鬼束ちひろ – DOROTHY October 28, 2009
	1. A WHITE WHALE IN MY QUIET DREAM 2. Kagerou (陽炎) 3. X 4. Storyteller (ストーリーテラー) 5. STEAL THIS HEART 6. I Pass By 7. Kaerimichi wo Nakushite (帰り路をなくして) 8. Losing a distance 9. Last Melody (ラストメロディー) 10. Hotaru (蛍) 11. VENUS

After the disaster that was LAS VEGAS, I was praying and hoping that I would actually like her next album — hoping that LAS VEGAS was just Onitsuka recovering from her surgery and just a slight misstep from her older musical works. Let’s face it: I love Onitsuka to bits, but I was so disappointed with her last album. The singles worried me a bit since most of them didn’t really stand out to me (partially because I lost interest after listening to her last album) and quite frankly, the pig on the cover is horrifying. I was concerned. That was, until I actually started listening to the album.

The introduction, A WHITE WHALE IN MY QUIET DREAM reminds me so much of Native American music. It’s simply Onitsuka’s voice over some hand-hit drums. It’s haunting from the beginning and the lyrics of the song are actually quite poetic and beautiful. I was worried that Onitsuka lost her touch from musicality in the last album, but it’s entirely back on this track. She works with the melody with her voice really well with the softer parts of the song and the crescendos into some of the slightly louder parts. The last note of the introduction is done really well with the plosive (the [t]) being pronounced at the very end of the long note.

陽炎 seriously revives my faith that Onitsuka’s voice is recovering slowly and surely. It’s a beautiful, dreamy ballad. The song has a slight little echo put on both Onitsuka’s voice and the accompaniment and feels quite a bit like a journey on calm waters. The melody is absolutely gorgeous and the accompaniment adds a nice ethereal quality to the song. Onitsuka’s singing is controlled and well-supported and I love slight wave-like push she makes with the nuances of the dynamics and articulation of her presentation. She sings in a legato manner, but the song still pushes forward through emphasis.

I have a bit of a love-hate for X, I’ll admit. I love the music and composition; I’m not too fond of Onitsuka’s singing in the track. To be blunt: Onitsuka’s singing here is weak and her pitch goes all over the place, especially when she tries to sing stronger in the chorus and you can hear her voice start to waver on the higher, forte notes. Her singing is nowhere where it should be in terms of power on this track and she’s mostly buried by the rest of the accompaniment of the song. What Onitsuka lacks in vocal power here, she makes it up barely by her compositions skills on this track. Seriously, the song itself is fantastic. I love the haunting piano at the beginning and how she builds up to the chorus. When the electric guitars come in, the melody and the accompaniment takes a bit to adjust to each other (the rhythms aren’t quite entirely together), but it fixes itself quickly. The strings add a stronger dramatic feel to the song, especially when it first comes in with the staccato notes when it comes in and the flurry of notes during the chorus. The horrifying singing in the bridge does not help the song at all. If I wanted to listen to dying, airy vocals, I would have gone elsewhere.

ストーリーテラー (Storyteller) is one of my personal favourite new tracks on this album. It drops into the folk realm and Onitsuka does it perfectly. It’s such a great difference between this and how she sang in X. She does this track with confidence and a lot more support for her voice. She has quite a bit of attitude and style with how she starts off the song where she kind of slurs most of her phrasing. The acoustic guitar is calming but again adds quite a bit of style into the track, especially in its solo lines after the chorus. The “Hey” in the chorus is a little thin but otherwise, I enjoy this track quite a bit.

I always get a good laugh out of the STEAL THIS HEART PV every time I listen and watch it. I’m a bit of a fan of retro rock (I reference my liking of “Superfly” as proof here), but STEAL THIS HEART doesn’t quite do it for me, mostly because the vocal filter is really annoying and really quite alienating. Otherwise, the song is actually fun and I don’t really see much problem about it aside from whatever the hell they did to Onitsuka’s voice — she sounds like she’s swimming in water, seriously. On a side note beyond the filter, Onitsuka’s singing is enthusiastic and well-supported and the song itself is fine. Not my favourite, but I would like to see Onitsuka try something like this again, without the stupid filter.

I adore this new version of I Pass By, despite how terrible the Darksmoke Version was. It sounds so much better upbeat and full of fun, upbeat guitars supporting Onitsuka’s singing. Her performance is really quite good, especially with how she accents every note effectively and gives a rather lively performance of this song. I’m so glad the original version of this song is so much better — it adds an entire personality to the track, which was lacking in the initial version she released on her single. It’s fun, it’s addictive and Onitsuka pulls it off entirely. This definitely competes for my favourite new track off the album.

