Dai Hirai ¡°Love is Beautiful¡± (Avex Trax)

Dai Hirai¡¯s breezy summer release ¡°Life is Beautiful¡± was a hit with fans in Japan. His latest mini-album, ¡°Love is Beautiful,¡± acts as an interesting side dish to June¡¯s main course.

The six songs seem to be a play for overseas fans, ¡°Love is Beautiful¡± is sung in English and half comprises acoustic covers of Western love songs. Hirai¡¯s take on Eric Clapton¡¯s ¡°Change the World¡± is the strongest. It doesn¡¯t have the summer vibe typical of Hirai¡¯s music, but by upping the tempo, adding a harmonica and cutting down on backing vocals, there¡¯s still warmth ¡ªit just feels more like the warmth of a campfire in the desert.

Hirai switches up the instruments by adding piano on his cover of Alicia Keys¡¯ ¡°If I Ain¡¯t Got You¡± and Aerosmith¡¯s ¡°I Don¡¯t Want to Miss a Thing.¡± The covers themselves are fine, but the decision to rework surefire hits seems a bit calculated. If Hirai had chosen some lesser known songs that showed more of a depth of music knowledge, that may have shown us a little more about who he is as a musician. It¡¯s also hard to cover a song Steve Tyler is known for ¡ª that man has pipes.

It¡¯s easier to get a sense of who Hirai is on opening track ¡°It Don¡¯t Matter with Donavon Frankenreiter.¡± It¡¯s a collaboration between Hirai and Frankenreiter and though both artists are known for their beach aesthetic, it¡¯s hard not to hear the influence of Nashville on this one. There¡¯s an ease to the two artists¡¯ chemistry and the harmonica give the track a folksy feel.

¡°Love is Beautiful¡± also features English versions of two Hirai originals. ¡°Beautiful¡± serenades the listener, while ¡°Life is Beautiful¡± finishes things up with a return to the island sound.

If ¡°Love is Beautiful¡± is a nod to Hirai¡¯s Western fans, it works. It¡¯s intimate enough to feel like a gift. Hopefully he¡¯ll make a habit of these mini-albums and go a little bit deeper next time.