Mika Nakashima Review
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Artist:
I don't normally post reviews, but I was re-reading the Yes review I wrote a couple of months ago and thought I'd post it here.Mika Nakashima - Yes [Released Mar 2007]
01. I Love You(Album Ver.) 02. Mienai Hoshi 03. Sunao na Mama 04. Cry No More 05. All Hands Together 06. Dance With The Devil 07. Black & Blue 08. Joy 09. The Dividing Line 10. My Sugar Cat 11. Yogoreta Hana 12. Going Back Home 13. Kinenka 14. What a Wonderful World This is Mika's first "proper" album after the release of the The End (for Nana 2), so it's quite different from her previous release. Instead of continuing on from where she left off with Music she's gone with a different type of music altogether. It's not a style of music I would usually find myself listening to, but because it's Mika I bought it. Unlike her previous releases, Yes is a concept album with all the songs based around the genres of Blues, Jazz and Gospel (and at times there's even a little bit of a Country!) So it's not a genre I've ever listened to before. And as I'm typing this I know this doesn't sound like a great album, and if I were reading this without hearing it, the words Gospel and Country would really have put me off! Since this is a concept album, I'm not going to review every single track, as I'll being to repeat myself. I think what works with this album is that none of the genres Mika's covers are too "in your face". Yes, there are some upbeat tracks like the funky Black & Blue and Dance With the Devil. (Black & Blue is one of my favourites and contains some very catchy riffs!). But if, like me, this style of music isn't your usual cup of tea, then it is easier to get in into. Of the two gospel-heavy tracks All Hands Together and Cry No More, AHT will take a while to grow - if it does. AHT did take a while to grow on me, but Cry No More is brilliant! There are only a few Mika-style ballads on this album (though none to rival Oborozukiyo~Inori) such as Mienai Hoshi, Sunao na Mama and I Love You [Album version], a cover of the Ozaki Yutaka song, which now has more of a country "twang" to fit in with the rest of the album. Two of my favourite songs are the coutry inspired ones Going Back Home and Yogoreta Hana . The latter is a more positive sounding song whilst Going Back Home is a slower, perhaps sadder sounding song, though still mid-tempo like Yogoreta Hana. The mellow The Dividing Line is another favourite, with some lovely vocals from Mika. I especially like way she sings "Everyone say yes" at the end of the song. Although this album doesn't stand out, perhaps due to the mellow feel to it, and might not be "totally amazing", it's still a great album. I think that's what I like so much about it - it's just a "nice" album to listen to, especially when you want to relax. There are some tracks on the album which could take a while to grow - these are the ones I find you may not appreciate on first, or even second or third listenings or as a standalone track, but they work with the album. (I've found that with a few Mika singles, some tracks can only be appreciated as part of an album). I also really enjoyed Mika's vocals on this album on tracks like All Hands Together & Black Blue and her understated style of singing on tracks like The Dividing Line, Going Back Home & Yogoreta Hana. So if you want to find some a bit different, or are looking for something mellow (with a few upbeat) tracks to listen to, then I'd recommend Yes. It'd might not be the most amazing album in your collection, but it really works when you're in the mood for it!
01. I Love You(Album Ver.) 02. Mienai Hoshi 03. Sunao na Mama 04. Cry No More 05. All Hands Together 06. Dance With The Devil 07. Black & Blue 08. Joy 09. The Dividing Line 10. My Sugar Cat 11. Yogoreta Hana 12. Going Back Home 13. Kinenka 14. What a Wonderful World This is Mika's first "proper" album after the release of the The End (for Nana 2), so it's quite different from her previous release. Instead of continuing on from where she left off with Music she's gone with a different type of music altogether. It's not a style of music I would usually find myself listening to, but because it's Mika I bought it. Unlike her previous releases, Yes is a concept album with all the songs based around the genres of Blues, Jazz and Gospel (and at times there's even a little bit of a Country!) So it's not a genre I've ever listened to before. And as I'm typing this I know this doesn't sound like a great album, and if I were reading this without hearing it, the words Gospel and Country would really have put me off! Since this is a concept album, I'm not going to review every single track, as I'll being to repeat myself. I think what works with this album is that none of the genres Mika's covers are too "in your face". Yes, there are some upbeat tracks like the funky Black & Blue and Dance With the Devil. (Black & Blue is one of my favourites and contains some very catchy riffs!). But if, like me, this style of music isn't your usual cup of tea, then it is easier to get in into. Of the two gospel-heavy tracks All Hands Together and Cry No More, AHT will take a while to grow - if it does. AHT did take a while to grow on me, but Cry No More is brilliant! There are only a few Mika-style ballads on this album (though none to rival Oborozukiyo~Inori) such as Mienai Hoshi, Sunao na Mama and I Love You [Album version], a cover of the Ozaki Yutaka song, which now has more of a country "twang" to fit in with the rest of the album. Two of my favourite songs are the coutry inspired ones Going Back Home and Yogoreta Hana . The latter is a more positive sounding song whilst Going Back Home is a slower, perhaps sadder sounding song, though still mid-tempo like Yogoreta Hana. The mellow The Dividing Line is another favourite, with some lovely vocals from Mika. I especially like way she sings "Everyone say yes" at the end of the song. Although this album doesn't stand out, perhaps due to the mellow feel to it, and might not be "totally amazing", it's still a great album. I think that's what I like so much about it - it's just a "nice" album to listen to, especially when you want to relax. There are some tracks on the album which could take a while to grow - these are the ones I find you may not appreciate on first, or even second or third listenings or as a standalone track, but they work with the album. (I've found that with a few Mika singles, some tracks can only be appreciated as part of an album). I also really enjoyed Mika's vocals on this album on tracks like All Hands Together & Black Blue and her understated style of singing on tracks like The Dividing Line, Going Back Home & Yogoreta Hana. So if you want to find some a bit different, or are looking for something mellow (with a few upbeat) tracks to listen to, then I'd recommend Yes. It'd might not be the most amazing album in your collection, but it really works when you're in the mood for it!
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