Contents
1. The Power of Smile
2. Ai no Melody (original version)
3. Dandelion
4. Shiawase no Hanataba
5. Kawaranai Koto ~since 1976~
6. Watashi no Taiyou
7. Remember the kiss ~a wish~
8. DESPERADO
9. Yume ga Chikara / Brave Warrior
10. Utau Hito
11. time to say goodbye
12. Chouwa Oto ~with reflection~
13. So much love for you♡
14. I believe ~umi no soko kara~
15. Arigatou… (The Pearl Edition)
16. The Power of Smile ~a gentle breeze~
Pearl ~the best collection~ is KOKIA’s first and only ‘best of’ album, and her last album under Victor Entertainment. It contains her personal favourites and some new versions of older songs. I’ll redirect to earlier reviews whenever I find it useless to discuss the songs again.
The Power of Smile is a song that has already appeared on her album Remember me, so it’s hard to say something new about it. It’s a nice way to start this album, because it puts indeed a smile on your face to await the rest of the tracks with.
Ai no Melody (original version) is the B-side of the Chouwa~Oto~ single. It’s contrasting to that song, more ballad-like in the beginning especially, but not less beautiful because of that. I really love the dynamics in this song, especially the softer singing after the refrain, which is repeated in the end. It’s really peaceful. The reason why this is called an original version, is that there’s also a soundtrack version, which is seven minutes and has more musical intermezzos. That version, however, is not included on this album.
Dandelion is a sweet song with an enka-sound mixed in the instrumental parts, like in the very beginning of the song. The song has a relaxed sound to it, making it easy and nice to listen to. I really like the transition from lower to higher tones and back, especially in the refrain. This adds to the overall feeling of the song.
Shiawase no Hanataba is rather upbeat and joyful. Apparently, KOKIA has quite some fun in singing it, considering the ‘YAY!’s she throws in after the refrains. It makes you feel merry too, just to hear the singer enjoying what she does. That at least goes for me.
Next is one of my personal favourites: Kawaranai Koto ~since1976~. It was also on the album Remember Me, so I won’t say much about it. It’s beautiful and it moves me.
Watashi no Taiyou is also from Remember me, which actually makes me wonder whether she considers it her best album up until the moment she’s put pearl together. It’s nonetheless a good song, with some nice transitions and variations in it.
Remember the kiss ~a wish~ is the first rearrangement of an existing song. I already loved the normal version of Remember the kiss, and I also adore this version. It’s not as soothing as the original, but I don’t care, I like this variation. It’s a bit stronger, especially in the bridge, when it becomes almost rock-like. It’s a bit of a shocker after the original, but it fits this version. What I love too is the constant variation in instruments. The piano becomes stronger and weaker, and my personal piece is the refrain in which there are several clear ‘ping!’ sounds or something alike. I don’t know, it gives me a really nice feeling.
DESPERADO is the only completely new song on this album. It’s a cover of the song by The Eagles, and a really nice one. I think I like this cover better than the original, maybe because I heard KOKIA’s version first and because I like it more when it’s sung by a woman. It’s just KOKIA and the piano, and some stringed instruments at one point, which is a great combination. I love KOKIA’s singing in this, very clear and comforting.
Yume ga Chikara / Brave Warrior is a rearrangement of Yume ga Chikara, which we’ve already seen twice on the album Uta ga Chikara. This version starts with a whole new intro, which almost sounds rather Irish. (That wouldn’t be as impossible as it sounds, because KOKIA has been to Ireland before.) Her voice sounds more fragile in this version, where the other versions, especially the original, had a lot of strength in them. It’s a slower version, a bit more relaxed, and sometimes, the melody has been drastically altered. It’s almost a new song, and a very nice one!
Utau Hito made its first appearance on the album Uta ga Chikara, so I won’t discuss it here anymore.
Time to say goodbye is one of my personal favourites of KOKIA. It’s a very calm song, and even though it has a sad feeling, it doesn’t make you feel sad. It’s not a depressing song, which is great about it. It really moves me. It’s hard to explain why exactly, but it really manages to get to me.
Chouwa Oto ~with reflection~ is a newer version of Chouwa~Oto~. You can really hear she’s developed her voice: she sounds more mature than in the first version. It also has a slightly different arrangement, with more piano that gives it a sinister feeling. Because of that and the mature voice, it is rather dark, but I really love that aspect of the song. The ~with reflection~ part of the title refers to the lyrics that were added in the second ‘bridge’, together with the long ‘aaaaah’ tones. It also returns in the last part of the song, together with the reversed Japanese lyrics. This makes the ending all the more sudden and unexpected, when almost all instruments die out and only KOKIA’s voice is left. I totally adore this song.
So much love for you♡ and I believe ~umi no soko kara~ have already been discussed, since they’ve appeared on earlier albums: Uta ga Chikara and Remember me respectively. Please go to the reviews of these albums for my reviews of these songs.
Arigatou… (the pearl edition) is a new version of KOKIA’s first song she’s written and composed herself. This one starts with the piano, and KOKIA’s voice is more fragile and soft than in the original. She puts herself in it, and I really love this version because of it.
The albums ends with the same song it started with, only another version: The Power of Smile ~a gentle breeze~. The atmosphere is completely different from the original, way more relaxed and with a sound of Spain or something in that area of the world map in it. It feels like you’re on a holiday. It’s way calmer than the original, but that’s certainly not a bad thing.
With this, I conclude my review of pearl ~the best collection~. She’s selected some of my personal favourites and made quite some nice arrangements of existing songs. One great album!
