An island and ocean breeze

Shintaro Sakamoto’s 2016, Love If Possible, established Sakamoto’s ability to single out lush island sounds built around the funk of steel guitars. Following his six-year hiatus, Sakamoto is back with a new ten-song project titled Like A Fable. Like A Fable is built around Sakamoto’s band, with highlights from AYA on bass and backing vocals, Tetsu Nishiuchi on saxophone and flute and the brief appearance from trombone player KEN KEN.

Sakamoto picks up right where he left off in 2016, bringing the same steel guitar funk and Hawaiian grooves to his newest project. There isn’t much room here for change or experimentation. The sounds already established in previous work are at the forefront in Like A Fable. Those who appreciated and melted into the funk waves on Love If Possible will find themselves at home, while anyone who may have wanted a shift from Sakamoto will find themselves disappointed.

Like A Fable is at its best when it centers around the steel guitar riffs and funk basslines, sticking to its roots. “Floating Weeds,” “The Whereabouts Of Romance” and “Like A Fable” all feel the most similar in style. “Floating Weeds” creates laid-back energy with its swinging beats that feel like a lazy river. “The Whereabouts of Romance” slaps on a flute solo that amplifies the tropical elements. Easily the project’s catchiest and softest song, title track “Like A Fable,” introduces AYA singing “Ah’s” and “Oh’s” that complement the island mood.

AYA’s vocals fit well within most tracks, both within “Like A Fable” and “Floating Weeds” rather than casting herself aside from Sakamoto’s obscure vocal pattern, AYA brings beauty to these songs. “One Day” is where AYA’s voice becomes disruptive, the child-like background vocals clash with the funk elements and create a bad kid’s show theme song.

Like A Fable can suffer from its similarity from track to track, its psych rock-funk grooves can meld into monotony. It’s easy to get lost in the singularity of Like A Fable, yet there are some moments where it separates itself from this sound. The track “Star” pulls back the tempo and lets Sakamoto’s vocal performance bring a soft sadness into the song. “Thickness Of Love” switches the Hawaiian feel for more a bosa nova jazz. Nishiuchi elongates soft saxophone notes while AYA lays down a sexy underground jazz bassline. “You Still Okay” feels offbeat and incorporates a drunken trombone that feels more experimental than other songs. “You Still Okay” hints at the possibility of something outside the established genre, making it hard not to crave what unusually sounds Sakamoto could have crafted.

Shintaro Sakamoto is well established within his craft and sound. While Like A Fable clutches tightly to its bigger brother Love If Possible, its enjoyability doesn’t suffer. There is still enough steel guitar, reggae and funk to make anyone crave a piña colada on a beach while adding some variation here and there.