Contents

1. Amazing Grace
2. Hallelujah
3. I’ll be home for Christmas
4. We three kings of Orient are
5. Christmas Medley
6. Teo Torriatte (Let us Cling Together)
7. Ave Maria
8. It came upon a midnight clear
9. Sei naru yoru ni ~holy night
10. Cocoro no Rousoku (Candle in the Heart)
11. Remember the Kiss ~Dedicated to “New” NY~

KOKIA is fast and I’m slow, which might explain why I’m reviewing her Christmas album in March. But, better late then never! Please keep in mind that there are two versions of this album – the Japanese one, which is shown above, and the overseas one, with the songs in a different order and lacking song #11.

The album starts off with the ever so beautiful Amazing Grace, of which I’ve discussed the live version before. This version is calmer, almost a capella with the longest tones I’ve heard on a KOKIA album (not counting in lives, obviously).  After two minutes, we get different vocals combined and more depth into the song, and string instruments make up the instrumental parts. It remains a whole lot calmer and softer than other versions, but it rather fits the calmth of a peaceful Christmas Eve.

Next is Hallelujah, a cover of Leonard Cohen. It’s mainly KOKIA and the piano, sometimes with a wind instrument in the stronger parts, a golden combination as we’ve seen before. KOKIA uses a softer voice, not as strong as she can reach. This seems a bit odd with a song like this, which is rather powerful. However, this soft voice gives it something breakable. It’s an interesting twist.

I’ll be home for Christmas is next, in which KOKIA sounds almost childlike. It’s a Frank Sinatra cover, although KOKIA’s version seems slightly longer. It’s hard to say something useful about this song – it’s a classic, and well-covered by KOKIA.

Next is we three kings of Orient are, in which KOKIA sings with a bit deeper voice, in a song that sounds close to jazz. It seems to be a more traditional Christmas song to me, more associated with the Bible story rather than with the Christmas trees and such. KOKIA does a good job expressing this – her voice is more sober than in her more upbeat songs, and she sounds more serious too. Once again, her English is really good in this song, especially considering it’s a 19th century carol. My compliments, KOKIA!

And now by far the longest song on the album - Christmas Medley, which lasts for over 13 minutes. It consists of an instrumal Silent Night, followed by Santa Clause is coming to town, Let it snow (which isn’t technically a Christmas song, but hush!), which she almost sings in a tempting way; then we have a powerful Little Drummer Boy, followed by a sober yet lovely The First Noel, a rather upbeat, rhytmically and instrumentally surprising Jingle Bells, by far the longest song in the Medley; and we end with the reprise of Santa Clause is coming to town, followed by Silent Night, in which we hear soft voices humming along and KOKIA in a soft, childlike voice talking to Santa Clause: “Dear Santa Clause, I know you are really, really busy today, because you have to bring presents to everybody, but, can you come to my place too? I promise I’ll help my mummy more. I promise I’ll listen to my daddy more. I’ll try to be an even better boy. So, please bring me the present I asked you for, and help mummy and daddy to all be happy too. Good night. Oh, and one more thing – thank you very much for the present last year. Good night.” I actually never noticed until just now, but I thought it was really cute, so I shared it with you here. The interesting thing with this medley is that technically, it isn’t a medley – the songs are all ended properly before the next one starts.

Then we have a Queen cover - Teo torriatte (Let us cling together).  (Officially, it’s ‘ te o toriatte’ in Japanese (with one r), from ‘te o toriau’, grabbing hands – just in case anyone here is interested in Japanese grammar and found that extra r odd.) KOKIA starts with the Japanese part chorus immediately, before she proceeds to the couplet in English. In despite of the rather uphappy lyrics, I really love this song. KOKIA mostly shines during the Japanese parts and during the powerful bridge, which rolls into the final chorus. That piece rose goosebumps on my arms.

Next is Ave Maria. We’ve already seen this song before, too, but this time, it’s another version than on The VOICE. This one has more lyrics than just  ’Ave Maria’. It’s the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria, sung in Latin. I like this version – it’s really soothing and tender, with a beautiful fade out. KOKIA’s opera voice really shimmers through in this song.

It came upon a midnight clear is another soothing song, reflecting the original Christmas spirit much like we three kings of Orient are. KOKIA’s soft voice matches this song really well.

Sei naru yoru ni (Holy Night) is one of the very few Japanese songs on this album. Church bells introduce us, and the feeling overall matches the previous Christmas spirit. I really like the instrumental parts in this song too, the slow tones that you can hear after every last rule especially, which that remind me of a clock ticking. KOKIA’s high, soft voice in this song is countered by some stronger instrumental parts, making this a well balanced song.

Next is the song cocoro no Rousoku (Candle in the Heart). This, too, is a Japanese song, and has a really breakable feeling to it, more so than Hallelujah. It’s KOKIA and piano, and a true ballad. This song is very soft, tender.

The final song now is Remember the kiss ~dedicated to “New” NY~, yet another version of Remember the Kiss which uses an organ instead of piano. KOKIA has dedicated this version the the New York from after the 9-11 attacks, and thus, it’s the English version we’ve seen on aigakikoeru. Her strong voice is back here, and she’s backed up by backing vocals, making it sound like a church prayer. It’s really refreshing to hear this song in such a version.

