Midori Hirano’s second outing maintains the freshness and definite allure of her debut, but a certain maturity of composition now affords it a highly appealing luminous quality that makes its presence more lasting and fundamental. Hirano’s strongest quality remains her lightness of touch which is immediately affective and readily digestible. In these works, this ability now plays within a soundworld that is both more agile and consistent, fleeter and more robust.
The opener features strong violin lines that are sturdy in tone, emphatic and steadily expressive. These emotive pieces spill over into more pronounced vocal interjections on the part of Hirano. Where she was ostensibly mellow, even hushed, on her previous album, her lilt is now more frequent and substantial, joining in the albums clearly exposed affinities of articulation between rise and fall. At the same time, this move also proves a hindrance to the work: while the previously varied and accommodating use of her voice was subtly constructive, its now convention-bound and largely uninspiring.
Along similar lines, although the dynamics are well balanced and the flow of sounds generally smooth, and although the effulgent melodies themselves justify the project on a whole, the urgency and incisiveness of her first album has tapered off ever so slightly. There’s a maturity of craft on display in these compositions, any number of which could make a positive difference on one’s day, but a fully effective amalgamation of her talents still awaits her.
Max Schaefer
