ZARD Album Review: forever you

At this point in ZARD’s prime we are hitting the back half and this album is definitely a surprise.  I’ll also note not all surprises are good.  After a couple of listen throughs there was only one track I was familiar with and was "Konna ni Soba ni Iru no ni" as it was one of the singles the others never stuck for me.  That probably should have been a warning sign.  

Izumi Sakai handled all her own lyrics.  Tetsuro Oda and Seiichiro Kuribayashi split the album with Michiya Haruhata handling one track near the end.  Masao Akashi and Daisuke Ikeda handled most of the tracks and collaborated one one with Takeshi Hayama tackling one (the same one as Michiya Haruhata).

Some odd bits of trivia.  The album cover is a little funny too, it is from around the time of her third album.  This was the last album to use the stylized Z with a wavy line.  "High Heel Nugi Sutete" was a give away single in a lottery. 

If I had to have a feeling after a couple of listening's, “forever you” feels like the tracks that could not make the cut for ZARD’s prior two albums.  But is that still a cut above the JPop rest?  Press on and find out!

Track 1. "Ima Sugu Ai ni Kite" (今すぐ会いに来て)

Izumi Sakai / Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi (Lyrics / Music / Arranger)

I guess this is a love song maybe a little tongue in cheek?  I could easily see "Ima Sugu Ai ni Kite" buried somewhere on the back half of an album as very nice filler.  As the opening track for ZARD… I have questions about that choice. Sakai’s vocals do not really stand out.  The music sort of matches the tone so it is a lighter sounding song, but it is also nothing special.  I will give some credit the track is well produced. 

Vocals: 2.5  Music: 2  Production: 3.2

Track 2. "High Heel Nugi Sutete" (ハイヒール脱ぎ捨てて)

Izumi Sakai / Seiichirou Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi

Getting back on track with "High Heel Nugi Sutete" which is a wistful love song which from what I can determine.  Sakai’s vocals a quite nice on this track and very on point.  The music is ok, maybe even a little dated for the JPop scene.  The synth and sax portions are a little much, the rest of the music is a nondescript framework to hand Saka’s vocals on.  Production here is again good, it is very clean. 

Vocals: 3.25  Music: 2.25  Production: 3.25 

Track 3. "forever you"

Izumi Sakai / Tetsurō Oda / Masao Akashi

Another very Sakai love song.  Her vocal delivery is a powerful midrange accented by her low to high accents.  This is definitely Sakai flexing her vocals.  Tetsuro Oda’s arrangement is simple, but well matched until it gets guitar heavy which changes up the tone of the song.  That is an interesting transition.  Akashi’s production is nice, there are some subtle depths especially with the violins.  

Vocals: 3.4  Music: 3  Production: 3 

Track 4. "Mou Nigetari Shinai wa Omoide kara" (もう逃げたりしないわ 想い出から)

Izumi Sakai / Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi

The opening is dated and not in a cool retro style in this bittersweet former relationship song. Sakai’s vocals are okay at times, but they don’t land.  Music is not great, though I will give some props to the bass, that is nice.  It dives me crazy to say that the best part of the track is Akashi’s production.    

Vocals: 2  Music: 1.75  Production: 2.5 

Track 5. "Anata wo Kanjiteitai" (あなたを感じていたい)

Izumi Sakai / Tetsurou Oda / Tetsurou Oda

A wintery wonderland wistful love song.  The track opens up ok, then steps up the pace with a synthesizer heavy part.  There are also some really interesting changes of pace.  Sakai’s vocals are pretty good here, but the high parts are definitely at her top range and maybe stays there overlong.  This definitely feels like a Tetsuro Oda song, which of all composers pairs well.  His production is also very good and completely different than Akashi.  I have always though Sakai and Oda had a unique working relationship but no idea how true that is.  End result is one of the better tracks on “forever you.”

