Music, it may sound like a rather simplistic title for an album, but I can’t think of a title that could better
describe this album. Unlike “TRUE” and “LOVE”, the lyrics and music of “MUSIC” are
not limited to a certain theme. “MUSIC” is a true eclectic album that takes the listener on a musical journey.
The opener for this album is “Sakurairo Maukoro”, a beautiful spring ballad and the inspiration behind the name of this website. The video for this song won the “Best Female Video” Award in the 2005 MTV Japan Music Video Awards, and it’s well deserved. The simplicity of the song paired with Mika’s sweet voice make this one of my favorite ballads ever. The next piece “Oborodukiyo ~Inori” is not a real ballad, but it’s a ballad version of a folk song for which Mika paired up with violinist Hakase Taro. Mika and Taro added the “Inori” part to the song to make it into a unique song rather than just a cover. The end result is a great, unique song that is sure to captivate many listeners. Track three is my least favorite song “Hi no Tori”. It’s a rather slow, techno-ish song with strange lyrics. The reason it’s not one of my favorites is because I don’t like Mika’s voice in this song.
“Kumo no Ito”, track four, is a brilliant musical piece, combining Mika’s haunting voice with
‘creepy’ music and almost incomprehensible lyrics, making it truly irresistible for any fan of contemporary
pop. The song is actually based on a book written by Japan’s legendary author, Akutagawa Ryuunosuke. The middle
part of the album takes a break away from the seriousness and focuses on light hearted pop and rock. “Rocking
Horse” (a song about a pair or Vivienne Westwood boots) is a nice mid-tempo rock song, “Carrot &
Whip” is a silly yet mature pop song, and “Shadows of you” is a rather simple, yet very beautiful
ballad about a woman that desperately waits for her lover. “LEGEND”, track number eight, is my all-time
favorite Mika song because it combines her great voice with an imposing musical score. “Hemlock” combines
the light Pop music of “Carrot & Whip”, with more serious lyrics, which makes for a rather
odd song based on Grimm’s Fairytales.
“SEVEN” and “FAKE” explore two different types of Jazz. “SEVEN” is fast-paced and “FAKE” is really slow and dramatic. The style is a bit different from her “LOVE” Jazz, which makes it interesting rather than repetitive. The final two tracks are simply perfect. “Fed up” is an ingenious song that switches back and forth from slow and depressing to fast and aggressive. This song really took me by surprise because I had never heard her sing a heavy rock song, and I wasn’t sure how her voice would fit it. Thankfully her voice goes perfectly with it, making it one of the most impressive tracks on the album. “Hitori” the last song, is a very slow and sad ballad about parting with a lover. Although it lacks the appeal of earlier ballads such as “Sakurairo Maukoro”, “Yuki no Hana” or “FIND THE WAY”, it fits well with the theme of the album, which is “MUSIC”.
With “MUSIC”, Mika Nakashima showed the world that you can’t put her into any kind of genre, and that no matter what kind of music she sings, she’ll do it perfectly. “MUSIC” is without a doubt one of the most impressive albums of 2005 so far, a definite must have!
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