120,000 Stories (CD)
Nobuko Miyamoto
Amoeba Review
Nobuko Miyamoto, singer/songwriter, theatre actress and activist, releases her first new album since 1973, 120,000 Stories. In addition to new songs, the album includes reimagined versions of older ones and tracks from her 1973 debut with Chris Kando Iijima and William “Charlie” Chin, A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America. Songs like the folky "Not Yo' Butterfly" - which shares a name with her upcoming memoir - directly address exoticism and sexism in punchy, singsong vocals. "What Time is It On the Clock of the World" is more theatrical and features some bluesy harmonica, but it's just as up front about its message: the dangers of climate change. There's no doubt that Miyamoto's activist spirit remains earnest and strong.