The instrumentation at the beginning of 帰り路をなくして is possibly her best introduction yet. It begins with a lower strings playing long notes with a higher string playing descending and ascending notes at the beginning. Both of these together create a fantastic, dreamy quality to the track. Onitsuka’s entrance into the track is delicate and sombre to match the mood of the track and it’s done perfectly. Again, her voice has the echo filter to it, and it’s rather fitting for this track. Some of the phrasing on the track could be a bit more interesting, especially around halfway where she starts to sing similar notes for the melodic line, it doesn’t really sound like she’s going anywhere with them dynamically before the chorus. It just sounds like she’s sitting there, waiting for the chorus to kick in before not doing anything with the chorus melody. Too bad she dabbles in and out of mechanical phrasing because some of the delivery on the verses is really excellent. The key change does add a nice dimension to the track by making it more dramatic, although Onitsuka starts to strain herself a tiny bit with the notes in that last bit. However, Onitsuka is definitely improving from the singing from her last album at the very least.

At first I couldn’t remember what Losing a distance sounded like from looking at the title, then I listened to it and remembered this track as that soft ballad with the interesting key changes in the progression of the piano chords at certain parts of the song. Although it’s a delicate little ballad, it has its interesting compositional moments from the little bar or two of a different key. This is actually done really well as it blends into the rest of the song perfectly, especially since those piano chords, without the key change occur during the song quite a bit. This little compositional quirk is what brings this simple song from sounding too simple, and I like it. The song is rather light otherwise, and I don’t even really remember the melody of this song that well but it’s a nice, soothing track.

Amusingly, ラストメロディー is actually my favourite single track prior to this album (along with 陽炎). We’re back into the ambient sound and most of my love for this song is from the piano lines that open this track. It’s similar to 陽炎 but much brighter and upbeat in tone. This is a total ambient song in the accompaniment, and it all adds a rather “magical” sound to the accompaniment while Onitsuka sings a rather assertive-sounding melody. This is a much more melody-driven song and Onitsuka presents it perfectly with a bit of a hurt in the softer sections of the song and a stronger delivery in the chorus. I personally really like the little a capella part near the end of the track.

I always forget about 蛍. I in fact always forgot she released it, probably because it was the single that came right after LAS VEGAS (AKA when I really didn’t care to listen to her as much). This is probably the closest song to her older ballad style. It has the ongoing piano chord, and surprisingly, Onitsuka doesn’t sound too bad on it. It’s much more simplistic in accompaniment with the constant piano chord, and some soft string and acoustic guitar lines accompanying her. Onitsuka’s voice sings beautifully throughout the track and with plenty of assertiveness in the track. The melody is delivered very well, even considering that this was released just after LAS VEGAS. It’s simple and it’s done well.

The final track is also the longest track on the album. VENUS is a ballad which opens with gorgeous harp and piano lines over some more strings playing long notes in the background. It’s a bit noisy in comparison to when Onitsuka comes in, but that’s a small thing. I even hear a little bit of traditional instruments in the background of the track. The track isn’t quite as interesting as I hoped it would be though. Onitsuka’s performance is a little bland. The arrangement is definitely stunning though and really quite well put together as it has so many elements that just come together really well. The melody is nice, but again, I’m not too convinced with Onitsuka’s performance here. It’s like she crawled back into LAS VEGAS-land and decided not to emote again. I guess it’s a good thing that the arrangement for this track is ridiculously stunning because it definitely gives me something else to focus on. You gotta admit that the arrangement is really, really excellent.

Onitsuka Chihiro’s latest effort, DOROTHY is definitely an improvement over LAS VEGAS. Onitsuka’s singing is definitely a lot better on this album and she’s regaining her ability to emote, although some of the track still go back into some bad habits from her last album. Is she back vocally? Not quite, but she’s definitely getting there. Even if I really don’t expect her to regain her old vocal prowess entirely, it’s nice to actually hear improvement from her. One thing that her break from Toshiba-Emi did to her music is that it’s actually letting experiment a bit more with different styles instead of being forced to sit comfortably in ballads. Quite frankly, it’s a good thing because her compositional skills definitely show that she’s capable; I actually like the composition of all of these tracks. While I don’t enjoy her vocal performance all the time on the album, I do like all the songs on this album.

Favourites:
ストーリーテラー

Artist: 鬼束ちひろ (Onitsuka Chihiro)
Album/Single: SINGLES 2000-2003
Release Date: September 7, 2005

1. シャイン (SHINE)
I’m more familiar with Onitsuka’s ballads, so I’m a little surprised that her debut was something more upbeat. I’m not surprised that it’s pretty good though. Onitsuka has always been known to me as a talented songwriter. I always love the piano parts of her songs as well because they’re so well incorporated into all her songs. Onitsuka certainly has a very unique tone to her voice, but I don’t think she showcases the best vocals when it comes to this song. She gets a bit too throaty and there isn’t much flow out of her phrases (though there is a decent amount going into them). In any case, the song is quite nice and even though I mentioned the downsides to her singing on this track, everything was still quite well done anyway.

