C O V E R		R E V I E W
		She's Japanese, and she sings in heavily accented English -- and, on occasion, heavily accented French -- and benefits heavily from a songwriting partnership with the redoubtable Momus. She's Kahimi Karie, and she's quite possibly the most delicious Japanese musical export to date. Far more than another bubblegum popster, Karie blends sixties pop sophistication with nineties technological wizardry, working in a sizeable dose of breathy sexuality. On "Good Morning World", she's an upbeat jetsetting hedonist who pauses her lightweight lyrical travelogue for a few minutes of childish singsong. On the feel-good Cornelius-enhanced "Candyman", she's part of a simplistic love story that centers around sweetness, while the utterly brilliant "Mike Alway's Diary" is a peppy French paean to the titular label head, peppered with English phrases like "Don't you like a Burger King?" "Le Roi Soleil" is a harder, rockier track driven by slightly distorted keyboards, and Karie shares lilting harmonies with herself during the seriously oxygen-deprived chorus. Serge Gainsbourg's "Serieux Comme Le Plaisir" fits seamlessly into this mix, leading into the show-stopping "Lolitapop Dollhouse", another Momus wonder that features Beck on harmonica. On "Lolitapop", big Jeff Lynne-style guitars jangle and the drum kit gets a workout as Kahimi extols the virtues, more or less, of being a girl without limits (who might or might not also be in a band). Though she's definitely a creative force to be reckoned with on her own, Karie's ability to attract just the right collaborators presents a wealth of blissful pop options for which she's ideally suited -- and on this disc, at least, she doesn't hit a single dull note.
	I N F O
Kahimi Karie Kahimi Karie Minty Fresh CD
		Review by George Zahora

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