Utaite Myōri: Sono Ichi

Utaite Myōri: Sono Ichi (唄ひ手冥利 ～其ノ壱～), also known as A Favor of Duty Part 1, is the first cover album by Japanese singer and songwriter Ringo Sheena, released on May 27, 2002 by Toshiba EMI. The album is a set of two discs. It has sold over 409,000 copies since its release and was certified Platinum by the RIAJ.[1]

Utaite Myōri: Sono Ichi
Kame Pact cover.
Studio album by
Ringo Sheena
ReleasedMay 27, 2002 (2002-05-27)
Length67:38
Language
Label
Producer
Ringo Sheena chronology
Ze-Chyou Syuu
(2000)		 Utaite Myōri: Sono Ichi
(2002)		 Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana
(2003)
Alternative cover
Mori Pact cover.

Background

This album is Ringo Sheena's first work after her maternity leave of one year and two months. It wasn't clear whether she was going to return to the entertainment world, so Toshiba EMI intended to release her greatest hits album at first to fulfill the number of CDs in the contract term. Sheena herself said in a TV appearance: "I even thought that I would retire during my maternity leave," but she ended up deciding against that plan, so this cover album was released as a compromise.

The album consists of songs originally written by musicians that influenced Sheena until that point. Sheena usually writes her lyrics and music herself, but she devoted herself to being just "a singer" this time. She entrusted the arrangement to Seiji Kameda, who arranged her first and second album, and Toshiyuki Mori, who arranged her third album. She selected famous songs that had an influence on her and ordered them to arrange these songs in her own way.

Sheena parodied the names of the album's arrangers in the titles of the two discs; Kame-pact Disc and Mori-pact Disc. Kame-pact Disc was recorded in the garage rock style she used to record in earlier in her career because of a lack of budget. On Mori-pact Disc, a music sequencer is used and multitrack recording is adopted, which was also used on her third album.

The album jacket is designed by Sheena and Yumi Ota, an employee of Sheena's private office. Sheena was in charge of the photographs and illustrations in the booklet, and she designed the lettering with Ryosuke Nagaoka (Ukigmo). The model on the album cover is Hisako Tabuchi.

Four guest singers participated in each disc, all of which are acquaintances of Sheena. Masamune Kusano is from the same town as her, and he is a senior in her elder brother's high school. Nao Matsuzaki is a friend of Sheena. Hikaru Utada, another friend of Sheena, sang the same song with Sheena at the Toshiba EMI Party before, which was distributed in Japan by Napster. Junpei Shiina is her elder brother.

Sheena arranged one bonus track for each disc.

Track listing
Disc 1: Kame-pact Disc (亀パクトディスク)
All tracks arranged by Seiji Kameda, except "Nobara" by Ringo Sheena.
No.TitleLyricsMusicOriginal artistLength
1."Haiiro no Hitomi (灰色の瞳, Grey Eyes)" (featuring Masamune Kusano)
Uña RamosTokiko Kato and Kiyoshi Hasegawa4:24
2."More"
  • Marcello Ciorciolini
  • Norman Newell
  • Riz Ortolani
  • Nino Oliviero
Andy Williams3:34
3."Chiisana Konomi (小さな木の実, Small Fruits)"Hiroshi UnnoBizet 3:35
4."I Wanna Be Loved by You"Bert Kalmar
Helen Kane1:44
5."Shiroi Kobato (白い小鳩, White Dove)"Michio YamagamiShunichi TokuraShuri Eiko3:39
6."Love is Blind"Janis IanIanIan3:34
7."Momen no Handkerchief (木綿のハンカチーフ, Cotton Handkerchief)" (featuring Nao Matsuzaki)Takashi MatsumotoKyōhei TsutsumiHiromi Ōta6:00
8."Yer Blues"
  • Lennon
  • McCartney
The Beatles4:13
9."Heidenröslein (野薔薇, Wild Roses)" (special thanks track)GoetheSchubert 2:11
Disc 2: Mori-pact Disc (森パクトディスク)
All tracks arranged by Toshiyuki Mori, except "Komori Uta" by Sheena.
No.TitleLyricsMusicOriginal artistLength
1."Ich Liebe Dich (君を愛す, I Love You)"Hans Christian AndersenEdvard GriegCarmen Dragon3:13
2."Jazz a Go Go"Robert GallAlain GoraguerFrance Gall2:38
3."Autumn Leaves (枯葉, Kareha)"Jacques PrévertJoseph KosmaEdith Piaf6:30
4."I Won't Last a Day Without You" (featuring Hikaru Utada)
  • Nichols
  • Williams
Carpenters4:22
5."Manhã de Carnaval (黒いオルフェ, Kuroi orufe)"
Luiz Bonfá 4:51
6."Mr. Wonderful"
  • Bock
  • Weiss
  • Holofcener
Peggy Lee3:20
7."The Onion Song (玉葱のハッピーソング, Tamanegi no happīsongu)" (featuring Junpei Shiina)
  • Ashford
  • Simpson
Marvin Gaye3:21
8."Starting Over"LennonLennonLennon3:51
9."Lullaby (子守唄, Komori-uta)" (special thanks track)Sheena
 2:50

Notes:

  • "Haiiro no Hitomi" is Tokiko Kato and Kiyoshi Hasegawa's cover version of Uña Ramos' "Aquellos ojos grises."
  • "Chiisana Konomi" is adapted from the serenade in Bizet's opera La jolie fille de Perth.
  • "I Wanna Be Loved By You" is Marilyn Monroe's cover version of the song of the same name originally recorded by Helen Kane.
  • "Lullaby" contains an excerpt from Chopin's "Grande valse brillante" Op.34 No.2 in A minor.

Credits and personnel

Disc 1: Kame-pact Disc

Gyakutai Glycogen (虐待グリコゲン, Abuse Glycogen)

Additional personnel

  • Masamune Kusano: guest vocals (track #1)
  • Nao Matsuzaki; guest vocals (track #7)
  • several assistants: handclaps and footsteps (track #3)

Disc 2: Mori-pact Disc

Bōtoku Vitamin (冒涜ヴァイタミン, Blasphemy Vitamin)

Additional personnel

  • Hikaru Utada: guest vocals (track #4)
  • Junpei Shiina; guest vocals (track #7)
  • several others: finger snapping (track #3)
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References
  1. "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2002年5月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. May 2002 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan. 512: 12. July 10, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
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