Vocals: 4.25   Music: 4   Production: 4

Track 6. "Kiraku ni Ikou" (気楽に行こう)

Izumi Sakai / Seiichirou Kuribayashi / Daisuke Ikeda

Whoa, this track opens up very strong maybe more a song of the times and a touch dated.  I still like it.  A more straightforward Sakai love long.  Seiichirou Kuribayashi’s music is great here.  Daisuke Ikeda’s production is much less layered but its really good. Sakai’s vocals are on point and she keeps well within her range. 

Vocals: 4.25   Music: 4  Production: 4.25 

Track 7. "I'm in Love"

Izumi Sakai / Tetsurou Oda / Daisuke Ikeda

Kind of a slow intro to the song, then its way over engineered (even for Being) but picks up speed as a power poppy love song.  Sakai’s lyrics are a little washed out, but she does deliver nicely and in spots very interesting.  The backing vocals are a bit assertive.  Overall music sounds dated and while I can appreciate we finally have more up tempo music… this could have been a better track.

Vocals: 3.5  Music: 3.25  Production: 2.75

Track 8. "Konna ni Soba ni Iru no ni" (こんなにそばに居るのに)

Izumi Sakai / Seiichirou Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi & Daisuke Ikeda

Sure it is heavy 90’s synth hits, but it works.  Sakai’s singing is really good here, like a loving whisper in my ear.  It’s definitely a sensual love song in mood.  The music is interesting and different, the drums are assertive but not over so.  Production is very good, though more Akashi or Ikeda?  Not sure.  Maybe a big of an egregious flex of a guitar solo. I’d argue this is the best track on “forever you” and an odd duck on an album I have some problems with. 

Vocals: 5  Music:4.5   Production: 4.25

Track 9. "Just Believe in Love"

Izumi Sakai / Michiya Haruhata / Takeshi Hayama

Another starts slow to overwrought music then kinda fall into a loud mid tempo song.  Sakai’s singing is alright but feels like she is fighting the music which means the production here is as much the issue.  It’s kind of a mess of a track.  Not terrible, just I know Sakai can deliver better. 

Vocals: 3  Music: 2  Production: 2 

Track 10. "Hitomi Sorasanaide" (瞳そらさないで, originally performed by Deen)

Izumi Sakai / Tetsurou Oda / Masao Akashi

A bit of a melancholy self cover.  I think if you took Sakai’s vocals and married them to Deen’s music this would be a great track, but as is it is an okay ZARD song.  In the context of this album it is one of the better tracks.  The music is just kind of jumbled and uneven, not bad just how it is layered makes the sound a little muddy.  

Vocals: 3.5  Music: 3.25  Production: 3

Overall Album Score:

Vocals: 3.47

Music: 3

Production: 3.22

Overall Score: 3.22

Adjusted Album Score: 3

I took it a tick down because the tracks that miss outweigh the few that hit.

“forever you” is a frustratingly average album. I guess I came into ”forever you”  expecting more as this is in the heart of Izumi Sakai’s career and came away disappointed.  Not so much so that I hate it, but it is not an album I would seek out.  It contrasts interestingly with “Oh My Love.”  Here it is mostly average songs that felt like leftovers from the prior few albums versus good songs that were left over.  “Konna ni Soba ni Iru no ni" is definitely the strongest song.  "Kiraku ni Ikou" and “Anata wo Kanjiteitai” were also songs I like. 

ZARD Album Review: "Oh My Love"

 "Oh My Love" is ZARD's fifth album and her second in her prime sequence that runs from “Yureru Omoi” to “Eien.”  This is an interesting album.  It is approachable. With maybe the exception of Top Secret these are really solid tracks.  Barring “Oh My Love” none of them hit crazy musical heights, but are all very good and most important listenable.

There are a few factors for why this album is very consistent.  One thing that stands out is the maturation in Sakai’s vocal delivery and stays (mostly) comfortably in her range.  Her vocals are on full display and she is very much a singer in her prime.  Tetusro Oda and Seiichiro Kuribayashi handle all the music and for the most part it is hard to discern who wrote which song which speaks to the consistency across the album.   

Masao Akashi arranged all the tracks and much as I have taken exception with some of his prior works he provides top shelf work on “Oh My Love.”  Japanese albums cannot be counted on to have the same producer across all tracks, so this was an interesting experience.  By and large he provides a consistent experience, though "Rainen no Natsu mo" is one glaring exception.

