I recently had the pleasure of aquiring the Rie Fu Album: Rie Fu. I became interested in her song "Life is Like Boat", which is an ending theme for the popular anime Bleach. It's a beautiful song and stood out from many of the other theme songs I happen to enjoy listening to, so I decided to check out her album.
I'm impressed. Very impressed. My first reaction was, "Is this Sheryl Crow?" *laughs* Bilingual, Rie Fu mixes her songs with both English and Japanese, and occasionally one or the other. Her voice is beautiful and her songs range from spunky to mellow and easy. Fans of Alanis Morisette, Jewel, Sheryl Crow would find her appealing and I highly recommend her album to anyone who enjoys these singers.
Go check out her offical website. It's in both Japanese and English (just click the litte 'e' on the right). According to her bio, Rie Fu has lived in the US and England. Her musical influences range from The Carpenters to Carol King. Take a listen to her songs by visiting the discography section (recommend "Life is Like a Boat" and "I Wanna Go to A Place...").