Overall, I think Christmas Gift does an exellent job in capturing all different aspects of Christmas. The days of gathering together, the birth of Christ, missing the ones you lost close to you, peace, and of course the gifts, of which KOKIA has give us one with this album!

Contents

1. Lydia~Fairy Dance
2. Song of Pocchong~Shizuku no Uta
3. Kanashikute Yarakirenai
4. Black is the Colour
5. Sushou Yakyoku
6. Siuil a Run
7. Sono mama de ii~be as you are
8. Taimse im Chodladh

KOKIA is one diverse artists. After singing in Italian, reversed Japanese and gibberish, she also gave Irish folk songs a try in this album, Fairy Dance with the fitting subtitle ~KOKIA meets Ireland~. It’s her first official mini-album, with only eight songs this time, and they contain covers of Irish songs as well as some Japanese ones in Irish sounds. The album begins with Lydia~Fairy Dance, which immediately sets up the atmosphere for the Irish sound. There are no actual lyrics, and KOKIA is mainly accompanied by string instruments. After two minutes or so, flutes are added and the song gets a bit more playful.

We’ve met the second song, Song of pocchong~Shizuku no Uta before on The VOICE. This time, it has received an Irish treatment, and it really sounds as if the song is in a better place on this album. The playfulness of the gibberish mixes well with the flute and drums. There’s an extra instrumental part leading up to a climax, followed by merely drums before KOKIA starts singing again. It has lost the feeling of rain dropping down, but got a really Irish feeling in place.

Next is a calmer song, Kanashikute yarakirenai. It’s in Japanese, as one might expect after the title, but still has the Irish atmosphere. It’s not as upbeat as the previous tracks, but rather calming and KOKIA sings in what I like to call her more tender voice. The string instruments and the flute really ‘flow’ in the instrumental parts. Overall, a wonderful composition in which everything works together.

The next song is completely in English: Black is the Colour. A striking thing is how KOKIA changed the text – she sings it from a male perspective. The ‘he’ is replaced by a ’she’ in the lyrics. Personally, I love how she lengthens the final note of some couplets, especially near the end, which adds something to the song as a whole. The end gets stronger, rather than weaker, and holds the lengthened notes as I mentioned, until it all comes together nicely to wrap up the song.

Then we have Sushou Yakyoku, another Japanese song, which starts of as an Irish one, followed by some calmer lyrics. Until we reach the end of the couplet – this is followed by an upbeat instrumental part, which really surprised me at first. It creates a lovely contrast, giving this song something extra. It makes a nice mix of Japanese words and Irish sounds.

Siuil A Run is next, and one of personal favourites. KOKIA sings this folk song in a mix of English and Irish here, which is very cool (and surprisingly well pronounced too). KOKIA uses her deeper voice here. The beginning is almost a capella, until it gains a bit of tempo and instruments. Personally, I really adore the chorus in this song. What also struck me upon listening it again is how, halfway the song, KOKIA seems to have a conversation with the instruments. She sings, then the instruments seem to answer. KOKIA only accompanied by drums is haunting in a good way too. Yes, I really love this song in KOKIA’s way.

Sono mama de ii~be as you are is next, the third and last Japanese song of the album. This one sounds like a ballad in the beginning, but gains more beats as it develops into the chorus. When the last minute is reached, the instruments take over and make it an upbeat ending with KOKIA repeating ’sono mama de ii’. Once again, a song with a lot of development.

The final song, Taimse ‘Im Chodladh, which is almost completely a capella – you hear very softly bagpipes on the background, but it’s mostly KOKIA and backing vocals. It’s completely Irish, and KOKIA pulls it off really well. The middle is instrumental, to keep you awake from slumbering with this song translating as ‘I sleep’. And yes, it gives off a sleeping song feeling, preventing the album from ending too suddenly.

Overall, I only have one remark on this album – it’s too short! I don’t care if it’s a mini-album, I wish I could have heard more of KOKIA’s Irish adventure. Once again, she’s shown just what an artist she is, being able to pull off so many different styles and languages.

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~Ikemen♂Paradise~

Based on the manga Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, better known as just Hana Kimi, is the Japanese drama series Hanzakari no kimitachi e ~Ikemen♂Paradise~. Quite a long title, especially considering the fact the series has just twelve episodes (compared to a manga consisting of 23 volumes). Since I’ve finished the manga, I decided to give the drama series a try as well. So don’t be surprised when I compare the series to the manga. This review also contains spoilers, so be aware of those! For those unfamiliar with the characters, I wrote a short description of every character mentioned below.

Story line

Mizuki Ashiya is a Japanese-American girl who takes an interest in Izumi Sano, a high jumper her own age. As he saves her in America from a group of gangsters, he gets injured and quits high jumping. Mizuki feels guilty and decides to go to America, to transfer into Izumi’s school and make him high jump again. The only problem is – Izumi’s school is Ousaka Gakuen, an all-boys school. And thus, Mizuki has to disguise herself as a boy to enter.

