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Hi Doogie and all,

Well, it's a review written by someone who really doesn't "get" Seiko...

They were astute enough to note that she has a "feel for R&B," and evidence of
that can be found in "Can't Say Goodbye" from "Forever." It has all the right
elements, and in the "Forever Live" version she's downright dangerous...it has
a beat, she's filled with attitude, it has the whole seductive angle, as well
as a solid tune and multiple textures (not simply a hammering Eurobeat)...

When I first started writing here (4 years ago!) I ranted and raved about 
Robbie Nevil. I won't do it again (I actually promised I wouldn't, in writing,
right here on these pages). But my feeling about "Was It The Future" is that
its success...whatever degree of success people assign it in the larger 20-year
catalog of Seiko...is due to Seiko's talent, not Nevil's songwriting or 
production. For me it was not so much a case of "what it is" as "what it could
have been." If you look at her other USA collaborations...the recent Richard
Carpenter (which most people seemed to enjoy), Bill Joel producer Phil Ramone
on "Sound OF My Heart" (the audience is divided on this one) and David Foster
on "Citron"...her USA work has provided mixed results when compared to her 
J-catalog. With "Future" it was a deliberate attempt to step away from the
Japanese image and history...as in no reference to "Matsuda" in the liner notes,
the sunglasses and almost anonymous photos...and she chose to step away with
Robbie Nevil. No comment...:-)

Very, very similar to the recent Hiromi Go collaborations...I don't think I've
seen ANYONE acknowledge him as her equal on these songs. More of
the comments have been along the lines of "It was nice to hear her duet with a
male voice, but his contribution is nothing special."

SEIKO...if you're listening...remember the comments I made about how it would
be great if you collaborated with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, perhaps the BEST
R&B producers in the USA? Last year, Hikaru Utada did...on "Wait And See"...and
it was a HUGE hit. You deserve the best...they ARE the best...please give it
some thought...:-)

Hey Doogie...now that you KNOW Seiko personally, why don't YOU tell her?...:-)

Best regards,

Mike

Date:1/30/1998. Doogie 's message 

>Check out this web-page,..  then page down once.
>
>http://tfeng.tripod.com/RVW2.HTM