Kana Nishino « Beyond the Sea ~ The Style. Edition

Kana Nishino – Motto…

October 29, 2009 at 2:48 pm | In Kana Nishino | 2 Comments
Tags: singles

Motto… (もっと・・・) is Kana Nishino’s 7th single and it was released on October 21, 2009. The single reached #6 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 28,416 copies.

OMG Where’s her hat!? *implodes*

♦ ♦ ♦

Kana Nishino continues her R&B streak with Motto…, a melancholy song that is along the same lines as Tookutemo feat. WISE and Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara. I gotta say that this song is very good and Nishino has never sounded better vocally. The piano has a pretty big role in the music and I just loved those short solo sections that lead into the chorus. Speaking of the chorus, it’s pretty catchy and features strong beats. This is an excellent A-side for sure!

When it comes to the B-sides…I thought they were okay. I’ve always been on and off with Nishino’s B-sides though (the only ones that I really like are Kirari and Shitsuren Mode feat. WISE). On this single, the first one is missing you, which is more of a ballad than the A-side. It’s nice but gets a little boring. Even so, it’s better than most of her previous B-sides. Then there’s Dear My Friends, the upbeat ”cute” song. I wasn’t really feeling it but at least the chorus is good.

Pros: Motto… is a great track and with enough listens, so is missing you.
Cons: Dear my friends, I wanna change. I won’t look back yesterday. =x

BASICALLY…I need more Kana, stat! I’m liking the direction she’s going.

Overall Rating

4 stars

Tracklisting

1. Motto… (もっと・・・)
2. missing you
3. Dear My Friends

Kana Nishino – LOVE one.

October 4, 2009 at 7:16 pm | In Kana Nishino | 5 Comments
Tags: albums

The cover of the CD only edition

LOVE one. is Kana Nishino’s debut album and it was released on June 24, 2009. The album reached #4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 127,115 copies. Also, it was preceded by SIX singles: I, glowly days, Style., MAKE UP, Tookutemo feat. WISE, and Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara.

Cute cover. The CD+DVD edition is exactly the same except the text is magenta or something.

♦ ♦ ♦

Love is passion. Love is kindness.
Love is trust. And love is happiness.
But sometimes love becomes helpless.
And then love makes you jealous.

I gotta be honest right now and say that I did not like Kana Nishino at first. When she released her first couple of singles in early 2008, I was annoyed by her high pitched voice. I just thought it didn’t match the kind of music she was singing, which was primarily pop. So I pretty much ignored her from then. Now let’s fast forward to 2009. She finally releases her debut album and I decide to have a listen despite my initial doubts.

Let’s just say that SHE WON ME OVER. =O

LOL But it’s true. I really like her now. I think the main reason is because of her transition into the R&B genre which happened in early 2009, a year after her debut. She still makes pop music but with the release of her 5th single Tookutemo feat. WISE, I thought she finally found something that worked for her. It also helped that her vocals improved too.

Focusing on the album again, LOVE one. is pretty much divided into two categories: upbeat pop and mid-tempo R&B. The earlier singles like I, glowly days, and Style. represent the album’s pop side and I don’t think they’re as bad as I used to think. However, her voice still sounds rough in them. I recommend MAKE UP though since it is the best out of those songs.

The R&B tracks showcase the album’s depressing side. Most of them are sad in some way but I also think that they are the best songs on the album. I absolutely love Life goes on… (my favorite new track) and Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara (my favorite A-side). The two exceptions are doll and candy which are both upbeat. candy is so silly because of its lyrics about how she compares boys to candy but it’s such a guilty pleasure. I can’t help but love it. =x

After giving this album multiple plays, I must say that it has grown on me a lot. There are a lot of catchy tunes on LOVE one. and Nishino’s voice can be good if she applies it correctly. That’s why I think the R&B flavored tracks are among the best on the album. If you compare them to her debut material, there is a considerable difference in quality. She also sounds a lot better too. With this album, I see (and hear!) nothing but improvement from her as she begins the next chapter of her career.

Pros: Kana + R&B = GOLD
Cons: Approach the early material with caution!

BASICALLY…get it, Kana! A solid debut album.

Overall Rating

4 stars

Tracklisting

1. *Prologue* ~Kirari~
2. Tookutemo feat. WISE (遠くても feat. WISE)
3. doll
4. Girlfriend
5. Kimi no Koe wo feat. VERBAL (m-flo)
君の声を feat. VERBAL (m-flo)
6. Style.
7. Life goes on…
8. I
9. candy
10. MAKE UP
11. glowly days
12. celtic
13. Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara (君に会いたくなるから)
14. *Epilogue* ~LOVE one.~