01. URAGIRI
Jesus. The title alone should give us a clue about what type of album we're in for. It's even written as URAGIRI in romaji.
Despite being a bit of a downer, this song is a pretty solid start to what was the final album from her days at Warner/Pioneer and nearly her life in general.
02. Akai fushigi (Mystery)
Another slow one, but this one has some nice tricks to it. The music is well put together and, of course, the singing is on point. This is reminiscent of 1983/84 Nakamori.
03. Sayonaraja owaranai
A bit on the soft side, but a decent track nonetheless. It kinda reminds me of OH NO, OH YES! without the catchy hook.
04. LIAR
Ooof. I did talk about this one previously in my Singles 1982-1991 review. I like the song, but as I have been clamoring for songs to be singles from the last few albums, this had to be the first one since 1985 to appear on an album and single?? It was a number one song, though. What do I know?
On the serious, I like the song...but I kinda don't like the circumstance behind it's likely selection.
05. Ranka
This one is an old-school slow song. Again, this is very reminiscent of some of her early work--just with some slight updates.
06. Close Your Eyes
A slick little jazz number that is a much welcome change of pace. The fake drumbeat is kinda on the blah side, but I actually dig this song as a whole. The singing isn't unlike what was heard on CRIMSON.
07. Standing in Blue
I like this one too. It's on the light side, but has enough chops to be unique. The underlying horns and weird, umm, piano "chop" effect make it just a little more memorable than it could have been.
08. Kaze wa sora no kanata
A slow song that is closer to being a concept song than anything else. There are some odd fragments spaced throughout. It's a good song, if a little disjointed. The singing is great, though.
09. SINGER
For me, this is probably the standout song on the album. I know it mostly from it's use during the Yume Live 1991 tour. It's a great jazz number.
10. Ame ga futteta...
A slow song, but it does have some life to it. I suppose compared to a lot of the normal fare on this album, this is probably the best choice for the closing track. As it ventures more into the ballad territory, it's also a little bit of a throwback. The use of an orchestra kinda brings that point home.
OVERALL: This album, while definitely not a favorite of mine, actually remains a popular one among fans. As I mentioned earlier, this was her final album released at Warner. I suppose going out on this note is a little more fitting rather than rocking the house with Stock or confusing the fans with Fushigi. The writing was on the wall. Eerily enough, this album was recorded in Hit Factory in New York City. Famous for many things, chief among which is that it was the last place that John Lennon was said to have recorded before his death.
Nakamori was in full breakdown mode right around the time this album was released, and only three more single would be released before the economic bubble burst. Anyone who had a career in 1991 suddenly didn't by 1992.
Next time I explore the first release of post-bubble Nakamori. She'll have a new label, a new team, and a new sound...maybe.
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