Commemorating her tenth anniversary as a solo artist, Japanese R&B wunderkind
Double released
10 Years Best, her first compilation album (a very long time according to Japanese release standards) in 2008. Generally regarded as the first artist to bring mainstream American R&B formats to the Japanese pop market,
Double has a lot of history to cover in only two discs. Indeed, the set is a full one. It starts by covering her rise to fame in a duo setting, with early hits like "Bed," "Desire," and "For Me" recorded in tandem with her sister Sachiko Hirasawa (who died in 1999, prompting a hiatus and the eventual taking of the name
Double in tribute). From there,
Double's solo work is presented, starting with a straightforward approach common to much of the mid-'90s R&B scene in the U.S., but with a tendency toward actual creation rather than simple affectation and recycling of older motives and materials. Her approach modernizes as she did, taking on more influences of the energetic pop scene along the way, and utilizing collaboration as a tool in itself. Pieces like "Summertime" use an almost
Timbaland-like sensitivity to the beat, although a much lighter pop aesthetic is employed during the rest of the compositions. As she progresses along, the quality of composition rises and falls a bit, but
Double keeps her vocals aligned well, using more sultry and subtle deliveries for the gentler ballads, more powerful voicings when the music calls for it, and cracking, simplistic deliveries for the more immature pop offerings. The stylistic development may show some cracks along the way, but new listeners should use this compilation as the ultimate introduction to the originator of modern Japanese R&B.