2. 月光 (Gekkou)
I believe this was the first song I heard from Onitsuka, and that was a while back (I’m not sure if I even had met Megumi yet). “Gekkou” is a beautiful and emotional ballad. The piano and strings accompaniment are simply gorgeous and compliment Onitsuka very well. She sounds very at home singing this song, and there’s a certain tenderness and spark in her voice that was missing in her debut. I really love the flow she has throughout the entire song and the phrasing is superb. Onitsuka exceeded expectations with this breathtaking ballad.

3. Cage
Moving into something that’s a bit more acoutic pop in nature, “Cage” is more upbeat while still carrying a good deal of musicality in Onitsuka’s performance. I really like the melody of this song. It’s calming and uplifting at the same time, an effect created by the different atmospheres created the verse and choruses. I’m convinced at this point that Onitsuka excels at ballads, because she seemed to get more breathy while singing this song which is considerably more upbeat than “Gekkou”. She doesn’t seem to be projecting as well as I expected her to. “Cage” is a very nice song though, so it’s still worth listening to.

4. 眩暈 (Memai)
Keeping with the very strong ballads Onitsuka is known to put out, “Memai” is another very beautiful piano-based ballad. I still prefer “Gekkou” over this however. Onitsuka comes in and out with her moments for this song. At times she’s sounding untouchable, but I find her still considerably more breathy than the previous ballad. “Memai” certainly has it’s own qualities and strengths, but it just doesn’t seem to stick as well as “Gekkou”.

5. edge
I’m impressed that Onitsuka released a double A-side consisting of ballads. “edge” takes the acoustic pop direction over the piano ballad sound, and I think this song only solidifies my opinion that “Memai” was just okay. “edge” is definitely the better of the two ballads, with a beautiful melodic lines and simple accompaniment to go with it. I love the moving chorus, especially with the way Onitsuka is singing it. She’s carrying a good deal of musicality, and is singing well from beginning to end. She’s perfectly balanced with the song and the mood she’s trying to create.

6. infection
With the direction Onitsuka is taking, I don’t think I’ll be able to get enough of her ballads by the end of this album. “infection” is another piano ballad, but it really tugs at the heart strings. Onitsuka sings with a lot of emotion here, and I love her for it. The piano accompaniment is just lovely with the gentle counter melody in between sections. I like that she chose to use broken chords throughout, and they work really well in contrast with the long held notes by the strings. The ritardando right before the key change just made me melt, particularly when she came back in with much more power.

7. LITTLE BEAT RIFLE
Getting away from the big ballads, Onitsuka’s first poprock A-side is incredibly catchy. I’m really liking the improvement in her singing as well. She was already a pretty good vocalist, but her clearer tone here is worth noting. It also sounds like she’s singing with more confidence in these upbeat songs, so it’s nice to hear her expanding her talents as a vocalist. “LITTLE BEAT RIFLE” is a absolutely charming to listen to, and is definitely a nice, lighthearted counterpart to the very dramatic “infection”.

8. 流星群 (Ryuuseigun)
There wasn’t a big gap between Onitsuka’s first and second studio albums, but I’m very impressed by the progress she’s made as a songwriter and artist overall in such a short time period. When I describe “Ryuuseigun” here, it may not sound like there’s any difference to this pretty piano + vocal ballad than the others, but I think Onitsuka’s improved tone and songwriting are more than enough. There’s a certain charm to this song that makes me love it despite it not being anything particularly new. I particularly like the bridge and string interlude of this song as they worked well being the climax of the song.

9. Sign
I immediately noticed the change in Onitsuka’s tone yet again, and it’s mostly because she’s using a different one for “Sign” than any of the other ballads she’s sung so far. There is evidently far more control in her singing at this point than what she started out with. “Sign” is a very enjoyable, mellow acoustic pop track. It’s very simple in nature, and there may be nothing particularly special about it, however, it’s an incredibly relaxing song to tune into if you ever need anything relaxing.

10. Beautiful Fighter
Up until now, we’ve heard Onitsuka do light acoustic pop and dramatic ballads, but this is her first feature track that is edgier and has more attitude. I think it’s pretty evident that Onitsuka’s smooth voice does better with the gentler songs, but she’s handling this song quite well too. Her improved tone and control really help her tackle a song like this with a bit more ease. Her singing in this song is very crisp and clean, something I really like about it. It makes Onitsuka sound clearer and she comes off with a very pure sound. Maybe I could have used a touch more attitude from her (;D), but she really nailed this song nonetheless.

