Steam Detectives White

STEAM DETECTIVES WHITE
Copyright © Studio Tron / Shueisha * Steam Detectives Production Committee * TV Tokyo
KICA 439
Available Now in Japan
¥ 3,059

—by Charles McCarter

1. P.S. Genki yo 2:43

(P.S. I'm Fine)

2. Kimi, Hohoenda Yoru 3:53

(The Night You Smiled)

3. Brave Shine 2:56

4. No No Boy 3:41

5. Kami to Hikari o Otte 4:03

(Chasing Hair and Light)

6. Kono Mune ni Tokimeki o 2:58

(The Excitement in My Heart)

7. Oashisu 5:31

(Oasis)

8. Onigawara Keiji no Teema 3:46

(Detective Onigawara's Theme)

9. Memories 4:13

10. So Blue 5:40

11. Takaramono no Mainichi 3:58

(The Treasures of Every Day)

12. Okubyou emotion 3:58

(Timid Emotion)

13. Amazing Grace 3:13

STEAM DETECTIVES is based on the manga by Asamiya Kia and aired on Japanese television starting last fall. There are several albums available, including some old drama/image albums based on the original manga. This album, "White," is the vocal collection, and its counterpart album, "Red" is the BGM album.
Included on this CD are both the opening and ending themes (full-size versions) as well as insert and image songs for the television series. However, this CD doesn't tell you which is why.
"P.S. Genki yo," the first track, is spoken. It's a letter being read. Nice if you can understand Japanese, but if not, this will probably be the track you skip to get right to the "good stuff."
"Kimi, Hohoenda Yoru" is the series opening, and while it begins slow and soft, it quickly transforms from a slow ballad to a faster, more modern pop song. While this change does seem a little bit unusual, it's fairly easy to overlook. The only real concern is that the vocalist, Elika, seems to be fighting against the backing band rather than working with them. I don't know if this was mixed this way or what. For the most part, however, the song is fun and enjoyable.
Brave Shine is sung by Rieko-Slick, and has more of a jazz feel to it, although it is by no means soft and slow. This too also has electric guitar as accompaniment, as well as the more traditional piano and percussion. Reiko's other song is "So Blue," which has a more techno feel than her other effort. It's a slow ballad too, and is reminiscent of the slower vocals on the BUBBLEGUM CRISIS 2040 Vocal Collection. The instrumental section of this song especially exhibits a very techno feel.
The songs by Elika remain fairly consistent with other J-pop, which means unabashedly light, bouncy songs. Not that that's necessarily bad. For example, the song "Okubyou emotion" is fast, entertaining, and just plain fun to listen to, especially when driving (or sitting in traffic). "No No Boy," is another example of typical J-pop style that works.
The two tracks sung by Madoka, "Kami to Hikari o Otte" and "Takaramono no Mainichi" have a somewhat techno feel to them as well, with a lot of synthesizers and drum machines. However, "Kami to Hikari" is a fast song, while "Takaramono" is a slower song, showing off the range of this particular vocalist.
Probably the most unusual song on this album is "Amazing Grace," precisely because this is the American Spiritual that has been sung by nearly everyone. To her credit, Elika manages to put a different spin on this, and her version sounds very ethereal, as if it had been recorded in an old cathedral.