As the vocalist behind one of the two bands in the popular Japanese anime series “Nana”, at times I wonder if Anna Tsuchiya has made the anime famous or it is the other way round. I think it is a bit of both. Her second album “Nudy Show!” (2008) follows closely with the style of her first album “Strip Me?” (2006). Catchy rock music, with majority of the songs and lyrics in English. The direct imported version from Amazon.co.jp comes with translated lyrics in Japanese (?!) and a DVD that contains 7 music videos and other bonus clips. I did not think that I am capable to order from a Japanese website but I did it.
Two beautiful songs from the Nana anime has made it to this album – “Lucy” and “黒い涙”. The latter one written in entirely Japanese, which is unusual for Anna Tsuchiya. What stands out in this entire album besides the catchy tunes is the quality of the band. The tracks are creatively played. It is enjoyable to listen to each instrument taking turn to do its solo. The amount of production is just nice. Not too highly produced until you cannot tell who is playing what. Nor too under produced until you feel empty with the gaps and repetitions. The track “Ginger” stands out to be the most contagious track, a collaboration with the Japanese band Monkey Majik.
Below is my favorite track “黒い涙”. For those who have watched the Nana series, this song connects to our emotional core.
And if you prefer an upbeat song, check out “Ginger”. I think “Nudy Show!” has enough materials for Nana had the manga author decided to continue with the series after her hospitalisation. As for me, I have Anna Tsuchiya’s upcoming album to look forward to (end of September release).