11. いい日旅立ち・西へ (Ii hi tabidachi nishi e)
This next ballad has a very classic sound to it. Onitsuka has a pretty mature voice that makes it easier for her to do a song like this with what seems like little effort. I love the very simple structure of every phrase and how they relate to one another. I honestly can picture this song being a powerful solo of some musical production. Onitsuka sings with her deep, luscious tone, but I think it would have been fun to hear her try to belt it out a little more just to toss things up a bit. What she did was perfectly fine though and resulted in a lovely ballad.

12. 私とワルツを (Watashi to WALTZ wo)
“Watashi to WALTZ wo” took a while to really get into for me. Next to the previous ballad, it didn’t seem to stand out too much at first, but after listening to it for a while, it really starts to grow on you. Musically, Onitsuka is doing well as she has been in the last several songs, but I thought the melody just didn’t suit her voice that well. The low verses seemed to be lost somewhere. I’m not sure if it was because the range was too low for her (which would have been my first guess), but it seems that she doesn’t quite reach the notes. The choruses are very moving, but at times it sounds like Onitsuka is straining slightly to get up there, and probably for no proper reason, she’s singing in a very breathy way again. It’s a bit strange that she fell into that habit after several clean recordings. I love the emotional value of this song, and especially that waltz section in in the middle of the song. ^^

13. We can go (summer radio mix)
This “summer radio mix” honestly sounds very light and summery. I love the light percussion used. It gives the song a little lifting sound overall, and turned the ballad from something that could have been serious to something more mellow and relaxing. I love the way Onitsuka sings in this song. There’s a touch of soul involved and Onitsuka sounds like she fits right in. Her vocals are very strong and with the acoustic accompaniment providing the right amount of support, she was put in the forefront of this song. There are times when I feel like she’s not the focus of the song and seeing as she has such a nice quality to her voice, she should be! It’s nice to hear her be at the centre of attention here.

14. Castle ・imitation
I’m really growing fond of Onitsuka’s non-ballad tracks which have improved immensely since her debut. She’s definitely singing with a lot more confidence overall and as a result, she’s singing out more. As a result, her technique overall has really improved. “Castle ・imitation” is a very good pop song. It has a great melody and was performed very well by Onitsuka. She does flip off a few notes in the chorus carelessly, but nothing too noticeable. I’ll admit though, I’m not too interested in this song and it’s pretty much only Onitsuka’s performance that catches my attention.

15. 守ってあげたい (Mamotte agetai)
What better way to end off Onitsuka’s collection than with another ballad. This song is absolutely gorgeous and along with the standard piano accompaniment, there is a light guitar part and a cello to go along with it. It sounds like the lower register is giving Onitsuka some minor troubles, but she’s still doing quite well. She builds nicely into the chorus from the verses, creating smooth transitions within the song itself. This is the perfect way to end off her album, and it seems like she couldn’t put a foot wrong.

Overall –
Favourite Track: Loved it all, more or less.
It may have taken me 6 years or more to truly appreciate Onitsuka Chihiro, but better late than never. I will never understand what was the deal of releasing two collections back-to-back, but in any case, this was an excellent representation of Onitsuka’s music. As good as she is though, I unfortunately did get a little tired of it at times because it was very ballad heavy. It also took a good chunk of the album before Onitsuka started to branch out a bit more with her music, so as beautiful as her ballads are, they can get a little tedious to listen to. I love how Onitsuka’s already good vocals improved over the course of three years. She really grew a lot as an artist. This album may be a bit dull because her A-sides don’t seem to stray too far from one another in terms of style. It does demonstrate her talent as a musician and recording artist though, so it’s likely her studio albums are more worthwhile to look into if you’re serious about giving her a try.

Artist: 鬼束ちひろ (Onitsuka Chihiro)
Album: Las Vegas
Release Date: October 31, 2007

1. Sweet Rosemary
The opening song is a soft song with a nice picked acoustic guitar accompaniment. The melody itself is quite nice, but for some reason it reminds me of a song she might have done before. However, the overall composition of the song is quite nice. However, what brings this song down is Onitsuka’s flat vocals. Her poor tuning and lack of vibrato is very evident in this song.

2. badtrip
Onitsuka opens this song poorly with some thin high notes, and her lack of vibrato is generally very disturbing to me. Either way, she still holds the emotion in her vocals that she had before. This song is rather haunting in composition with the droning piano lines and the long string notes accompanying it. The piano accompaniment is possibly my favourite part of this song as it vaguely dips into the accidentals in parts of the lines. The song ends with a Onitsuka’s voice over a simple cello line. It sounds awkward, but the majority of the song flows nicely and Onitsuka still knows how to emote very well through her vocals.

