Mika Nakashima(中島美嘉) - Tough Album Thoughts(J-music)

Tracklist

1. 花束(Bouquet)
2. Forget Me Not
3. 恋をする(Fall In Love)
4. Fighter
5. TOUGH
6. 僕が死のうと思ったのは (I Thought I Would Have Died)
7. Birukaze Swimming School feat. SALU (ビルカゼスイミングスクール)
8. MISSING YOU
9. 愛詞 (あいことば)(Love Poetry)
10. indigo
11. 愛の歌(Love Song)
12. Best Friend (ベストフレンド)
13. Gift
14. Alone

 



 
  After four or five years of releasing singles that weren't consecutive, Mika Nakashima decided to release her eight studio album entitled Tough. It is tough out there in the Japanese music industry. Especially for artists that are not idols who debut in the early 2000s. Mika Nakashima is a artists that very well known in Japan for her songstress voice that can bring life to a ballad in her sleep. She also one of the few female artists that had a debut number one hit album. Then continued to hit number one through out her career. Tough only sold 9000 plus copies, her lowest first week album sales of her career. It still made top ten at number 8 though. I do have to question if her record label promoted Tough like they were suppose to.

   I was bracing myself to knock my head up against the wall before listening to Tough. I say this because I didn't like any of the singles that came out before the album's release.(I only liked a B side song on the Forget Me Not Single.) Nakashima's music ranges from Jazz and Blues to Ballads and Rock. When I was younger, I didn't appreciate her music at all. No more than listening to her ballads, I was exposed to Nakashima through the Nana live action adaptations. Nana was a hugely popular manga and anime that centered around two girl's love lives and music. Nakashima took on the role and changed her whole musical direction for the film. She continued to preform rock influenced music after Nana was over but her actually style of music is Jazz, Soul, Pop, and Ballads. I didn't care too much for her actual style of music when I was young but I loved her more rocker style. This album is named after a track on the album also called Tough. Tough as a sole track proves that you can't take Nana out of Mika Nakashima completely. Kind of like 2013's single Love is Ecstasy, that was the odd track out on the album Real. Rock driven tracks feel more at home on Tough than they would on Nakashima's previous albums. While she waste no time reminding us why she is one of the best female ballad singers in Japan, Tough doesn't linger around on the Jazz/Soul aspect of her music anymore. Its almost like Nakashima and producers wanted this album to have a more serious take on love and loss. Some of the singles for the album have her singing her old Jazz infused pop numbers but they don't resonate as stand alone tracks to me. Forget me Not wasn't a song that I was fond of as a single but the album's lineup helps to make the song sound better if your just listening to it while passing through from listening to another song. The collaboration with Rapper SALU was probably the most experimental track as both artists combined their artist genius perfectly. Nakashime doesn't do many tracks that feature a rapper and now we know that when she does, she's still very much in control of how the well sound. The collaboration has this Jazz lounge vibe thats very much her but SALU jumps in a hold down his parts with finesse.  The other collaboration called fighter was a disappointment to see on the album for me. I'm a Kato Miliyah fan so I've heard this single more than a would have liked. Its a good song, don't get me wrong but now its feels like its being recycled a bit. Both artists have released this song on their albums now. I don't want to see hear this song anymore. I didn't get the chance to listen to gift before listening to this album. Miliyah and Nakashima sing together pretty well considering their voices are different. Brand new songs could have taken Fighter and Gift's places in my opinion though.  僕が死のうと思ったのは Is a alternative pop rock track that I loved the most. I'm happy that this album is leaning more toward the alternative rock genre than her pervious albums. Missing You also showed that Nakashima wants a bit of change in music expression. The track starts with dark vibrant violins and a base beat that casts a shadow over the overall track's sound. The ballads in Tough are beautiful territory to tread in if you like ballads. 花束 Is the opening song that made me miss her singing ballads that showcased that range her voice has. The Track's choruses feel bigger and more determined to prove a point here than a lot of the tracks on her last album, Real.

   Mika Nakashima's voice has a silkyness in its lower register and a heavenly tone when she vocalizes in falsetto. Man, she has such a harmonious falsetto that it could make the toughest man cry. Her deeper tone defiantly helps her when she sings Jazz and Rock songs. She has the voice to sing Opera also if she ever wanted to. I used to didn't think that her kind of voice would fit with either genre of Rock or Jazz but her producers create songs that fit the structure of her voice. No matter if it's rock or ballads. The notes for her vocals are always written so its a Mika Nakashima song.  

   Tough was another very solid album for Japanese music this year. It does bother me that this album didn't get a higher position on the charts. I do believe it was because she's not being promoted like she used to a few years ago. I'm happy she at least got top ten but we talking about an artist that used to get top spot. I also have to look and see who's album came out the same week as her's.