Nothing But Your Love — Cool Japan Music

(click image for iTunes)

Nothing But Your Love

Album thick with R&B flavor and guest spots from the Roots, Angie Stone, Raphael Saadiq, and Pras.

Epic Records released Nothing But Your Love, the second English language album from Japan’s soul master Toshi Kubota on July 25th. The album, a savory synthesis of R&B vocal stylings and funky urban beats, is packed with a variety of key-players in the R&B and hip-hop worlds. These special guests include the critically-acclaimed hip-hop artists The Roots, soul diva Angie Stone, songwriter/producer extraordinaire Raphael Saadiq, Refugee Camp’s Pras and old-school production teams like Soulshock & Karlin (Seal, Whitney Houston, Madonna) and Track Masters (Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey). The album’s first single and title track, “Nothing But Your Love,” is set to hit airwaves in July.

To ?uestlove of The Roots, Toshi Kubota’s sound is a landmark stride in the progress of global musical cohesion. “For every culture, there has to be somebody that represents soul. [S]oul music is universal, and not just a "black thing," so to speak. Toshi will eventually be known as a groundbreaker. Just for rewriting the book of what is the definition of soul, who's allowed to play in the game, who's not allowed to play in the game…He's taking the book and he's gonna rewrite it and show the world that Sam Cooke and Otis Redding aren’t the only ones allowed to define soul.”

Toshi Kubota’s smooth vocal approach mixed with a bop-your-head groove has made him a hugely successful artist, releasing nine albums and selling over eleven million copies worldwide. His origins in Shizuoka, Japan found him constantly drawn to an eclectic array of R&B artists like Sly and the Family Stone and Marvin Gaye. These inspirations inspired his move to Tokyo, where he began to cultivate his unique brand of sweet soul and thick beats. From there, Kubota decided to move to New York to further his creative process. This move has been a strong influence in Kubota’s “groovitational field theory” of international musical unity and his desire to fuse different cultures and styles together into something for everyone. “In my own imagination,” says Kubota, “I see it as the massive groove created when the different rhythms of people, culture, and language are combined. If I can [unite people] using music - if I can tear down the wall of prejudice that exists between people and cultures - that would be a beautiful thing for me.”

Toshi Kubota’s Nothing But Your Love, a masterful mix of positive soul energy, makes that statement loud and clear.