3. 蝋の翼
Onitsuka’s vocals sound a bit better at the beginning in terms of its pitch, but the lack of vibrato is still rather evident. She really needs to loosen up a bit; I feel like she’s holding back and she’s not as confident after her throat surgery. Either way, this is more of an midtempo pop song, and is a bit different from what we’re used to. The song itself is a pretty straightforward and doesn’t change much. However, Onitsuka doesn’t hold as much of an emotional punch in this song, and her pitch gets a little questionable as the song goes on.

4. 僕等　バラ色の日々
The next song opens with a string accompaniment, then a strong piano line over the strings. The lack of power of Onitsuka is a little disappointing, but I guess we shouldn’t expect that of her. Either way, she performs well enough to pull this emotional song off. I really enjoy some of the overlapping melodies in this, especially some of the counter melodies played by the strings. The addition of the percussion is certainly unexpected, and adds itself nicely to the song.

5. amphibious
The next song has a stronger rock sound to it with the incessantly pounding drum in the background and a driving guitar in the background. Onitsuka’s pitch tends to be a bit everywhere, and the vocals don’t have the power one would expect in such a song. The accompaniment is decent, although it tends to be messy throughout the song. Onitsuka does not pull off this song in any aspect.

6. MAGICAL WORLD (Album Version)
This next song opens with a heartwarming piano and string accompaniment. I love it. Onitsuka’s vocals are always much better in this song. I especially love the quicker moving chorus in this song to contrast the longer notes of the verses. The piano is especially well performed and compliments the song very well. The dynamic development near the end is especially well done.

7. A Horse and A Queen
I absolutely love the jazzy feel of the song from the beginning. The added brass at the beginning really adds a lot of colour to the opening. The melody immediately catches my attention with it’s constantly moving melody and arrangement of this song is really interesting. The addition of the strangely muted brass really adds a strange, but fascinating aspect to the overall sound of the song. Onitsuka’s singing is also a lot more solid than I’ve heard from this album so far. The little musical interlude with the jazz piano really adds to the song. I personally think Onitsuka could use a bit more development in this song, as I feel it’s a bit too repetitive without having much change throughout the song, especially in terms of her vocal.

8. Rainman (Album Version)
Perhaps I’m a speak more in favour of the single version, and I sometimes feel like the long introduction unnecessary. However, the added accompaniment is actually quite cute after the vaguely annoying introduction. It makes the song much more upbeat. Onitsuka’s vocals sound a bit distant as it has a bit of an echo to them. I personally don’t really enjoy her vocals in this track, but the accompaniment is quite cute despite the really silly opening and closing. I still prefer the simple piano accompaniment over this one as it lets her vocals drive the song rather than the amusing accompaniment. Plus, her vocals are slightly stronger on the single version.

9. Angelina
The opening string line really pulls me into the song itself after the piano line that comes before it. Onitsuka’s tone is still rather harsh and it’s rather upsetting to me as it pulls down the quality of this rather pretty song. Part of this is due to the lack of a stronger vibrato at times rather than some of the phrases she ends with a thin, harsh sound. As a result, I spend most of the song being distracted by her vocals rather than listen to some of the pretty arrangement decisions in this song. I do enjoy the last thing she sings in this song as she adds a tinge of desperation to the last note.

10. BRIGHTEN US
This is a hymn acapella song. The melody is quite nice and she sings it quite well with a nice vibrato. Her performance is a bit choppy as she sings through it and I think parts of it would have sounded better with a bit of legato rather than detached all the way through.

11. everyhome
As Onitsuka’s comeback single, I was completely taken by this song, and I’m convinced she should sing more like she does in this song for the majority of the songs in this album. Her vocals are still rather good in this song (aside from parts at the end when she attempts to belt), and she still holds power and emotion in this song even if she’s gone through a surgery. The solo piano accompaniment matches Onitsuka in power and emotion and is very well played throughout the song.

Overall -
Favourite Track: everyhome
Onitsuka Chihiro’s most recent album is a decent one. It doesn’t have the same emotional impact as her previous three albums, but I really didn’t expect it to since her throat surgery. Instead, she offers some rather interesting songs. While “Amphibious” was not a success, her attempt at the style is rather interesting, and I enjoyed her use of brass in “A Horse and A Queen”. Her vocals definitely do not have the same punch as before, but nevertheless, Onitsuka still writes some interesting songs to listen to. My greatest disappointment? Sodatsu Zasso isn’t on this album. It honestly kicks “amphibious” in the butt in terms of a heavier guitar sound. Nevertheless, Onitsuka Chihiro’s album is decent but is lacking the same emotional connection that we’re so familiar with. It’s just not the same.

