Humans are complex beings, non-binary when it comes to good and bad, right and wrong…good people can make mistakes, while there are bad humans that still show signs of good, maybe towards their family or friends…humans are like the yin-yang symbol, good with darkness inside or the other way around…the grey between the light and dark…this is exactly what Italian-Japanese singer, songwriter, lyricist, Youtuber and performer Oto Mayumi is tackling with her debut album “Good and Bad Shades”…a rock surprising and stunning rock album that goes through the whole spectrum of the human emotions, from the lowest and darkest to the most uplifting and powerful…an iconic debut album for Oto Mayumi, the visionary and poignant artist.
Mayumi is born to two classical musician parents, her Italian Father and Japanese mother whom she shares her musical DNA with…she was born in Italy and then moved to Japan where she continued her singing, acting, dance, and dubbing studies at the Tokyo Teatro Academy.
She’s now back in Italy, continuing her career as a singer, songwriter, lyricist and performer…and here we are today witnessing the release of her monumental debut album “Good and Bad Shades”…
The album achieves a very rare feat of mixing the slow with the fast, the chill with the energetic, and the melodic with the rhythmic…the album is about contrast, both on the human side and on the artistic side too …
…Mayumi starts rockin’ from the very first song, “Kagami mite goran”…
…with an iconic guitar riff intro…Mayumi got us hooked instantly…the song has a strong and powerful musical charisma, with the likes of the SoCal rock bands…Red Hot Chili Peppers comes to mind, same great vibes…and that’s not all, Mayumi also tackles a pretty interesting topic with her lyrics…as the artist describes it as “a song dedicated to everyone that, despite their lie to themself, they judge the choices of other people only to justify their choices”
…so Mayumi starts it with a bang…but she continues the powertrain with her second song “Haisuikou no gomi”…elevating the rock spirit even more with everything dialed to 11…
As we mentioned before, Mayumi manages to go through the whole spectrum of human emotions…and that can not be more evident than with “Datte”…a folk/country/rock song with a strong melodic presence that tackles the weight of love and how it might make us nervous…and of course, filled with some excellent slide guitar work, very tasteful.
Once again the album manages to surprise us with an opera song…that turns into an 80’s mega rock performance…Mauymi-san, Bikkurishita! Such an elegant transition.
Mayumi has put a lot of energy into this album, a lot of heart, emotion and love has been focused and it clearly shows…the experience has been absolutely great…but there was one last surprise Mayumi had prepared for the audiences…the last song on the album “Red, Blue and Violet”…what a musical plot twist…
Mayumi goes far from the rock realm and takes us with her into a pop/electro musical world…her vocals soar higher than ever…and she’s complemented with a synth-based production, climactic electric guitar melodies, and a powerful beat…
The song even keeps building up till the very end, where it goes into overdrive mode and once again into the rock spirit, with an explosive end to the song and the album…
Oto Mayumi’s “Good and Bad Shades” is a highly recommended musical and lyrical experience and shouldn’t be missed at all costs.
We wish Mayumi-san all the best in the world and can’t wait to hear what she cooks up next…we’re sure it’s going to be mind-blowing.
Cheers!
