Sakamoto
's all-star blend of Western and Eastern music styles is a triumphant success for the composer, and a consistently good listen. On the title track he takes a traditional Japanese folk song and blends it into a funk groove provided by
Bootsy Collins
,
Bill Laswell
, and
Sly Dunbar
. Unlike
Byrne
and
Eno
's
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
, this blend of cultures is coming from the opposing angle and stays truer to the source material. But that track is only one of
's approaches, and on several other tracks he joins with
Laswell
to create a crisp, techno-cultural hybrid that sounds like nothing except like pure
. On
"Risky,"
a subdued
Iggy Pop
lends vocals and lyrics, and doesn't come across as an interloper. And on
"Okinawa Song,"
seamlessly integrates the southern island culture into his grand scheme. ~ Ted Mills