Metamorfoze – Louis Couperus
Translation: Metamorphosis
First published: 1897

Louis Couperus (1863-1923) was a Dutch author, and more information can be found at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Couperus I picked up his books quite recently, when I read the book ‘Langs lijnen van geleidelijkheid’ (Inevitable) by him for Dutch class. I liked it that much, that I promptly made it my number one book on my list and decided I wanted to read more by him. The first book after that I picked up was ‘Metamorfoze’.

The book itself is about a writer who develops himself over time. The book is divided into five parts, each of them being a metamorphosis of said writer Hugo Aylva. How he develops, both in his writing and his character, and how he eventually writes what could be considered his true story.

It sounds a boring book, to cover 300 pages with especially. But I was swept off my feet by it. Maybe it’s because I have writing ambitions myself, I don’t know. It gave me the opportunity to identify with Hugo, especially during the first two parts of the book. After that, he went through developments that haven’t happened to me yet. (Hey, I’m only seventeen!) In fact, it sometimes felt so personal that I was almost afraid to talk with other people about the book. He told about how it feels when you’ve finished a book – that when you look at it, it doesn’t feel like yours anymore. That a book dies to you once you’ve finished it, while it’s been alive for so long in your mind that you’ve considered the characters to be your best friends or even you.

What I loved was that the book has a positive ending, a hopeful ending for the future. You could take it as a general note for life: there will be difficulties, and at times, you’ll think you won’t manage at all. You leave people or they leave you, things won’t run smoothly for a while, but in the end, we can all have a happy ending.

Even though I’m finishing this review over a month after reading the book, it still hasn’t left me. It surely left a big impression, meaning I find it a really good book, in despite of the fact it’s 111 years old. If you are attracted to stories in a story itself, the way of a writer, or if the book and/or its writer just appeal to you, be sure not to miss it out!

Contents

1. Amazing Grace (live)
2. cocoro ~demo version~
3. Futa Koba Rakuda
4. Chouwa Oto ~a capella~
5. Tsukimi (radio cut)
6. Dandelion (PV version)
7. Kotou (radio cut)
8. Remember the kiss ~extended world version~ (live)
9. Les couleurs de Paris (live)
10. ROMU no Aoi Hibiki
11. EVE
12. Wasurena Gusa’s song ~compilation~
13. Bombom!! Doraibu de kimeyou
14. Sparkling Christmas
15. Mou Aisenai
16. g o e s  o n  f o r e v e r
17. why do I sing

Yes, I can hear you thinking right now: “what is this? KOKIA has never produced an album called ’A Vein of Gold’!” True. It was me. Or at least, I created a playlist and a cover for this imaginary album, which contains rare songs of KOKIA – either live versions or songs she’s only sung in radio shows or lives. It’s my personal choice, please keep that in mind while reading this review.

Amazing Grace is quite a known song of course. KOKIA sings it live, and in English, so no translation whatsoever. She sings it with a lot of feelings put in it, and especially in the beginning, her voice is really tender. But as the strength of the lyrics climbs, her voice gets more powerful as well. She really goes with the song, and it’s a beautiful result.

Next, there’s the demo version of cocoro, as used in the radio show KOKIkyoku. It was used to promote the album Aigakikoeru, which has the final version of this song. I personally like this demo version a lot, because it has a rather dreamy atmosphere (without getting as creepy as Princess EHIME). It sounds as if there’s a sea in the background sometimes, really relaxing.

Futa Koba Rakuda goes into the same category as Pinku no zou to me, maybe because they both deal with exotic animals: in this case, a camel. They’re not really much alike, really. This is a merry, cute song with a nice beat to it. It’s pretty short when you know KOKIA, only three minutes.

Chouwa Oto ~a capella~ is… wow. It’s a short version of the full version of Chouwa~Oto~: no numbers are called, and she only sings ‘rurekuteshieka (…) nirimonoko’ twice before the song ends. But her voice is as powerful as with the full instrumental version, and really sweeps you off your feet.

The next song is a radio cut, and unfortunately, it’s interrupted by KOKIA’s talking half way. Tsukimi sounds rather traditional, especially in the beginning, enka style. But the bridge is surprisingly happy, making it a nice varied piece.

Dandelion has a different version in the Promotion Video, PV in short. In this, KOKIA is solely accompanied by percussion. You should actually see the video, so that you can how she gets into the song and gets really energetic near the end. Her voice is really pure in this, almost a capella, version of the song. She can show her talent in this, because the song has several long tones she sings completely, and really well too.

Kotou is another radio cut. It’s a slower song, with a bit of similarities with songs as I believe ~Umi no soko kara~. Her voice ‘trembles’ in the refrain, which gives it a rather oriental feeling. I really like the refrain because of it. The ending is very sudden, followed by soft piano tones to end it completely.

