Distance as Far as Goodbye.” Given this album marks the end of Izumi Sakai’s prolific career, it would have been the better title. Of course there was no predicting the future, she had no idea. We all know this now though she is gone it is hard to say goodbye.
Melancholy is how I would describe my feelings as I work through reviewing “Kimi to no Distance.” Maybe that's why I have been putting this off for so long. Why I have listened to this album ore than others to review. Over a dozen times. What am I looking for? While Sakai did release some singles posthumously, this really is goodbye.. Yet, I also know that Sakai wanted her music to be a standard that lived forever. So here I am twenty years after its release talking about it. Perhaps she achieved the forever she wanted..
“Kimi to no Distance” is a nicely put together album from a CD perspective, the cover photo is one of my favorites and shows Sakai well. Perhaps the last time we see her in good health. With the below noted people in each handling arrangement and music composition the album is very cohesive, which is a trend I feel started after “Eien.” Whether this is a choice by Izumi Sakai or not I do not know, I also I think it works well here.
“Kimi to no Distance” contained three singles that were released from June 2004 to April 2005 with the album being released in September 05 2005. This is not uncommon in Japanese music where artists release singles and eventually an album follows. Thirteen months is a long time, but then again we have no idea what was going on in her life.
Aiko Ohno factors heavily on the album with eight tracks as the composer. Hard to tell if she contributed much to the album, I think she does appear on eight of tracks. Perhaps one of the best pairings with Sakai for backup vocals. Ohno deserves a lot of credit for both quality work but also providing a variety of music. Akihito Tokunaga factors in again in composition and production. Takeshi Hayama also handles a lot of the production work.
Interestingly "Anata to Tomo ni Ikite Yuku" is a very old self-cover from 1993 that was originally sung by Teresa Tang who passed away in 1995 due to a sudden illness. Teng in some ways paralleled Sakai as her popularity was tremendous and she also died young. This track also marks Tetsurō Oda’s final contribution to ZARD, which given his early to middle influence is nice to see.
Here we are at the end of the line for ZARD’s studio albums, follow along and see how it goes.
"Natsu wo Matsu Sail no You ni" (夏を待つセイル(帆)のように)
Izumi Sakai / Aika Ohno / Takeshi Hayama
Vocals: 4 Music: 3.5 Production: 4
The open for “Kimi to no Distance Review” of reminds me of the same style used in “Eien” but maybe not as good of a song, but perhaps more upbeat. Not a bad thing, "Eien" is a tremendous album and the prior two albums were not quite as good. Sakai is sounding good as ever here. Ohno's music is a little up and down and the synth portions of the track I think distract a little. Production and arrangement is solid, particularly going into the chorus.
The issue is that it winds up being compared to an incredible one. That is not to say this is a bad song, far from it. The track was also used in a Detective Conan movie, the 2nd time Sakai’s music was used as a theme song in the franchise which by multiple accounts she was a fan of.
2. "Sayonara Made no Distance" (サヨナラまでのディスタンス)
Izumi Sakai / Aika Ohno / Takeshi Hayama
Vocals: 5 Music: 4.5 Production: 5
An electronic open with an admixture of 90s synth hits and Sakai’s heavily filtered singing. It somewhat reminded me of a Pink Lady song to start. Her vocals settle into her normal delivery. This is a delightfully throwback track and everything comes together. There is a bit of a fuzzy sound design in the music which maybe matches the theme of a relationship about to end. Honestly, I like it and Ohno’s composition here is very good and Hayama’s production is really great. I think this is one of those tracks that could be loved because it was not a single. Were it a single I am sure it would not have worked out because it would be compared to other songs that were more her style. This is my favorite song on the album.
3. "Kakegae no Nai Mono" (かけがえのないもの)
Izumi Sakai / Aika Ohno / Satoru Kobayashi
Vocals: 2.5 Music: 2.25 Production: 2
A song about gratitude and love, I think had it been stripped down and simplified it would have been no less than an okay song. It falls a little short of that. I don’t feel it is Sakai’s best vocal delivery. Aika Ono’s music is alright, but I think less would have been more. The production is not great, I think it is a song trying to do too much.
4. "Kyō wa Yukkuri Hanasō" (今日はゆっくり話そう)
Izumi Sakai / Aika Ohno / Akihito Tokunaga
Vocals: 5 Music: 4.5 Production: 5
The prefect storm that is Sakai, Ohno and Tokunaga for a really nice love song of sorts. "Kyō wa Yukkuri Hanasō" has an energy all its own and Sakai’s vocal delivery is really exceptional here. A lot can be said for the backing vocals, they are among the most complimentary backing vocalist Sakai sang with. This is my second favorite track on the album and maybe had I heard it first it might have gotten that number one rank.
