The foremost Japanese pop group, Dreams Come True looks to be one of the few genuinely Asian acts possible of widespread popularity in the Western world, and the trio make no mistake that that is one of their aspirations. Vocalist Miwas Yoshida, influenced by Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan while growing up in Hokkaido, was singing backup... [+] Read More

The foremost Japanese pop group, Dreams Come True looks to be one of the few genuinely Asian acts possible of widespread popularity in the Western world, and the trio make no mistake that that is one of their aspirations. Vocalist Miwas Yoshida, influenced by Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan while growing up in Hokkaido, was singing backup vocals with a Tokyo group when she met bass player and producer Masato Nakamura. The group came together in early 1988 with the addition of Yoshida's longtime friend Takahiro Nishikawa on keyboards, and after more than a year of rehearsals and recording, Dreams Come True released their self-titled debut album. It sold over one million copies in Japan, and its follow-up Love Goes On (released eight months later) more than doubled the sales of the debut. Each of the subsequent half-dozen albums, from 1990's Wonder 3 through 1997's Sing or Die sold at least two million copies, and fifth album The Swinging Star (1992) became the best-selling album in Japanese history, at over four million copies and counting.

Dreams Come True decreased their workload over 1992-93. Nakamura remained busy, though; he composed the music for several video games, including Sonic the Hedgehog, and released a solo album, Hikari Original Album Tracks. Dreams Come True came back with a yen for connecting with Western audiences: the trio collaborated with Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire) on the single "Wherever You Are," and recorded a song for the soundtrack of the animated film The Swan Princess. Miwa's 1995 solo album Beauty and Harmony featured such American musicians as Jai Winding, Michael Brecker, David T. Walker and Ralph MacDonald. A special contract with Virgin Records to set up a sub-label (Virgin/DCT) for increased Western distribution introduced Dreams Come True's ninth proper album, 1997's Sing or Die. Despite doing well in Asia as expected, the trio failed to move Western audiences as hoped. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The U.S. debut by Dreams Come True (they have many more releases in their native Japan, where they're stadium-level stars) is almost exactly what people who have never heard Pizzicato Five probably think Pizzicato Five sounds like. This is slickly commercial synth pop with none of the irony or subversive qualities that make Pizzicato Five so... [+] Read More

The U.S. debut by Dreams Come True (they have many more releases in their native Japan, where they're stadium-level stars) is almost exactly what people who have never heard Pizzicato Five probably think Pizzicato Five sounds like. This is slickly commercial synth pop with none of the irony or subversive qualities that make Pizzicato Five so intriguing, and not as many of the hooks and melodies that make them so much fun to listen to. While there's nothing actively bad about Sing or Die, some of the songs sound as if a computer programmed to synthesize the 1996-1998 Billboard Top Ten singles chart wrote them. The ultra-cheesy "Will to Love," the opening track and first single, is a particular offender in this regard. However, a few of the songs are catchy and silly enough to please the discerning pop fan. The soaring "Dandelion Hill" sounds like a really good Spice Girls single, and "This Is Not Love at All," cleverly built around a sample of a ringing telephone, has a slinky and dramatic charm oddly reminiscent of some of Trevor Horn's more over the top mid-'80s productions. Perhaps best of all, "Kelo Kelo" blends tropical percussion, an oddly whiny and utterly delightful lead vocal by Miwa Yoshida (imagine Macy Gray as a member of Bananarama), and a singsong melody that's the most memorable aspect of the whole record. The high points don't quite outnumber the low on Sing or Die, but they are there. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide [-] Hide