What I am expecting as I work through the album is a consistent album that is a very ZARD album.  Let’s go to the review!

Track 1: "Oh My Love"
Izumi Sakai / Tetsurō Oda / Masao Akashi

This is such a strong opening track.  Sakai’s tone shifts from subtly uncertain to very confident over the course of the song, all while being incredibly sweet.  Where “Makenaide” might have been written for boys, “Oh My Love” I feel is a more feminine flipside.  The music on the track is exceptional and perfectly paired with her.  Production is also stellar, there are so many layers without feeling over produced.  

“Oh My Love” is not just the best track on this synonymously titled album it might be one of her best tracks.  

Vocals: 5
Music: 5  
Production: 5

Track 2: "Top Secret"
Izumi Sakai / Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi

It’s kind of a funny song, but “Top Secret” and Sakai’s vocals are very good and honestly on the balance carry the track.  The music has a slightly dated feel and I am not a fan of the guitar work specifically.  Production has a lot of layers, but tilt towards am overproduced sound (okay it sounds like a Being song).    

Vocals: 3.6
Music: 3
Production: 3.3  

Track 3: "Kitto Wasurenai" (きっと忘れない)
Izumi Sakai / Tetsurō Oda / Masao Akashi

A track about a love that once was with nice parts sweet and bittersweet. Sakai pushes her vocal limits in the high parts, but doesn’t cross a line.  Her change of tone mirrors “Oh My Love” in that she sounds increasingly confident.  Oda really does a nice job with the music here it is very complimentary to Sakai’s vocals.  The backup vocals are also very well done. Akashi’s arrangement is top shelf, there are maybe not as many elements inside of the song but it's precisely put together and has energy.  

Vocals: 5
Music: 5 
Production: 4.75 

Track 4: "Mō Sukoshi, Ato Sukoshi..." (もう少し あと少し…)
Isumi Sakai / Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi

The opening to this track kinda tilts to overwrought, but Sakai’s lyrics kick in and they take a step into the background.  Sakai’s vocals nicely reflect the bittersweetness of her lyrics.  Kuribayashi’s music here is very dialed in and compliment Sakai, but not sure sure the sax parts were really needed, likewise the piano towards the end.  Akashi started the arrangement with what I think is a stumble but reigns the song in and it has a lot of interesting layers at the end. 

Vocals: 4
Music: 4.25  
Production: 4 

Track 5: "Ame ni Nurete" (雨に濡れて)
Izumi Sakai / Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi

Opens up with a sax heavy sound, but this is a sneaky song it feels very mid tempo with Sakai’s vocal delivery but the music is telling a different story.  Sakai definitely hits her upper range here, might have been better to dial her back. Drums are definitely assertive and feel a little programmed in spots as they sound a little too consistent, Backup vocals are very good, it sounds like Maki Ohguro. Production was fine, though maybe a little muddy for sound.

Vocals:  3.25
Music: 3.25
Production: 3 

Track 6: "Kono Ai ni Oyogi Tsukarete mo" (この愛に泳ぎ疲れても)
Izumi Sakai / Tetsurō Oda / Masao Akashi

Vocals: 4.5 Music: 3  Production: 4.5  

The opening very much flexes Sakai’s vocal delivery.  There is a lot of depth in the production and deftly keeps the music there but one layer beneath Sakai. Sakai’s delivery is interesting here, it is not perfect but I think that works.  The pace of the song starts a little slow and then picks up a faster pace with a very well placed guitar solo.  Overall "Kono Ai ni Oyogi Tsukarete mo" is a very interestingly paced song about hopeful but struggling love..

Track 7: "I Still Remember"
Izumi Sakai / Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi

Soulful breakup song.  While this is not my favorite track on “Oh My Love” what it does is show off what Sakai’s best range as a vocalist actually was which is a powerful midrange that dips into a lower range.  Music is very straightforward and a little more in balance with Sakai.  Production here is really good until the back third of the song, then it is a little overwrought and begins to wash Sakai’s vocals a little. 

