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The Light

by Nao Yoshioka

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1.
Feeling Good 03:05
2.
The Light 03:28
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At Last 05:12
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Certifiable 03:33
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about

Presenting the progressive soul singer who continues to evolve beyond all boundaries

Nao Yoshioka, SoulTracks’ 2015 New Artist of the Year, combines a powerful voice and New York-styled delivery to create a modern sound still deeply rooted in the history of soul.

Since her single “Make the Change” was released in 2012, she’s received kudos from a number of soul music veterans including Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Gordon Chambers.

In July 2015 alone, her debut album “The Light” was released in North America, in Japan she headlined a sold out Blue Note Tokyo, performed at the hugely popular Summer Sonic festival, and guested with bassist Nathan East at Billboard Live Tokyo.

Nao has performed at venues around the world including Blue Note New York, the legendary Birchmere where she has opened for José James and Rahsaan Patterson, Club Dauphine in The Netherlands where she shared the stage with saxophonist Candy Dulfer, and Hideaway, South London’s award-winning live music venue. In the summer of 2016 Nao performed at her first major US music festival, Capital Jazz Fest, one of the largest festivals in the United States along side legends like Lalah Hathaway and Marcus Miller.

In 2017, Nao toured Japan, The Netherlands, UK, and also performed during the 11th Annual Capital Jazz SuperCruise sailing from New York City to Bermuda.

About this album:
If you listen to this thing called soul music long enough, you will hear or see something that is rarely if ever seen. The vision usually entails a vocalist or group with no historical or geographical connection to people who created this music, but who still manage to be a good soul singer. This sight can be inspiring or disconcerting. Hearing a vocalist such as the Japanese born Nao Yoshioka perform classic R&B and soul tunes such as “Feeling Good,” as she does on her new CD The Light, is a reminder of soul music’s world wide impact.

Yoshioka approaches the covers and originals with a sense of reverence and technical understanding that many younger American singers do not display. Besides, the lady can sing. That comes clear when the listener hears her live duet of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with frequent collaborator Brian Owens, as well as her treatment of the gospel classic “His Eye Is On the Sparrow.”

Five of the 11 tracks on The Light are covers, and it’s easy to understand why any young singer would sing these classics. There’s really no way to hide vocal weaknesses when performing these tunes while being backed by a band, and Yoshioka clearly has the vocal chops to recreate classic numbers such as “A Change is Gonna Come." You will know that Yoshioka possesses the gift after hearing her version of “Feeling Good,” the album’s opening track, which begins with Yoshioka singing a cappella before the arrangement shifts into a mid-tempo funk number. We get it. This imouto has soul.

Yoshioka clearly felt the need to show that she could handle the classic material that any soul singer should be expected to knock out the park, and she clears the fences on each of those numbers. However, it is the originals that elevate The Light beyond a curiosity to a notable album by an artist with a distinct voice. Now that she's proven her soul chops with the multiple remakes on The Light, I'm looking forward to an entire album of new material by Nao Yoshioka. This is an impressive debut by an impressive singer; hopefully, she will show her full vision as an artist on projects yet to come.
- Howard Dukes (Soultracks.com) [Edited]

credits

released November 13, 2017

Produced by: Nao Yoshioka and Naoki Yamanouchi(SWEET SOUL RECORDS)
A&R Director: Michael Harris(SWEET SOUL RECORDS)
Recorded in: Japan, United States, and The Netherlands

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about

Nao Yoshioka Tokyo, Japan

A contemporary soul singer with a powerful voice and expressive skills refined in New York.
Despite being Japanese, she has a soulful voice reminiscent of Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, combined with a strength of character forged through life experiences as an outsider and overcoming adversities.
In 2024, the release of her highly anticipated 5th album and a world tour are eagerly awaited.
... more

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