The artistic, musical enigma that is Chihana, and her 7 track release that is titled Sweet Nothings, is certainly more substantial than romantic phrasings whispered in the ear of a lover, as the title of the album might imply.  The real difficulty for most casual music listeners in approaching this artist and her material, will be putting the image, the substance, and the content in one neat box, which is no easy feat.  Who is Chihana?— a young Japanese woman with a guitar, by the look of the album cover.  That, in itself, creates a bit of pre-judgement for English speaking audiences, who might be expecting some sort of syrupy J-Pop creation, as opposed to the singer/songwriter ideal that the label probably wants the audience to perceive, here. This reviewer isn't sure he would label this collection of songs with either of those headings, as in reviewing this product, it became clear that the artist was a musician first, and a singer second.  What qualifies this review for publication in this medium is that there is something about this packaging that utilizes the traditions of blues/country western music (with the heavy influence of Yoshiaki Kato (noted Japanese blues artist), and creates what might be described as the love child of George Harrison and Jewel by way of Johnny Cash, in the body of a young Japanese girl (and yet not promoted on any Quentin Tarrantino soundtrack, to date).

As a young girl, Chihana's head was turned from the piano to a hand-me-down Gibson, and apparently, she never looked back.  On the album, the artist is credited with the Dobro, guitar, mandolin, banjo and the Kazoo, and her own production credit. Chihana allows herself 7 tracks to set her tone, and for the most part, does just that.

The opening track, "Vigilante Man," has a western blues, cinematic feel to it, with a clean, Johnny Cash-like instrumentation. The vocals are blues appropriate, and there is some nice mandolin work by Chihana through the body of the song to accompany the guitar.  There is no real percussion in this piece, so the entire narrative is carried by the guitar and mandolin and Chihana's straightforward vocals. The second selection, "Cotton Fields," is absolute country western blues, with accompanying vocals, guitar and harp by Yoshiaki Kato, whose voice has George Harrison-esque qualities to it. Chihana and Yoshiaki have a nice, harmonized a cappella opening before the bounce of the guitar brings the track together.  Fans of bluegrass will certainly appreciate the banjo and mouth harp on this selection.  "Down and Out" and "You Gotta Move" are both pensive thoughtful blues tracks with light acoustic guitar work, reminiscent of the great Madeleine Peyroux. The latter with some great mouth harp from Yoshiaki. The energy of both tracks is as quantifiable as a lazy, front porch in the deep South on a late, warm afternoon.  Think hound dogs and lemonade. The 4th track on the album is pure Japanese with accompanying piano by Mongor Matsuo, who gives the song a nice honky tonk flavor, and Chihana herself has a kazoo solo along with bouncy acoustics.  I have no idea how the lyrics translate, but the energy is easily the most upbeat on the album, and the entire production feels like a ukulele song. Easily, the most different recording in the set.  "Dark End of the Street" feels more like a pop blues track that one might imagine Chihana singing, based on a surface impression.  The melody of this track is haunting, and the guitar work is pleasant. The album is closed out with "Amazing Grace" as a guitar performance without percusiion, underlining the solid musicianship of Chihana, and continung to pervade the atmosphere of her album with thoughtful and quiet blues riffing, that fans of Clapton might enjoy.

All in all, Sweet Nothings provides thoughtful western blues selections with an emphasis on guitar that shows a deep love for 70's American/British classic rock in the tone. None of these tracks are what dancing is made of, but all of them are what blues is made of, and the delivery package is certainly different, if not refreshing.

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Frankie Hagan is a certified professional dance instructor and a member of the NDTA (National Dance Teacher's Association), and the World Swing Dance Council. His articles and reviews have appeared in swing-dance publications for several years. Learn more about Frankie at his website: www.dancefrankie.com