Vocals: 4.75
Music: 3 
Production: 4  

Track 8: "If You Gimme Smile" 
Izumi Sakai / Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi

A zippy up tempo love song that is a lot of fun.  A good changeup track.  Sakai’s vocals are absolutely on point.  Backup vocals a little too assertive at points, which is a production choice.  Music is delivered well and paired with production that has a lot of subtle layers in the track.  In some ways this song is Sakai being confident and having fun, which is maybe the version of her I like the most and never saw enough of.

Vocals:4.5 
Music: 4.5
Production: 3.5  

Track 9: "Rainen no Natsu mo" (来年の夏も) 
Izumi Sakai / Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi

Alright, this track slows things up but about 2/3rds of the way the sound picks up pace and has a different feel. It’s a bit startling, but I think works.  Musically I am not a huge fan of the song, too many elements are thrown in.  Synth and acoustic guitar then sax heavy, then a weird piano solo.  Everything is just turned up to max, which I think is forced.  I won’t say "Rainen no Natsu mo" is a bad track, but it might be the weakest on the album.

Vocals: 2.75
Music: 2
Production:  2

Track 10: "Anata ni Kaeritai" (あなたに帰りたい) 
Izumi Sakai / Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Masao Akashi

A very long acoustic guitar intro, not the greatest.  But things pick up to get into a break up song with some conflicting feelings.  Sakai sticks to her range so I like her delivery.  Production is okay, but again like in the prior track Akashi turns things up a little high and I think that washed out Sakai a little.  That said it is well mixed even if I do not agree with the choices. The guitar work feels a little out of place with the song, I don;t think power chords were the best choice.  For the tail of the album,"Anata ni Kaeritai" is alright, it’s a decent track.

Vocals: 3.75
Music: 3
Production: 3.35  

Overall Album Scores for “Oh My Love”:
Vocals: 4.11
Music: 3.53
Production: 3.67
Overall Album Score: 4.16 

Adjusted Album Score: 4.25
(slight uptick as the good tracks outweigh the middling)

“Oh My Love” is a very interesting album and the numbers suggest that Sakai as a vocalist were the best delivered part of the album.  I think here is where we see a maturation and comfort that comes with ZARD’s fifth album. This is a very consistent album, which I think benefited from limited composers and a singular producer.  FWIW there are also Japanese albums that benefit form the exact opposite, but “Oh My Love” showcases Sakai and is the next album is a tremendous sequence. 

  

ZARD Album Review: Hold Me

Released in 1992 “Hold Me” is ZARD’s third album and maybe one people skip to when exploring ZARD. Within the context of my review series I think it is important to explore the entire body of work to see how the music evolves which gives perspective to where ZARD went over her entire career arc. It is notable though that this is the album where the ZARD sound is dialed in, specifically in Sakai's delivery which is very consistent throughout "Hold Me." That is not to say there isn’t a variety of musical styles in the go forward, just to say Sakai’s maturation starts here.

The bulk of the music on “Hold Me” was done by Daria Kawashima and Seiichiro Kuribayashi, which might explain some of the consistency. Likewise the majority of tracks were produced by Masao Akashi and Daisuke Ikeda. I had a lot of criticism of Akashi’s production “Mō Sagasanai” I think he fares better here.

The journey through ZARD’s discography continues. Please note all ratings are out of five.

"Nemurenai Yoru wo Daite" (眠れない夜を抱いて)

Vocals: 5 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai

Music: 4.5 Music: Tetsuro Oda

Production: 4.5 Production: Masao Akashi & Daisuke Ikeda

Somewhere slightly above mid-tempo, the snythy percussion is very Japanese sounding and blends nicely into a more guitar driven song with nice synth support. Bass is definitely there. Drums are a little soft and could be a drum machine but with the above synth effects it combines nicely. Sakai’s delivery is very dialed in and in true form. Backing vocals are there and support nicely.

