Mika Nakashima - Yes
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Mika NakashimaEdition: Music CD
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2007-03-26
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- I Love You (Album Ver.)
- Japanese Title
- Japanese Title
- Cry No More
- All Hands Together
- Dance With The Devil
- Black & Blue
- Joy
- Dividing Line
- My Sugar Cat
- Japanese Title
- Going Back Home
- Japanese Title
- What A Wonderful World
Free Music Notes for Yes
Free Music Review: Different from her other albums, but good.
Hit: 5 Stars
If you're familiar with Japanese entertainer Mika Nakashima's music, you know that it's a mix of old jazz and ballads with a bit of rock, soft reggae, and even alternative rock. This 2007 release has her returning to that safe zone of 'soft pop,' but also blends blues, gospel, and even country into the mix for the first time.
In a way, I thought that this album was better than her previous End album, which came out only three months before this, because of its more relaxed pace (but then 'The End' itself was also quite appealing). Here are the songs and my comments:
1. I Love You (Album Version): This is a cover of Japanese musician Yutaka Ozaki's 1991 hit single (he died the following year). Mika's vocals fit the mood of the song nicely and the arrangement is quite pleasant, although the original version is the best.
2. Mienai Hoshi (Invisible Star): Although this song reminds me of earlier Mika hits like 'Will,' it stands out among the rest of the tracks here with its soft and light, yet bittersweet, arrangement and melody.
3. Sunao na Mama (The State of Honesty): Superb 1970s-style ballad that doesn't sound 'hip-hop' in the least, but captures the essence of old Motown-style R&B.
4. Cry No More: Brilliant first attempt at a blues single for Mika.
5. All Hands Together: Recorded with Allen Touissant, Cyril Neville (of the Neville Brothers!), and others, this underappreciated song is Mika's first attempt at a gospel-jazz track that has some delightful gospel chants and an AMAZING drum solo! This song was dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
6. Dance with the Devil: This is good, too, except it's in a more rock-orientated style.
7. Black & Blue: Fun uptempo jazz number.
8. Joy: Gentle piece that places emphasis on the piano and Mika's vocals. This song is in full English.
9. The Dividing Line: Delicate mixture of old R&B and soft pop. The English lines that conclude the song ('Everywhere is yes/Everything is yes...') is guaranteed to raise anyone's spirits.
10. My Sugar Cat: This song starts with a light flute solo and leads into a melodic 5-minute reggae song that Mika wrote about her cat.
11. Yogoreta Hana (Tainted Flower): A country twang is incorporated into Mika's music for the first time, and this is a wonderful, happy-sounding piece complete with an electric guitar solo.
12. Going Back Home: Melancholy, but sweet, country ballad.
13. Kinenka (Song of Prayer): Actually, this is the only song I don't care for very much on this album. It's nice but not as attention-grabbing as some of the other songs, so I prefer to skip over this one.
14. What a Wonderful World: Everyone knows this song. Louis Armstrong's original version is still the best, but Mika pays incredible, dare one say 'little-known,' tribute to him and closes this album successfully with this cover. (Be prepared to take out the tissues!)
FINAL EVALUATION: Judged from the overall quality of most of the songs, any 'misses' here are outweighed five-fold by the 'hits.' Mika's vocals may not be 'strong,' but she handles even the toughest vocally challenging genres showcased here with almost no difficulty. 'Yes' is probably the best album I've heard released by any female artist in 2007 (no offense to others). If you want something mellow, then this album is recommended for you.
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