T Jiros -- Kore Sae Areba（これさえあれば）

 

I think that one of the more interesting acts that premiered on NHK's "Uta Con"（うたコン）this past year has been the duo T Jiros（T字路s）consisting of vocalist/guitarist Taeko Ito（伊東妙子）and bassist Tomohito Shinoda（篠田智仁）. Formed in 2010, unfortunately I don't remember exactly what they performed on the show, but because of that appearance, I looked them up on J-Wiki and then their website. However, their style is memorable since T Jiros shows off some old-style American blues (maybe Delta blues?) and folk (plus, their style of dress also reflects a time many decades past). In particular, Ito's voice has been compared to that of the late Howlin' Wolf, although when I myself first heard her, Tom Waits came to my mind.

From their June 2013 3rd mini-album "Kore Sae Areba" (If I Only Had This), I give you the title track. It's been a while since I heard them, so hearing Ito tackle this amiable and jaunty tune, I was still struck by that really gravelly voice of hers. I mentioned above that T Jiros has that old-fashioned style, and yet, I remember when there were certain acts in the early 1970s on radio which had that similar approach to their music.

Along with their three mini-albums, T Jiros has released four full albums and a couple of albums filled with cover tunes that have come out this year. Three analog singles and three digital singles have also been released.