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The blue skies and white clouds of the adjoining CD booklet are spectacular indeed. Looking at the booklet though, you wonder if the people who designed it ever questioned themselves whether it would be extremely untidy or troublesome to handle the collated pages. I certainly found it a chore to fold the pages properly!

Now a little trivia on the singer. Formerly known as Eriko With Crunch, Eriko Imai used to be a member of J-Pop girl group Speed. Eriko has had a good report card the past year, having participated in theatre, Japanese soap Rouge and countless commercials. Now with the release of her debut album “My Place”, she has one more credit to her already embellished career.

Of the tracks in the album, Eriko has put on her thinking cap to pen the lyrics for the song “Darlin”. Surprisingly, “Darlin” is not half-bad. Obvious alternative back-up and screeching guitar sounds (think Jimi Hendrix) make this worth a listen. Apart from the catchy and chirpy hit “in the Name of Love”, most are love songs (however with a tinge of R&B and soft rock influences).

Take note of the shadows of Speed. If you were a Speed fan, this album will no doubt satisfy your J-Pop cravings.