ME AND THIS JAPANESE GUY

Me and This Japanese Guy - Waiting for the Miracle

In the fall of 2005, Me and This Japanese Guy, a.k.a. Xavier Dphrepaulezz and Masa Kohama, spent some quality time in the studio recording the raw, down-home blues/folk/rock/soul album entitled, Waiting For the Miracle. This stripped down creation from Xavier and Masa is a testament to their 10 years of working together on all of Xavier’s previous projects, from the alternative punk soul rock of BloodSugar to the quirky pop soul of Xavier and the smooth sophisticated jams of Chocolate Butterfly. A born entertainer with a gift for performance, Xavier’s many musical incarnations have led him on an incredible journey through the music industry. The son of an east African immigrant signed a deal with Interscope Records at the tender age of 20, over the years Xavier gradually expanded his breadth of musical influence and started his own entertainment company, Black Ball Universe, which has released five albums to date. Influenced by guitar icons like B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and Wes Mongomery, Masa Kohama was born in Tokyo and immigrated to the US in 1992. His talent for improvisation shines through as most of the tracks were written in a freestyle fashion with both artists just kicking back, composing and playing whatever came to mind. As Xavier’s right hand guitar man, Masa has accompanied Xavier on his early tours with such legendary groups like De La Soul, The Fugees and Arrested Development. The result is a solid album that covers the spectrum of the blues in 15 distinct tracks. It delves into smooth and soulful country blues in the tracks, “War Children”, “Hey Woman” and “Life of a Loser”, straight blues rock in songs like, “Waiting for the Miracle” and “Sleepwalking in Love” and then immerses itself in the deep Delta blues in the final tune, “Big Ol’ Legged Woman”. These songs blend Masa’s scorching guitar licks with Xavier’s conscious, and oftentimes humorous, lyrics sung with an intensity and passion that will cut into even the most hardened soul. Overall, Waiting for the Miracle is a fun album that is easy to listen to and one that will stand the test of time due to its solid songwriting and masterful musicianship.