Next is a live recording of Remember the kiss ~world edition~. The English lyrics, but in the end, she stuffs in two extra Japanese lines: ”uta wo utau, dare ka wo tame ni”. She gives the audience a hand in singing along, by saying the words before she actually sings them. In the end, the audience starts clapping, but she isn’t done yet and hushes them up to sing ‘Remember the kiss’ one more time. Very cute. The entire recording is almost ten minutes, but definitely worth it, like all KOKIA’s lives.

Les couleurs de Paris is also a live, and a recording of KOKIA’s only French song up to date. And she’s pretty good! No need for her to apologize for her pronounciation, as she does in the beginning. The funny, ‘hurried’ piano tones from the beginning are constantly repeated, and add to the atmosphere which I, a Dutchie, would describe as ‘French’ indeed. It’s a very nice song, easy to listen to.

The next song isn’t really my favourite: ROMU no aoi hibiki. This is due to the constantly repeated ’soli-lo-li-lo’, which eventually got on my nerves. A bit more variation in lyrics would have cleared that up. But the song is still pretty, due to the anthem singing. There are no instruments, only in the middle of the song, when a specific instrument plays a solo. I have no idea what it is; maybe a bassoon, but that’s a wild guess. It gives the song a special atmosphere.

Next is a wonderful Christmas song: EVE. But really, if it hadn’t have been for the christmas bells, you wouldn’t have been able to say it’s a Christmas song. It feels a bit like time to say goodbye in the beginning, slow and with feeling. The refrain gave me shivers. It’s a wonderful, beautiful song in my opinion.

Then, we have something special. In her radio show KOKIkyoku, KOKIA has lyrics by Wasurena Gusa (I think it’s a username of someone, since it’d translate as ‘forget-me-not’, the flower). She then shows how differently one can sing the same lyrics, and accompanied by piano, she plays a ’sad’ version, a ‘joyful’ version and a ‘rhythmical’ version. It’s really funny to hear three entirely different versions of the same lyrics, so I therefore included them.

Bombom!! Doraibu de kimeyou is a song specially made for people who bought Toyota cars, I believe. The single is called ‘Smile & Heart’. The song only reaches the really merry level suggested by the title in the refrain, although it’s a pretty upbeat song to begin with. I’d consider it a ‘feel good’ song.

Sparkling Christmas was on the same single as EVE, but has a completely different atmosphere. This is most certainly a Christmas song, but I found it too funny to exclude it. It’s only just under two minutes, but it has a lot of joy in it, even though it isn’t extremely hyper active.

The next track is Mou Aisenai, which was the B-side of the Ningen tte sonna mono ne  single. Not really rare, but it’s so beautiful… I find it a rather odd track next to Ningen tte sonna mono ne, which is about forgiving, while Mou Aisenai means ‘I can’t let you love me again’. And it sounds like that. It’s a really soft song, that gives off the melancholic feeling of ‘I want to be with you, but we can’t be together’ or something among those lines. KOKIA sings it with a lot of feelings in her voice, very frail. It really gets to me.

G o e s  o n  f o r e v e r is a single project together with ЯK STANDARD. I thought it’d fit, since I truly hope KOKIA’s music will go on forever. That aside, it’s a catchy song from KOKIA’s earlier years and certainly worth listening to. It’s a bit faster than the previous track, with more instruments and a faster tempo rate. The refrain is pretty high, but not painful for the ears.

The last one is a track from her album Aigakikoeru, so not exactly ‘rare’. Yet, I thought it’d be nice to conclude this ‘album’ with why do I sing. KOKIA wonders why she’s been gifted with her voice, and she eventually concludes in this English song that she sings to ’spread the message of love’. Her voice is very clear in this slow, but sweet song. There are only a piano and a violin used as instruments together with KOKIA’s voice. It has a classical feeling to it.

Well, with this, I conclude my review of the songs I picked out. I hope you agree with me that there are quite some KOKIA songs that are like veins of gold, hidden in mountains but real treasures. Spread the love that is KOKIA!

Contents

1. Itsuka Dareka wo Ai shita toki (anthem version)
2. Uchuu ga…
3. Ahiru no Kokoro
4. Futari no Musume
5. Awakening (Open your eyes)
6. cocoro
7. HUMANITARIAN
8. so sad so bad
9. Yasashiku sareru to yasashiku nareru hana
11. Nukumori (listen for the love)
12. why do I sing
13. Atatakai Basho
14. Remember the kiss ~World version~ *
15. Inori ni mo nita utsukushii sekai
16. Inochi no Hikari **
17. Arigatou… (from KOKIA 2007) **

(*: European bonus track; **: Japanese bonus track.)

Aigakikoeru, or Listen for the Love, is KOKIA’s first album that has two versions: a Japanese and a European one. The titles have official translations, that I’ll mention below. Keep in mind they’re not exact translations of the songs: for example, Futari no musume means ‘two daughters’, not ’story of two daughters’ when you translate it literally.

The album starts with the track Itsuka Dareka wo Ai shita toki, the anthem version. The title is translated as Someday when you love someone. It starts off with church bells, before the chorus begins. It gives it already an anthem sound, while the song has only started ten seconds ago! KOKIA’s singing is clear as ever, and goes really well with the chorus. I must admit that the first time I heard this version, I didn’t even realize only voices were used! They go that well with KOKIA’s lead. An excellent start of this album, I really like it.