Artist: 鬼束ちひろ (Onitsuka Chihiro)
Album: Sugar High
Release Date: December 11, 2002

1. NOT YOUR GOD
This opening track is completely in English, and while the melody is quite pleasant, the engrish is kind of distracting as well as the grammar errors. This song never really appealed to me: it’s fairly repetitive and there’s an immense lack of development throughout the song. The lack of vocal variety also brings the song down as it seems like Onitsuka simply sings several lines a few times throughout the three minutes of the song. Not a very strong opening track at all.

2. 声 (Koe)
This next track opens off with a very nice tone from Onitsuka and a very nice melody for the rest of the song. Unfortunately, nothing much happens in this song either other than the pretty melody as the presentation lacks a little more emotion and feels mechanical throughout the song. Even with the gorgeous accompaniment, Onitsuka just lacks a lot of emotional power that she has the ability to do.

3. Rebel Luck
Onitsuka sounds a bit more lively at the opening of this midtempo song. I enjoy the accompaniment for this song again, especially the bright piano in the background. However, Onitsuka still sounds vaguely bored throughout the piece despite her nice tone. Her performance is lacking any dynamics and any emotion.

4. Tiger in my Love
This is the first upbeat song from this album, and it fits Onitsuka much better this time around. The fast melodies are better represented by her accented delivery of the song. The accompaniment is lively and full of pulse and accents to help pull the song forward. In addition, the song is rather catchy albeit rather repetitive after awhile. However, Onitsuka displays a bit more variety in her vocals later on in this song.

5. Castle・imitation (album version)
This particular version has a bit of a Christmas feel to it as it has added bell-sounds in addition to the piano and strings. I personally find some of the accompaniment a bit mechanical in this piece, especially the ones playing the basic chord progression; however, Onitsuka’s vocals are much more emotional than in previous songs. The song itself is still quite pretty to listen to and is a pleasant piece.

6. 漂流の羽根 (Hyoryu no Hane)
I absolutely adore the introduction for this next song. The piano and low strings are gorgeous and create a lovely atmosphere. It draws the listener into the song with its constantly moving chords and arpeggio-like accompaniment. The melody for this song is absolutely gorgeous and explores a few higher notes. The ending note is a bit awkward sounding however, as I don’t think she ends on the tonic note; it makes you want more of the song.

7. 砂の盾 (Suna no Tate)
This next song opens with another gorgeous piano introduction, and Onitsuka’s entrance into the song is flawlessly added above the the piano accompaniment. This sombre song has a very nice flowing melody throughout the song.

8. King of Solitude
The next song has a simpler, thiner accompaniment which I don’t particularly find all that interesting. However, I find that Onitsuka performs this fairly well despite having a bit less emotion than she usually does. The middle part of the song is actually much more interesting to listen to as she puts a bit more effort into the

9. BORDERLINE
Onitsuka’s vocals seem much more vibrate here with a stronger support to her voice and the ominous chords at the beginning of the song really set the mood for this next song. The composition for the song fairly simple throughout, but I really love the addition to dissonant string lines near the middle of the song. The song is really linear aside from these dissonant lines. The slightly dramatic ending of the song is a nice addition to the song.

10. Castle・imitation
This next arrangement of Castle・imitation is mostly piano with a bit of string, guitar and percussion. Onitsuka’s vocals carry well throughout this song. The song is a nice ending to the album.

11. Castle・imitation (Instrumental)

Overall -
Favourite Track: 漂流の羽根
While I think this is possibly Onitsuka Chihiro’s weakest album from her first three albums, it is a decent listen. The album starts off slowly, and it takes awhile for Onitsuka to actually start showing off some emotional vocals throughout her songs. The album itself isn’t bad; it just isn’t as emotionally charged as it could have been. Her compositions are still consistently pretty, though.

Artist: 鬼束ちひろ (Onitsuka Chihiro)
Album: This Armor
Release Date: March 6, 2002

1. ROLLIN’
Onitsuka’s second album opens with an energetic acoustic and electric guitar lines. She continues to write lovely songs as his song is catchy and Onitsuka sings with energy throughout this catchy acoustic guitar song. The song is a bit too long and repetitive for my tastes though and I eventually stop listening to the song. It is nevertheless a rather catchy song.

2. 茨の海
Onitsuka goes back to a bit more of an ominous atmosphere for this next song which starts off with piano. While she starts off strongly in her vocals, it’s a bit disappointing at the end of the chorus when she starts to lack resonance and she actually lets her note fade off like she was out of breath. Considering how I know that Onitsuka is a brilliant singer, she doesn’t sing this song as passionately as I know she is capable of. The composition of the song is lovely with some sort of fipple flute in the background, but Onitsuka just does not deliver the powerful, passionate vocals we know her for and the song ends up being rather monotone.