"Dareka ga Matteru" (誰かが待ってる)

Vocals: 3.75 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai

Music: 3 Music: Seiichiro Kuribayashi

Production: 2 Production: Masao Akashi

A sax lead in for a mid-tempo track. Sakai’s vocals are really nice her and backup vocals are very complimentary. Drums are kinda odd in this one, like synth drums which I am not a huge fan of. There is definitely sythisizers here, but they are not very pronounced, but maybe the ove ruse of synth drums make up for it. Like too much, they’re overbearing. Remember why I did not like Masao Akashi’s product in the previous album… same feelings.

"Sayonara Ienakute" (サヨナラ言えなくて)

Vocals: 4.5 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai

Music: 3.5 Music: Seiichiro Kuribayashi

Production: 4 Production: Daisuke Ikeda

Up tempo here. Sakai’s vocals are very pretty and convey a lot of emotion. Drums are a little heavy, but everything is balanced well. The guitar solo is a little egregious, perhaps a function of the times. There are some very interesting synthy percussions way in the background, which I like. The song feels a little dated, but I find myself enjoying it more like a fond memory and not outdated.

"Ano Hohoemi wo Wasurenai de" (あの微笑みを忘れないで)

Vocals: 5 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai

Music: 5 Music: Daria Kawashima

Production: 5 Production: Masao Akashi

"Ano Hohoemi wo Wasurenai de" is pure magic. Absolutely everything is right, this is a perfection song.

"Sukina you ni Odoritai no" (好きなように踊りたいの)

Vocals: 4 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai

Music: 4 Music: Kazuya Izumi

Production: 4.25 Production: Takeshi Hayama

Sakai’s vocal delivery is good and catchy, but there are a couple of notes that are at the end of her range that maybe should have been pulled back. I will say this track is very well produced. The music is good and a little different in structure but a couple of spots feel off. This is a good song and complimentary to the track before it.

"Dangerous Tonight"

Vocals: 3.5 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai

Music: 2.5 Music: Seiichiro Kuribayashi

Production: 2.75 Production: Masao Akashi

An overwrought lead in that doesn;t seem to find its feet. A lot of synth hits, which is a function of the times in Japanese music but don’t really add much. Sakai’s vocals are exactly what I expect, but there is a certain nuanced strength to her delivery that I enjoy. Holy wow is that an egregious guitar solo and what better than to have another right after to take us out of the track. Akashi’s production is okay here, the music itself is weaker with all the wrong things emphasized.

"Konna ni Aishite mo" (こんなに愛しても)

Vocals: 3.5 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai:

Music: 2 Music: Seiichiro Kuribayashi

Production: 3 Production: Masao Akashi

I am not really sure the intro into the song with a noisy room filled with conversation really works, then synthy xylophone effect bring us further into the song cross mixed with the conversation… it is distracting. Sakai’s vocals are pleasant and solid but the music feels like it is fighting her. The backup vocals are a bit off. The production of the track is pretty good, but drum hits are a little loud.

"Why Don't You Leave Me Alone"

Vocals: 3.75 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai

Music: 3.75 Music: Daria Kawashima

Production: 4 Production: Takeshi Hayama

The interplay between Sakai and the synt heavy music works well. Not a huge fan of the chorus on the track but everything else is very on point. Drums are pretty pronounced, everything outside of synthesizers perk up after the halfway mark.

"Ai wa Nemutteru" (愛は眠ってる)

Vocals: 4 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai

Music: 3.75 Music: Daria Kawashima

Production: 3 Production: Daisuke Ikeda

A very chirpy lead in, then pretty heavy guitars take over. The music is bit too assertive for Sakai’s lyrics at times, but her delivery is good and she hits some high notes really well here. Production is the weak spot, it needed more balance between vocals and instruments. Overall I really like this track though and its kind of a subtle banger.

"Tooi Hi no Nostalgia" (遠い日のNostalgia)

Vocals: 4 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai

Music: 4 Music: Eisuke Mochizuki

Production: 3.5 Production: Masao Akashi

A piano driven song and it is a good song, but also very much at home for the early 1990s. Sakai’s lyrics are very smooth. Drums are a touch over emphasized. Uhg needless scythe hits. It lives somewhere between mid and up tempo and has some neat structural elements.