Next is Uchuu ga…, also known as A universe is…. This song is more powerful, especially after a rather soft start. I must say I find this a pity: in the live in France, she started off with a lot of power, and I think that suits the song better than a calm start. That aside, it feels a bit like the rule of the universe, maybe also because of the ‘universe’ in both titles. I start to adore it as KOKIA puts more power in her voice, around after the first 1.5 minutes of the song. Also, I think I hear a harp in the stronger parts of the song. Which I find great, because it shows that the harp isn’t only used for softer songs as sora. I think the more upbeat parts of this song, the refrains for example, attract me the most to this song.

Ahiru no kokoro translates as Hope of an ugly ducklin’, and it’s a pretty cute, maybe odd song. I find it more cute than odd, though. It starts off with percussion and KOKIA making duck sounds, very cute and adding to the atmosphere of the song in my opinion. It’s a quite merry song, sometimes resembling dandelion in my opinion. And sorry, I can’t help loving the duck sounds!

Next is Futari no Musume, or Story of two daughters. This song has a more traditional Japanese sound to it. Honestly, it took me a while to fully appreciate this song, which actually was the case with most songs on this album, at least for me. Eventually, this song managed to get to me. It doesn’t have as much variation as other songs, but it’s charming in its own way due to the calm atmosphere.

Awakening (open your eyes) feels a bit sinister in the beginning, as if there’s a lot of power to come in this song. It still has a calm beginning, however, with only piano and KOKIA. And after one minute, the promised power starts to kick in little by little and more instruments join the song.

cocoro, heart, starts off in an anthem atmosphere, with more chorus than instruments to accompany KOKIA. It also has a traditional feeling to it, though less than futari no musume has. It remains rather calm as well, though it eventually gets stronger than Futari no musume. I must say I used to mix up these two songs because of their similar sounds.

HUMANITARIAN is a lot more upbeat, as the capitals in the title might already suggest. KOKIA’s voice sounds a bit ‘canned’, intentionally I suppose (or my version is REALLY screwed up). There are a lot of other voice sounds used in this, such as laughter and people chatting and a chorus to switch with KOKIA from time to time. A nice change to a rather calm album up until now.

so sad so bad is probably one of my favourites of this album. It starts of as calmly as Awakening (open your eyes), with the same feeling that something is about to happen. And it is, most certainly. After the calm introduction, the song changes atmosphere and becomes quite strong and not to say sinister. The song is almost completely English, though there are a couple of Japanese lines as well. The refrain is dark and strong, both in lyrics as in music. I really like it, even though it took me a while to appreciate the song. It has now become one of my favourites, like said.

Then comes the track with the long title Yasashiku sareru to yasashiku nareru hana, or Flower blooming under tenderness. This is a calmer and less dark song than the previous one. It has something tender to it, like indeed a flower that blooms with tenderness. The song starts really blooming after a very soft beginning, so it does as the title promises.

Next is Nukumori (listen for the love), or Warmth (listen for the love). The part between the braces is the actual title of the album, and it indeed represents the warm and tender atmosphere that surrounds almost all songs of this album. It stays a calm song, but it’s really comforting and sweet. I’d almost call it ‘candy for the ear’, without getting you fat.

Why do I sing is completely English, and it’s more narrative than musical: it’s just KOKIA and the piano, a great combination as we know by now. It comes down to KOKIA wondering why she’s been gifted with her voice, and she eventually concludes she needs to spread the message of love. And that is what she does with this album.

Next is Atatakai Basho, Cosy place. It has a bit more power to it thanks to soft drums during the song, and it gets a lot stronger in the refrain as well than most other songs of the album. It’s, like HUMANITARIAN, a nice change from the overall atmosphere of aigakikoeru.

We’ve now reached the European bonus track: Remember the kiss ~world version~. Basically, it’s just the English version of Remember the kiss, which you might have already guessed from the title. Like I said before, this is one of the songs you can rarely grow tired of. I find it hard to compare it to the original, because putting the language aside, they’re basically the same. I really love it, and it really fits the album.

Both versions have Inori ni mo nita utsukushii sekai, Music like a prayer. (With my little Japanese language, I believe utsukushii sekai means something like ‘beautiful world’, so it’s not a really accurate translation, but oh well.) KOKIA sings the first lines a capella, which sets the standard for another soft and tender song. The ’halleluja’ in the end gives it a nice twist.

Inochi no Hikari would probably translate as light of destiny or something among those lines. It’s the first Japanese bonus track. I think it’s a beautiful song, though there’s nothing like a sudden change of atmosphere like so sad so bad that sets it apart from the other tracks of the album.

Finally, there’s Arigatou… (from KOKIA 2007). It has a whole other intro than the first version, and what struck me the most was the variation in tempo. She accelerates, slows down and then goes back to the original tempo, especially in the refrain. I really like this version, perhaps best of all versions of this song. A nice topping for this album.

