06. POSSIBILITY (1984.10.10)

01. Southern Wind

From Singles 1982-1991: "While I certainly love all of her previous singles, this is where I think Nakamori comes alive. Southern Wind is an excellent, excellent song. The thing that really strikes me about this one is balance. The music is hard and heavy, but not overbearing. The vocals fit perfectly. Southern Wind is a wonderful example of finally getting it all right."

We're off to a great start!!

02. Aki wa Pastel Touch

For whatever reason...I absolutely adore this song. It's just so damn sweet and overly 80s. It isn't even that good. The singing is uncharacteristically shaky...but it all kinda comes together to make this fantastically catchy song with some great guitar work. If you know this song, you probably think I've lost my mind...but this is probably my favorite song on the album. Well...besides Southern Wind. There is some tough competition ahead as well...

03. October Storm -10gatsu no arashi-

Another great song. I think the early 80s turned into the mid 80s between tracks two and three of this album. I may have actually pinpointed the exact moment in time...

Anyway. While this song is an incredibly catchy and upbeat rock song, it isn't without it's flaws. The reverb is a bit much and the ending just falls on it's damn face. The great guitar work in the middle can't even save it. The ending of this song just kinda...happens.

04. Refrain

From Singles 1982-1991: "Refrain itself is another slow ballad.".

I intended to flesh out my review of this song, but I really don't have much to add. How this ended up on both a single AND an album is beyond me...

05. Chiheisen

I don't really know what to make of this one. It starts off sounding like it's going to be a ballad and eventually turns into...the theme song from The Godfather? Regardless, it's a decent song that suffers from a minor identity crisis.

06. Aishuu no Midnight

A well-polished jazz track. While her previous jazz tracks only seemed to follow the gist of what smooth actually is, this one actually lives up to it. I wouldn't call this one of my favorites, but it's definitely one I dig. Considering this album gets a  lot of play from me, I hear it quite often.

07. Jikkai (1984)

From Singles 1982-1991: "Again, another flippin' great song. Jikkai (1984) is just as surgically tight as Southern Wind. In fact, everything I said about Southern Wind applies here. This is pop song perfection."

Awesome song, but it doesn't entirely feel at home on this album. Ah well.

08. Shiroi mayoi

It sounds like an upbeat version of a future hit, Nanpasen. The structure is incredibly similar. It isn't nearly as much of a bummer.

09. Blue Misty Rain

While we still have one more track, this is technically where the album ends. Damn. This song is not only great, Nakamori sings quite a bit of English in it. Without skipping too much ahead (just you wait...) English has been fairly prevalent in her songs for the past thirty years. It kinda started here.

It's hard to say what I like this most about this slick jam, but it's great way to end our normal broadcast.

10. Dramatic Airport -Kita Wing Part II-

You read that right. Kita Wing........Part II!

If you don't remember, Kita Wing was Nakamori's seventh single. It has a super-memorable hook and is beloved by all. It would be incredibly risky to slap it's name on another song and call it a sequel.

You know what? It works. Musically, this song nails the whole follow-up thing. It has just the tiniest lashes of Kita Wing sprinkled in. It has the DNA, but is it's own separate thing. The whole thing is kinda fascinating to be perfectly honest.

They pulled it off. Well done. It sounds great, too!

OVERALL: This album, in my opinion, is where things really start to get serious. It's only fitting that the lead track is the single where my opinion is shared (let's face it, Nakamori had two careers in the 80s--selling albums and selling singles). She had really come into her own.

The only issue is...her singing is way less than perfect on this album. I don't get it. The imperfections scattered throughout almost seem intentional. This is the oldest of her albums that I listen to almost weekly. It's incredibly good in an a mysterious kind of way. This album was the start in a long and consistent string of excellent albums. From here on out every album manages to establish some that was dreadfully lacking in the past--identity.

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