3. シャドウ
I absolutely love the short string lines at the beginning over the sorrowful piano lines. Onitsuka regains her step in this next song which opens with a nice resonant lower note. While I still think Onitsuka seems to have chosen to not sing powerfully in these songs, it works a bit better with this song, although the lack of power and dynamic development in the vocals is a little unsettling. In any case, the song is still very pretty, although eventually gets boring due to the lack of change.

4. everything, in my hands
The next song starts off with a confident chord opening from the piano before the entrance of the upbeat string lines. The faster melody in this song definitely makes up for the lack of variety in the last two tracks. The melody of this song is very catchy, and I really love the string melody during the chorus. It is very well played and full of energy and enthusiasm. The strings in this piece are really fun to listen to. I particularly like how Onitsuka ends the vocal part of the song with her vocal, then a silence, then the strings taking over the end of the song.

5. Our Song
While Onitsuka’s English isn’t all that clear, I really like the amount of emotion she puts into this song. The minimal accompaniment with the light piano and acoustic guitar is very effective in this song. The melody for this song is very pretty and simple. Onitsuka’s vocals are well done, despite her higher notes being poorly supported and airy.

6. 流星群
I’ve always really loved this song. The opening piano and strings just really draws me into the song very well. The vocals I love from Onitsuka are back in this track as she sings with more confidence and adds power when needed in this song. Her tone is deliciously resonance and smooth. The composition of this song is just absolutely gorgeous and just flows extremely well. I always feel like I’m being transported into the song whenever I listen to it. I especially like some of the jazz elements in parts of the song, especially in some of the piano bits.

7. LITTLE BEAT RIFLE (album ver.)
This primarily piano arrangement of the song is very pretty. I like the simple piano accompaniment, and I adore the background vocal harmonies added during the chorus. The song itself is again very pretty,, but the chorus more or less is the reason why I adore this song. The chorus is mostly in English, and flows extremely well.

8. Arrow of Pain
Another piano ballad from Onitsuka. The song is a bit more subtle than some of her other songs, and it doesn’t require her to sing out as powerfully as she is able until the bridge, but it works in this particular case. The very pretty melody brings the song along and Onitsuka really shows off her gorgeous signature tone in this song rather than show off her power. A simple song with a gorgeous melody and vocal performance.

9. infection
The next track continues the dramatic depressing piano ballad we’ve come to expect from Onitsuka. And she does it wonderfully well. This is the passion and musical sensitivity that I she was lacking earlier, and I’m glad it’s back. I love how Onitsuka’s voice just rings really well with the lack of accompaniment in the verses (with only the piano playing until the strings sweep in). Emotional and gorgeous.

10. CROW
The final song of Onitsuka’s second has a brighter tone to end off the album. The opening features some unique bell sounds (if I remembered the actual name of them, I would say it XD. But it’s those pipe-like percussion instruments that sound like bells). The song itself is a bit on the slower side, but again Onitsuka comes up with another gorgeous melody that really shows off her vocals. Her vocals float through the song.

Overall -
Favourite Track: infection
Onitsuka Chihiro’s second attempt at an album is another solid piece of work. While the beginning starts off a bit slow with vocals which were lacking Onitsuka’s usual passion and power, she quickly comes back with much stronger vocals in the latter tracks. However, as a whole, the songs are absolutely gorgeous to listen to. Her first album, Insomnia, is still a stronger album, but This Armor is still a very strong album on its own.

Artist: 鬼束ちひろ (Onitsuka Chihiro)
Album: Insomnia
Release Date: March 7, 2001

1. 月光 (Gekkou)
The opening piano chords are absolutely haunting right from the opening: they’re soft and playing gently throughout the piece. Once Onitsuka’s deep voice comes in, I’m completely taken by the pure emotion she has in her voice. Onitsuka’s voice resonates wonderfully through this song, and I love the little string bits when she’s not singing that play the melody for her. I absolutely love when the piano, the guitar the strings intertwine with each other. The bridge here is epic and is a nice addition to the song.

2. イノセンス (Innocence)
The haunting sound of Onitsuka’s compositions continue with this next song. This dark song has a bit more of an echo sound, especially in the background effect that are added. The verse of this song switches a bit between the darker sound and a brighter sound, which I think is quite interesting. I also really love the intensity Onitsuka builds in the pre-chorus before the louder accompaniment come in for the chorus in an explosive manner which is vaguely unexpected. The dynamic progression in this song is quite interesting as she slowly builds up (eventually) to a strong forte in her song. Also, the constant switch between the haunting and the dramatic is what makes this particular song interesting.