Overall, I think aigakikoeru is a nice album, but if you’re not really fond of slower songs, you might find it a tad boring. Most songs, I only started to appreciate after listening them a couple of times, the most clearest example being so sad so bad. So give it some time, and it’ll grow onto you! 

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!

Contents

1. Yume ga Chikara
2. a girl
3. so much love for you
4. Sora ni taiyou, anata ni watashi
5. Pinchi wa chansu
6. KIRARI
7. give & take
8. New Season ~Yume ni Mukatte Fuku Kaze~
9. Utau Hito
10. Yume ga Chikara (acoustic version)

Uta ga Chikara is KOKIA’s fourth album, and rather short with only ten tracks, the tenth track being a bonus track.

Yume ga Chikara is a special song, since it was used as the official theme song for the Japanese team in the 2004 Olympics. And it indeed sounds as a song to cheer you up. I could actually picture someone waving a flag on the music… Overall, it’s quite a catchy song and a cheery start of the album.

A girl is also a merry song. It gives me a feeling of summer, of holidays in which you don’t have to worry about stuff. I’m not sure if that’s what the lyrics would imply, though. Unfortunately, KOKIA’s voice doesn’t really stand out in this one. It’s rather soft against the background music, which I consider a pity. It’s therefore that I don’t find this much of a memorable song.

So much love for you is yet another happy song, especially the refrain. The song starts off rather calm, but the refrains are very upbeat with a lot of text. In the end, you just can’t get the line ’so much love for you how about you’ out of your head anymore… But I like the song, although it’s not something you should listen when you’re not in a great mood. The merriness would get annoying.

Sora ni taiyou, anata ni watashi is a bit calmer, luckily, after three pretty upbeat songs. KOKIA’s voice is soft in this one, too, but it fits with the song in total. The refrain is suddenly powerful and a nice addition to the song. The soft, musical ending left me with a nice feeling – I really like this song.

Pinchi wa chansu is one of those songs that cheer you up when you hear the first tones. It’s merry and inspiring: ‘YES, you can, YES, you do, now take a chance’. I always listen to this song whenever I need to be motivated, and it surely works. It’s not overwhelmingly happy, just enough to give you a boost.

KIRARI starts off a bit calmer, though there are enough instruments to keep it from getting slow. The refrain is rather fast and energetic, and catchy as well.

give & take is overall a bit slower than the average song of this album, which certainly doesn’t hurt. The refrains remain calm and gives you a chance to calm down after the happiness like in so much love for you.

New Season ~Yume ni Mukatte Fuku Kaze~ is, again, more upbeat. The Japanese part of the title would translate as ‘I go towards the blowing wind in my dreams’, and you can hear the wind blowing in the refrain by the way KOKIA sing the lines. Almost, well, blowing like the wind.

Utau hito is the major exception of this album. It’s a ballad like song, and apparently very personal to KOKIA. You can hear it, since she sings it with a lot of feeling in it. Her voice sounds pretty fragile in this song. It’s a relieve to hear something calmer and more soothing than activating on this album. I like the change. That, and it’s a beautiful song.

Yume ga Chikara (acoustic version) is not really acoustic – it is mainly KOKIA and the piano, and some violins and flutes in the beginning and the refrains. It’s a calmer version than the original, which is a nice way to end the album. I can’t really decide which version I like better, both of them are nice in their own way.

Overall, Uta ga chikara is a short, but mostly very energetic album. The title would translate as ’songs are strength’, and you sure get an energy boost from (most of) these songs!

Contents

1. Prologue “Remember me”
2. Watashi no Taiyou
3. Different Way
4. Kawaranai koto ~since1976~
5. Happy birthday to me
6. With music
7. Anshin no Naka
8. Sora
9. The Power of Smile
10. Clap your hands!
11. I believe ~Umi no Soko Kara~
12. Daiji na Mono wa Mabuta no Ura
13. ?
14. Sigh
15. Remember the kiss (duet “KOKIA & piano”)

Two remarks before I start my review: 1) I really adore the cover of this album, and 2) this album is cramped with great songs I only discovered weeks, if not months after I had first gained them. Dumb thing to do.

The album starts off with a voice message of KOKIA, Prologue “Remember Me”. She is accompanied by very soft piano and a chorus. The text is as follows:
“There is no better song than the one you sing for someone special.
Parents singing a lullaby for their children, lovers singing to share their feelings.
And singing for your close friends to show your appreciation.
There are so many songs in this world.
I believe that music has the power to heal our heart, so I hope that many people will hear this song and feel something start in their hearts.
There really is no better song than the one you sing for the ones you love.
But for today – this one’s just for you.“
(It’s typed as I heard it, so there might be some things off.) I think it’s a very sweet text, and it’s true of course. I mean, you don’t have to be gifted to sing well, but you can still sing your child to sleep with a lullaby. It’s a way of showing you love them.

The first actual song is Watashi no Taiyou, in which you can hear pretty clearly that KOKIA’s voice has developed. It sounds more mature than in her two previous albums. I have the idea she sings the same notes, but where her voice was high pitched in earlier songs, her voice has a lower sound. This is a rather upbeat song, with a saxophone or something alike in the bridge for variation. It’s not as variated as songs like Chouwa~Oto~, but it’s a nice song.