5. "Kimi to no Fureai" (君とのふれあい)
Izumi Sakai / Aika Ohno / Takeshi Hayama
Vocals: 3.25 Music: 2.75 Production: 3
A tender and personal song, driven by piano. It's a run of the mill Zard track. I had to listen to it a few times while writing this to figure out if I like it. I kinda do, the chorus is fabulous. I think had Sakai delivered in a lower pitch it would have been better, but where she does go low is to good effect. That said backing vocals are light so this track does highlight Sakai.
6. "Separate Ways" (セパレート・ウェイズ)
Izumi Sakai / Aika Ohno / Hirohito Furui
Vocals: 3.75 Music: 3.75 Production: 4
Sakai’s vocals come off a little husky in parts and then goes high. It is a melancholic to heartbreaking song that is complimented by her vocal delivery. Not a huge fan of the trumpet solo, it felt a little out of place. Musically everything else is good with some nice layering and keyboards poking out in interesting place. It is a nice standard sad Zard song and that is enough for me.
7. "Last Good-bye"
Izumi Sakai / Yoshio Tatano / Takeshi Hayama
Vocals: 2.5 Music: 2.25 Production: 2.25
There is a feel to the opening of the track that is very intermixed with the 80s and 90s, then Sakai’s vocals kick in and they sound a little more retro. I don’t think this, a Zard breakup song, aged well. It is interesting on an emotional level. “Last Good-bye” was originally performed by Field of View and was released as a single in 1995 and a self-cover. It is an okay song, but more album filler than anything.
8. "Hoshi no Kagayaki yo" (星のかがやきよ)
Izumi Sakai / Aika Ohno / Takeshi Hayama
Vocals: 4 Music: 4 Production: 4.25
The piano opening conveys a void and then everything else kicks in to fill that space. It is neat. Sakai’s uplifting vocals are dynamic and Ohno’s music follows suit. Production is really good there are very distinct and defined layers. This is a song that needed to be delivered with precision and it was.
9. "Tsuki ni Negai wo" (月に願いを)
Izumi Sakai / Aika Ohno / Satoru Kobayashi
Vocals: 2.75 Music: 2 Production: 1.75
A song with an interesting pace, which to me kinda sounds like circus music in regards beat. It is playful and perhaps reflective. Where the last track was layers with precision, "Tsuki ni Negai wo" is a bit more muddied. Sakai’s delivery is not really the problem, she sings well… it is everything else.
10. "Anata to Tomo ni Ikite Yuku" (あなたと共に生きてゆく)
Izumi Sakai / Tetsurō Oda / Satoru Kobayashi
Vocals: 3 Music: 3 Production: 3
"Anata to Tomo ni Ikite Yuku" is a self cover originally sung by Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng in 1993. It is very much a dedicated love song, which you can feel from Sakai’s vocal delivery. Teng and Sakai sing this song differently, but there are some similarities. It is right that Tetsurō Oda had a contribution to Zard’s last album,
Teresa Teng, like Sakai, passed away at an early age (42). She was on vacation and suffered a severe asthma attack which led to heart failure.
11. "I Can't Tell"
Izumi Sakai / Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Takeshi Hayama
Vocals: 4.25 Music: 3.5 Production: 4
Opens up as a jam and keeps an up tempo pace. Sakai’s vocals are really good and convey unspoken feelings and the difficulty of sharing true emotions. It is a good song and better than a track meant to round out an album. I like it and would be quite happy if it came into a song rotation, I’d be happy. Originally recorded in 2003, this track supposed to be on the prior album “Tomatteita Tokei ga Ima Ugokidashita.” That album’s loss is this album’s gain.
12. "Good-night Sweetheart"
Izumi Sakai / Akihito Tokunaga / Takeshi Hayama
Vocals: 2.5 Music: 2.5 Production: 2.5
Here is the quandary. There is nothing wrong with any of the components of this playful sentimental track, everything is well executed but I do not especially like it. The backing vocals are a bit off and it sounds like Sakai provided those.
13. "Kimi to Kyou no Koto o Isshō Wasurenai" (君と今日の事を一生忘れない)
Izumi Sakai / Akihito Tokunaga / Akihito Tokunaga
Vocals: 4 Music: 3.5 Production: 3.25
A brooding opening and becomes a bittersweet track. Perhaps it is appropriate to end Zard’s studio career here. It is the right song. Cherishing memories and ensuring they are not forgotten make this final track poignant. A very Tokunaga ballad and I think Aiko Ono contributed to the backing vocals.
Overall “Kimi to no Distance” is a good album but falls short of great. "Sayonara Made no Distance" and "Kyō wa Yukkuri Hanasō" are not just great tracks on the album, they are solid entries which wound up wrapping up Zard’s career. I think it is a more listenable album than the sum of its parts, it flows nicely and I can listen to it in a sitting. It is a shame this was Sakai’s last album, it felt like a turning point in her evolving sound after “Eien”. We’ll never know.
Final scores
Vocals: 3.54, Music: 3.21, Production 3.39 for a final score of 3.38
No spin from me in this review.
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