"So Together"

Vocals: 2.75 Lyrics: Izumi Sakai

Music: 2 Music: Daria Kawashima

Production: 1.75 Production: Masao Akashi

This feels like the last song on an album by how the intro plays out. It is… but gotta fill out an album. anyways Sakai’s vocals are really just okay here, not her best. The music is a bit unbalanced with the vocals, not much but noticeable to me at times then the chorus is a bit too amped up. Akashi, make up your mind!

Overall scores:

Vocals: 3.97

Music: 3.75

Production: 3.45

On the balance, do I like “Hold Me” as a complete album? Yes, I do. Sakai, I think, finds her feet as a vocalist which I think is its best quality. Does it hit consistently, no. What I feel here is this will not go down as one of ZARD’s best albums as I work my way through her catalog. I can say it feels like a ZARD album and I could not say that as much as her first two albums.

Zard Album Review: Yureru Omoi

 Following a slow burning fuze across three previous album "Yureru Omoi" explodes. To this point ZARD put out some nice albums and showed improvement as she matured as an artist, but would she have been beloved and the "it" female singer of the 9

Was this the perfect album I was hoping to review? Read on!0's? Probably not, maybe somewhere in the realm of Mannish. The great songs on the previous album "Hold Me" in retrospect told us where ZARD was going and she delivers here.

"Yureru Omoi" (揺れる想い)

Lyrics Izumi Sakai / Music: Tetsurō Oda / Production: Masao Akashi

"Yureru Omoi" opens so strong with drums and keyboards, then guitars and vocals are overlaid... it is breathtaking engineering. In a few seconds, you know exactly what you are going to get. Sakai powerfully fills the song with what I consider to be midrange vocals, its powerful but hits in a way that contrasts with almost every other jpop singer. What also cannot be overlooked in Maki Ohguro's backing vocals, which also contribute greatly to Sakai's lead vocals. Listen to love versions of this song and until the 30th anniversary concert you never knew what was missing live till Maki sang in that performance.

The punch with this track is the drums, live they never live up to this. Maybe "Cruising & Live" comes close. The rest of the music is also incredibly on point here. Tetsuro Oda's music is also very dialed in and more often than not her best songs are on the foundation he builds. Production is absolutely top shelf, Masao Akashi finally figures out ZARD and it pays off.

What I love about Sakai's delivery is I feel it subtly changes through the song as her confidence in this love grows. The progression of "in your dreams" to "in my dreams" to "in our dreams" illustrated this.

No secret "Yureru Omoi" is my favorite ZARD song. Not on this album, my favorite song of her's ever. It is without a doubt perfect on every level.

Vocals: A+

Music: A+

Production: A+

"Season"

Lyrics Izumi Sakai / Music: Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Arranger: Masao Akashi

A very Japanese vocal delivery to start this song and elements of it stick through the song making it capital J in Jpop. Sakai sticks to a higher pitch in her delivery, which maybe goes a little against her strengths in the middle or her very distinctive mid/low delivery. So a slight miss here, but they're still good. The music is pretty mid-tempo pop, its consistent. Production is solid. Feels like a song to break up the prior track and next, which is odd because "Yuero Omoi" and "Kimi ga Inai" pair incredibly well as heard in "Cruising & Live."

Vocals: B

Music: B+

Production: A

"Kimi ga Inai" (君がいない)

Lyrics Izumi Sakai / Music: Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Arranger: Masao Akashi

I always thought the opening to "Kimi ga Inai" set up the song well and it is an odd higher energy bittersweet song. Normally I am not a huge fan of synthesizer hits, but they work here and feel in place with the song. Sakai's vocal delivery is great and shows a lot of range. Production is consistent with the album thus far.

Vocals: A

Music: A

Production: A-

"In My Arms Tonight"

Lyrics Izumi Sakai / Music: Michiya Haruhata / Arranger: Masao Akashi

Leads off with a pretty heavy dose of guitars then kinda falls into a more relaxed guitart pop sound. Sakai's vocals are very breathy slow paced than the music. It is an odd song but not bad, though the synth hits are a little much. Izumi does have some nice vocal delivery here but there are a couple of high notes that are her max of her range. Is it a bad song? No. Is it a great song? No. Its just an odd duck.