Ah, Different way is one of the songs I mentioned in the beginning. The one I had to rediscover after I’d gained it for quite some weeks already. It starts off with drums and that sets the atmosphere for the song: upbeat, powerful. I like it, since it’s neither extremely merry nor heavy. A nice way in between those two. It ends with an electric guitar rather than drums.

Kawaranai Koto ~since1976~ is in my top XX of favourite songs (fill in a number yourself). It’s a calmer song than the two previous ones, and apparently a personal song to KOKIA. You can feel she put her feelings into it – well, I myself felt it anyway. The song struck me because of that. It’s not too ballad-like, it’s just right to get the feelings passed.

Happy birthday to me starts off with, surprise, KOKIA softly singing ‘happy birthday to me’. It sounds like an intro to a quite merry, not to say hyperactive song, but it isn’t. The beginning of the actual singing is very calm. It sounds ‘canned’; I don’t know if that’s just my version or not, but it gives off an isolated feeling. Since the text is ‘happy birthday to me‘ rather than to you, I think the isolated feeling was intentional. The refrain is rather calm as well, and the canned-ness wears off here.

Next, there is a completely English song: with music. It’s a sweet, in the end rather merry song, in which KOKIA expresses what music means to her. What grasped me the most was that her pronounciation of ‘music’ in the refrain is very close to the Dutch pronounciation…

Anshin no Naka has a rather strong bass right in the beginning, so that it doesn’t become too soft a song. Since she sings ‘Ai shiteru’ (I love you) a couple of times, I take it that it’s a love song, which is not very surprising after the prologue of course. And it sounds like a love song, just not your average ballad. Near the ending, the song gets stronger and more powerful, until it eventually softens down again and ends like it started off.

The next song, sora, caught my interest because KOKIA is only accompanied by a harp (or at least an instrument that sounds a lot like a harp). And since I’ve played the harp ever since I was seven, it’s always nice to bump into a song with a harp in it, sung by one of your favourite artists. This one is very gentle, very soft. You can get stronger with a harp, but here, it’s used in the traditional way. It’s a beautiful song nonetheless, although it’s slightly too long. There’s little variation in it, so it gets a tad boring near the end. Now excuse me, I want to find out how to play it on my harp!

The Power of Smile is a whole lot more upbeat. It really puts a smile on your face because of all the happiness. It couldn’t be more contrasting to sora, but who cares, it’s a nice song!

Clap your Hands! is like some of the songs from trip trip, and I’m pointing at the exotic atmosphere here. This song really has the feeling of a land in the Middle-East rather than Japan, especially with the refrain. It’s pretty upbeat and an original song. It has, like Chouwa~Oto~, quite some variations in it, although there is an easier pattern in this song. Some pieces are sung as if she’s singing into a glass, if you understand what I mean by that. But that’s not all. Have you heard the high-pitched voices that sing Japanese numbers? Together, they’re the number Pi, like in mathematics. I have no idea what it’s doing there, but it’s surely original.

I Believe ~Umi no Soko Kara~ is probably one of my favourite songs of all time. It’s hard to describe why exactly, but maybe it’s because it shows off her voice in almost all aspects. It goes from soft to powerful, from short to long tones, from low to high and back. This song is truly something. If you’re going to give KOKIA a chance, you should listen to this song most definitely.

Daiji na Mono wa Mabuta no Ura is the next track of the album. It has around the same atmosphere as I Believe ~Umi no Soko Kara~, but it hasn’t all the variations that song has.

And then, there’s the song with the interesting title ?. No, it’s not your computer not recognizing Japanese fonts – it’s just ?. It’s quite an upbeat song, especially the refrains. Very busy, as a contrast to the slower two previous songs.

Sigh is also quite upbeat and busy, though not as busy as ?. There’s not much to say about it – a nice song, though not a good one to read a book to. It’s quite distracting.

Finally, the album ends with the wonderful track Remember the kiss (duet “KOKIA & piano”). It’s a calm, soothing song, with a nice refrain. I really enjoy listening it, and the three other versions I have of this song. It’s one of those songs you’ll never get enough of.

All in all, Remember me is certainly a title to remember. Most songs are truly wonderful and should not be forgotten.

Contents

1. Chouwa~Oto~
2. Tsugi Au Toki wa
3. Say hi!!
4. The rule of the universe
5. Princess EHIME
6. Tenshi
7. Pinku no Zou
8. Hello passing days
9. Hana
10. Ningen tte sonna mono ne
11. Ashioto
12. Tomoni
13. a gift

 Trip trip is KOKIA’s second album, and considered her best by many (although some argue with The VOICE and Remember me).

