sunset Bench” and is followed by the making of “One and Only” which both were fun to watch!
Overall, Kimura Takuya’s album is what I expected it to be, a more guitar-driven, may it be rock or acoustic style of music.
He manages to distance himself away from the style of music he had done with SMAP and with exciting collaborations, “Go with the Flow” is a solid album that fits a more mature, comfortable and soulful style. I do like it a lot but there was one thing that I was expecting to see is a song or songs written and composed by Kimura himself.
Overall, I feel that the musical style is fitting for a Kimura Takuya of today…soulful and if anything, a man who is going with the flow.
Recommended!