Vocals: B-

Music: B-

Production: B-

"Anata wo Suki dakedo" (あなたを好きだけど)

Lyrics Izumi Sakai / Music: Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Arranger: Masao Akashi

Not going to lie the song opens up and it feels a little dated. Sakai's delivery here is nice and the best thing about the song, it feels more like she's telling a story which does match up with the lyrics. The chorus is great. The production is very clean and while sounds simple there are a lot of layers.

Vocals: B+

Music: B

Production: B

"Makenaide" (負けないで)

Lyrics Izumi Sakai / Music: Tetsurō Oda / Arranger: Takeshi Hayama

This is the song that transformed ZARD from an artist who had a few nice albums to a star that dominated 90's Japan. There is a reason why "Makenaide" remains timeless. Sakai's vocals are so good and hit with her signature overwhelming the midrange. Where she goes high is exactly at the perfect end of her range and goes low at the right time. Musically, the song transcends time and space it might be THE song of 90's Japan, but it still sounds different. The production with "Makenaide" is a marvel, everything is well balanced and complimentary.

Vocals: A+

Music: A

Production: A+

"Listen to Me"

Lyrics Izumi Sakai / Music: Daria Kawashima / Arranger: Masao Akashi

Did Little Glee Monster find a time machine? I don't mean that in a bad way, but they would probably sing this song better. The backing vocals are a little aggressive and feel like they are fighting the song more than helping it. I would argue this is the weakest song on "Yureru Omoi." It is not bad, but it is not a song I would seek out to play.

Vocals: B

Music: C

Production: B

"You and Me (and...)"

Lyrics Izumi Sakai / Music: Tetsurō Oda / Arranger: Takeshi Hayama

Sakai's vocal delivery is on display in "You and Me (and...)" though it might be a touch of a tropey sad song. Musically it is an okay song, but Tetsuro Oda worked this one so it will be technically fine. Production is good and Hayama brings everything together.

Vocals: A

Music: B

Production: A-

"I Want You"

Lyrics Izumi Sakai / Music: Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Arranger: Masao Akashi

With a lead in of two just okay songs, "I want You" cooks with gas. Sakai's vocal delivery is great and for lack of better words very "her." Kuribayashi keeps this a fast song and that works. Production is maybe a touch over processed but this is less a detraction and more of a description. There are a couple of odd choices in production like Sakai saying a breathy "I want you" that felt out of place.

Vocals: A+

Music: A

Production: B

"Futari no Natsu" (二人の夏)

Lyrics Izumi Sakai / Music: Seiichiro Kuribayashi / Arranger: Masao Akashi

A bittersweet ballad. Like the last track Kuribayashi provided the music on this one, it maybe feels a little too big for what is a more intimate song. Piled on top of this is the production is very processed and maybe tips slightly in the opposite direction. Sakai vocals are good here and I feel she is pushing at her range, but she pulls up just a bit short before she passes her effective range.

"Futari no Natsu" is a good song and it being the final track of what is an exceptional album is a good choice. The prior three songs would not have worked.

Vocals: B+

Music: B-

Production: B-

"Yureru Omoi" Album score:

Album Score: B+ (3.37)

Overall Vocals: A- (3.5)

Overall Music: B (3.23)

Overall Production: B+ (3.38)

"Yureru Omoi" is such a strong album and set the stage for an incredibly successful run by ZARD through the end of the 90's. Would I call it a perfect album? No, I think it falls a little short of that mark. Relative to the very strong songs on "Yureru Omoi" there are a few tracks that are okay but drag the album down: "Anata wo Suki dakedo," "Listen To Me," "Futari no Natsu."

But make no mistake "Yureru Omoi" is a top shelf album and the ZARD we had been waiting a three albums to get to, to which four albums in two years is a very high level of production.

While I do these reviews to inform others, it also helps be understand ZARD in a more serious way.