The album starts of with Chouwa~Oto~, an excellent choice in my opinion. This song starts off in a rather exotic tone, which is almost hypnotic. KOKIA’s voice flows with the gentle, almost fairy tale like sounds of the background. Just when you’re getting used to it, a bass sound enters and KOKIA suddenly starts summing up numbers: 3-25-15-21-23-1, ‘Cyouwa’. Next, you hear long ‘aaah’s (the word sounds sillier than when you listen to it) before she suddenly starts off in a more upbeat sound, with no recognizable words in it. She’s reversed the Japanese lyrics, and the result is very exotic and special. The first ’bridge’ (as I call it, lacking a better word) is a small, merry piece, also in reversed Japanese. The second ‘bridge’ has the ‘aaah’s from the beginning, only with more background music to it. The number of instruments and voices keeps increasing, until the last sentence, which is almost sung in a capella. I simply adore this song because of all its sudden and unexpected twists – you can’t predict what will happen next.

Tsugi Au Toki wa is a more relaxed song, and it has this feeling of ’leaning back into your chair and do nothing’ to me, especially in the beginning. The essence of the song, though, is more like ‘I want to be reborn as anything, as long as I can be in the same place as you’. Halfway, the song becomes more upbeat, and KOKIA’s voice rises. A nice twist in the relaxed song. Unlike most other songs, this song ends more upbeat than that it started off.

Say hi!! is mostly sung in English, and it’s mostly about the first couple of weeks of dating (that’s what I made out of it, anyway). It really gives off that merry, happy feeling like you can handle the world and nothing can beat you off your pink cloud. Funny detail: one of her four dogs, Donna, is mentioned in the song.

Next is the rule of the universe, which is completely English, as the title has already suggested. It gives off quite a ’strong’ feeling, although it starts off rather calmly. After she mentions the ‘mountain’, the tempo goes up and the song becomes ‘busier’. It becomes more powerful, to go with the lyrics to reach that top of the mountain. It’s a bit of overwhelming, but I’ve come to really appreciate this song.

In short about the next song: Princess EHIME scares the hell out of me, although it is quite something. There is a dreamy atmosphere going on in this song: you can vaguely hear KOKIA’s voice as if she’s calling you in a dream, and the feeling I get from the music and her voice is indeed like a dream. The kind of dream in which you realize you’re at the point of reaching, understanding something, but you can’t grasp it. I noticed KOKIA’s voice slowly flows from the right to the left in my boxes, cooperating to get the dreamy atmosphere. It’s a haunty song, but I can appreciate it.

The next song is not so chaotic and haunty: it’s Tenshi, which would translate as ‘Angel’. It starts of gently, but the refrain really ‘burst’ out of the speakers. I really, really like it because of this sudden change. It’s not like Chouwa~Oto~, completely unpredictable, but I think it has just the right mixture of softness and power. Go KOKIA!

Pinku no Zou is one odd, odd song. The title translates as ‘pink elephant’, and the lyrics basically tell how one has suddenly changed into, yes, a pink elephant and is having fun like that. It starts with a single beat (bom, pam-pam, pam or something like that) that is constantly repeated during the song and gives it an exotic feeling. When you listen closely, you can hear a low, almost Indian singing in the beginning, while the main voice sings rather high-pitched. The constantly repeated ‘pinku no zou, pao-n pao-n’ may either get on your nerves or amuse you greatly. The last thing applies to me. It’s a funny song, and it really grows onto you after a while.

Hello passing days has some English words, but is most certainly not completely English (unlike the other songs with English titles). It is an upbeat song, pretty merry and cute. It’s not as unpredictable or specially composed as other songs on the album, but that doesn’t matter – it’s just a nice little song.

Hana on the other hand switches atmospheres, like a lot of other songs on this album. It starts off as a bit of a regular, slow song, but suddenly, it turns all exotic in the refrain. I had a hard time defining it, but it sounds like Middle-Eastern a bit… and yet it doesn’t. Hard to describe, great to listen to.

The next song is Ningen tte sonna mono ne, which has quite some strength in the refrain. I totally adore this song, maybe mostly because I understood the essence of the song before I had ever looked up the translation of the lyrics. Getting through hardships, helping each other, forgiveness – ‘that’s the way people are’, as the title translates. That feeling got to me even without the words, so I admire KOKIA for this song.

Ashioto is quite a relaxing song, nothing too complicated or extreme. Just a nice song for a switch.

Next is Tomoni, which has again a more exotic feeling. It’s a bit like Hana when it comes to atmosphere. The bridge sounds a bit odd in my ears, like it was played with a wooden flute. That odd sound makes it my least favourite part of the song, which I rather like overall. The last phrase is constantly repeated, until suddenly, the last words are a capella and the song ends quite abruptly. Which isn’t a bad thing, but actually a nice surprise.

The final song of the album is a gift, which starts with a short voice message of KOKIA and is – or so I believe, since I can’t find the lyrics – completely sung in English. It’s actually the very first song of KOKIA I heard, since it was used for a commercial that aired in 2005 in Europe and also here, in the Netherlands. It’s a very calm song and it remains calm until the end. KOKIA’s long tones near the end, accompanied by the chorus, are very well done and soothing.

Well, as you can tell by the long descriptions of each song, I was surely dragged into trip trip. Maybe it’s because it was my first album of KOKIA, maybe because it has so many special songs on it. One great album by one great artist.