3. BACK DOOR (album version)
The following song opens with another piano introduction that is simple and sounds vaguely brighter. This is quite a nice song melodically as well and like the majority of Onitsuka’s songs, it flows very well lyrically, and Onitsuka does an amazing job emoting and phrasing through the song. The simplicity of this song is what I really like in this song. The simple piano accompaniment, a cello (or some sort of lower string instrument) adding a quick bass line at times, a small group of background singers doing a simple vocal accompaniment for Onitsuka’s main vocals. The harmonies added by the background singers is quite nice.

4. edge
In a similar sound from the previous song, Onitsuka continues what she’s known for. The piano solo is accompaniment by a light acoustic guitar while Onitsuka’s voice soars over them. The chorus, however, in contrast with the previous song, has a stronger and more consistent accompaniment as they all slowly join into the song. There’s something very pleasant and soothing about this particular song as it has a more positive tone to it rather than a haunting tone.

5. We can go
If I could compare this song to some kind of object of nature, I would compare it to a bird flying over gorgeous landscapes. This song is just really soothing and relaxing to listen to. As usual, all the instruments are light and accompany the song well. The only difference in this song is that there’s some kind of weird blaring sound that occasionally plays; I can’t quite put my finger on as to what that is. XD In any case, the chorus has bi of a country feel to it, and I quite like it. I also really like the piano solo at the end: it has a slight jazz flavour to it, which is always a plus for me XD.

6. call
The piano here has a bit of a slow arpeggio sound to it, and under it there is a soft acoustic guitar and bongos playing in the background. I quite like the echo effect added to Onitsuka’s voice. It makes the song sound very spacious in its sound. The melody for the verses are quite brief, and leaves space for Onitsuka’s voice to echo a bit at the end of her phrases.

7. シャイン (Shine) (album version)
The opening passage in this next song is absolutely haunting, and I love the low tone that Onitsuka starts on in this song. They’re intense, emotional yet subtle. The build-up to the chorus is very well done and she pulls of a little drama in the chorus and I really like the part at the end of the chorus where she repeats on line in urgency. I love the second verse where she simply has a chord once for the beginning of a line; it’s a nice change to the four-note pattern she does one the piano for the majority of the song. Vocally, there is something so very emotionally raw about her performance, and something very deeply saddening about it all.

8. Cage
The next song is a nice contrast to the haunting tone of the previous track. The bright, high tones of the piano brighten up the atmosphere of the upbeat song. The quick moving (yet almost silent) electric guitar adds a nice amount of pulse to the verses itself, while the chorus is driven by the quick changing notes in the melody. The post-chorus piano lines are absolutely gorgeous and are very cleanly played.

9. 螺旋 (Rasen)
The mood of the album quickly changes back to the haunting on this next track. There’s a gorgeous dissonant string solo at the beginning that I absolutely adore. As usual, the piano lines are simplistic and repetitive in a good way. I absolutely love how the chorus ends as well with the ending of the instrumentals, and how Onitsuka lets her voice linger a little bit longer in the silence. Absolutely breathtaking.

10. 眩暈 (Memai)
And the piano ballads continue. In particular, the brighter sounding piano ballads. This is another gorgeous song with a nice flowing melody and a light accompaniment. This is probably least impressive track on the album, probably because we’ve heard it all already by now. That is not to say it is not a pretty, well-composed song; however at this point it’s all been heard already.

11. 月光 (Gekkou) (Album Version)
The final track on the album is a different arrangement of the opening song. It has instead of the piano, a choir-like (possibly produced by the keyboard XD) droning tones in the background at the beginning. When I say keyboard produced, it is to say that it sounds like the sound the keyboard makes when you set it to “choir” mode XDD. Onitsuka’s voice here has far more echo than the original version and the piano is simply playing high notes instead of the chord-like accompaniment that the original had. The accompaniment is much lighter in this version, but it gets a bit heavier as the bridge comes in and the piano changes to chords, a string accompaniment is added and the choir is reintroduced back into song singing long notes under the moving melody. The highlight of this version is the addition of the piano playing a melody near the end of the song in a round before it fades off.

Overall -
Favourite Track: Cage, Shine
Onitsuka is an emotional powerhouse and a composer of gorgeous, soothing songs. Her debut album starts off strongly with very solid tracks throughout the album. While there is very little deviation in the style that she chooses in the album (and some of the tracks may sound similar), Onitsuka is very good at what she does. All of the songs are very lyrical and work their way through the song with the accompaniment. In addition, Onitsuka Chihiro’s powerful emotive voice is simply an instrument in this album as she uses it to carry us into the songs. An excellent debut album.