Monday Michiru: Soulception

Matters of the spirit are examined in Soulception, the compelling release from Monday Michiru—a multitalented Japanese American singer, composer, and actress, who has released over a dozen successful albums in Asia, Europe, Australia, and South America. An avid producer influenced by diverse sources, she's got that certain crossover appeal that is fluent in urban R&B, contemporary jazz, rock and infectious Brazilian rhythms, resulting in music that's not easily categorized, yet is thoroughly engaging.

With the expert assistance of an ace studio crew that enlists the skill set of her husband—trumpeter Alex Sipiagin—and guitarist Adam Rogers, among others, "Map of the Soul" is one of the albums highlights. Its buoyant melody is punctuated by a groovy backbeat and spiced with Michiru's sultry voice and inquisitive lyrics, interspersed with Sipiagin's radiant horn. The vocal arranging is top-notch; it flows with the music and culminates with a catching multithread harmonization that exhibits Michiru's finely crafted professionalism.