Mai Kawamura live at The Bitter End
December 27, 2009 :: Sara Barton
Located in the East Village, The Bitter End is well known for giving musicians their big break since 1961. Mai Kawamura’s performance follows those of music legends such as Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, and Norah Jones (to name a few), who got their first gig here.
Mai electrifies the audience with her phenomenal vocal talents, performing along with Tsubasa Matsuda on piano; Ajia Sato on bass; Richard Davis on guitar; and John “Sully” Sullivan on percussion. As soon as she starts singing she lights up the stage with her positive energy. Hearing her live is an experience of a lifetime.
Mai sang, “Another Day”, and several other hits from her new album, MAI Life; released on December 7,2009. As well as the classic, “I used to love”, which she wrote 10 years ago. Mai is also a talented lyrist. Her lyrics are genuine, it’s easy for the audience to identify with them. They’re upbeat while remaining true to life. Her songs have the ability to touch the soul and evoke powerful emotions among listeners, the mark of a true artist.
MAI Life, is a pun of “my life”, in essence, music is Mai’s life. Like all her music, she has put her heart and soul into all her songs. It’s her personal artistic vision to sing about love and to give world hope, which is conveyed eloquently in this album. A great feature about MAI Life is that the songs are both in Japanese and English; providing a variety that listeners will enjoy; whether you’re an avid J-pop fan or just starting to listen.
It’s a tradition at The Bitter End to paint portraits of famous musicians who have played there. We look forward to the day when Mai’s portrait will be painted on the wall.
MAI Life, (LUCERORECORD), is available for purchase at:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/maikawamura
More info on Mai Kawamura can be found at:
To learn more about The Bitter End check out:
Edited by: Mandy Ng
Off the Record 