Songbird (Kokia album)

Songbird (stylised as songbird) is Kokia's debut album, released on July 16, 1999.[1] It is her only album released under Pony Canyon, the rest being released with Victor Entertainment or Wasabi Records.[2]

Songbird
Studio album by Kokia
Released	July 16, 1999
Recorded	1998–1999
Genre	J-pop
Length	48:18 1:03:01 (re-release)
Label	Pony Canyon
Producer	Toshifumi Hinata
Kokia chronology
Songbird (1999) Trip Trip (2002)
The Voice (2008) Kokia Complete Collection 1998–1999 (2008) Fairy Dance: Kokia Meets Ireland (2008)
Kokia Complete Collection 1998–1999
Re-release cover.
Singles from Songbird
"Aishiteiru Kara" Released: April 29, 1998 "Arigatō..." Released: June 17, 1999

The album was re-released in 2008, as Kokia Complete Collection 1998–1999, featuring the album as well bonus tracks from her Pony Canyon singles, "Aishiteiru Kara," "Tears in Love" and "Arigatō..."[3]

Kokia considers the lead single from the album, "Arigatō...," to be one of her favourite songs.[4] She wrote the song in the mid 1990s, about the death of her family's pet dog.[5] She has re-recorded it three times: on her 2006 greatest album, Pearl: The Best Collection, on the 2007 Japanese release of Aigakikoeru: Listen for the Love and on the limited edition of her 2009 second greatest hits album, Coquillage: The Best Collection II.

In 2003, the songs "I Catch a Cold" and "Shiroi Yuki" were used in the soundtrack for the popular Chinese drama At the Dolphin Bay.[6]

Background

Kokia released three singles before her album: "Ai no Field" (愛の輪郭(フィールド), Field of Love), "Tears in Love" and "Arigatō...".[7] "Ai no Field" was the anime Brain Powerd's ending theme song, and was produced by Yoko Kanno (however, it was released through Victor Entertainment and not Pony Canyon).[8] "Tears in Love" was released in November. The B-side from this single, "Blue Night," was played as a theme song for a radio show Kokia had on FM Hokkaido, Kokia Innocent Time.[9] This is the first release Kokia worked on personally, as she wrote the lyrics on both tracks.[9] Seven months later in June 1999, the final single, "Arigatō...," was released.

Reception

Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating CDJournal (favourable)[10] Shunta Tanizaki (favourable)[11]

The album did not chart on the Japanese Oricon albums charts.[12]

The album was released in Asia (Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc.) in October.[13] In Hong Kong, the album saw much more success. It was released simultaneously with Sammi Cheng's album "Arigatou," which featured a cover of the lead single.[14] Cheng's cover was a hit in Hong Kong.[2] Kokia's version of the song was later awarded third in the 1999 Hong Kong International Popular Song Award (香港國際流行音樂大赏).[2]

Reception by critics was positive. Music critic Shunta Tanizaki praised the album for Kokia's clear voice, and described the songs as "kind" and "tearing down the everyday."[11] CDJournal praised the album for its beautiful melodies, and felt that producer Toshifumi Hinata's production fitted well with Kokia's music. Special note was taken of her falsetto vocals, which were described as elegant, impressive and "overflowing with clarity."[10]

Re-release

In 2008, after Kokia had focused working with her new label Victor Entertainment for eight years, Pony Canyon re-released the album for her 10th anniversary. It was retitled Kokia Complete Collection 1998–1999, and featured three tracks not present on the original disc, but on Pony Canyon singles: "Blue Night," "Tears in Love" and the original version of "Aishiteiru Kara." Also featured was a DVD that included the music videos for "Aishiteiru Kara" and "Tears in Love."

The re-release charted at #254 on Oricon's album charts.[12]

Track listing

All songs arranged by Toshifumi Hinata.

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Watashi wa Utau Kotori Desu (私は歌う小鳥です, I'm a Little Songbird)"	Kokia	Kokia	2:53
2.	"Soyokaze ga Sōgen o Naderu Yō ni (そよ風が草原をなでるように, Like a Gentle Breeze Stroking the Grasslands)"	Kokia	Kokia, Toshifumi Hinata	5:06
3.	"I Catch a Cold"	Kokia	Kokia	3:08
4.	"Shiroi Yuki (白い雪, White Snow)"	Kokia	Kokia	4:21
5.	"River"	Kokia	Kokia	4:21
6.	"Hirusagari no Toki (昼下がりの時, Early Afternoon)"	Kokia	Kokia	4:05
7.	"You"	Hinata	Hinata	5:05
8.	"Live Alone"	Kokia	Kokia	5:52
9.	"Arigatō... (ありがとう・・・, Thank You...)"	Kokia	Kokia	4:08
10.	"Erika (エリカ)"	Kokia	Kokia	4:04
11.	"Aishiteiru Kara (Sincerely Version) (愛しているから, Because I Love You)"	Yukiyo Mizuno	Hinata	4:54

Kokia Complete Collection 1998–1999

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Arigatō..."	Kokia	Kokia	4:08
2.	"River"	Kokia	Kokia	4:21
3.	"Live Alone"	Kokia	Kokia	5:52
4.	"Aishiteiru Kara"	Mizuno, Hinata	Hinata	5:08
5.	"Tears in Love"	Kokia	Hinata	5:02
6.	"Watashi wa Utau Kotori Desu"	Kokia	Kokia	2:53
7.	"Hirusagari no Toki"	Kokia	Kokia	4:05
8.	"Soyokaze ga Sōgen o Naderu Yō ni"	Kokia	Kokia, Hinata	5:06
9.	"Blue Night"	Kokia	Hinata	4:15
10.	"Shiroi Yuki"	Kokia	Kokia	4:21
11.	"Erika"	Kokia	Kokia	4:04
12.	"I Catch a Cold"	Kokia	Kokia	3:08
13.	"You"	Hinata	Hinata	5:05
14.	"Aishiteiru Kara (Sincerely Version)"	Mizuno, Hinata	Hinata	4:54

Personnel

Yoshihiro Arita - acoustic guitar ("Arigatō...," "River," "Soyokaze ga Sōgen o Naderu Yō ni") Kaoru Arō - artist management, Yui Ongaku Kōbō Masaaki Fukushi - art director, 294 inc. Toshifumi Hinata - programming, producer, arranger Yōichi Honda - Yui Ongaku Kōbō management executive producer Miki Horihito - artist management, Yui Ongaku Kōbō Yūichirō Iida - disc promoter, Pony Canyon Natsuko Kawai - designer, 294 inc. Shinichi Kikuchi - recording, mixing (at Studio AVR) Kokia - vocal, background vocals, piano ("Watashi wa Utau Kotori Desu") Ariaki Kumazawa - sales promoter, Pony Canyon Harumi Masuda - hair & make-up, M-Flags Yōsuke Miyake - Pony Canyon label executive producer

Seishū Murakami - acoustic guitar, electric guitar ("Arigatō...," "Live Alone," "River," "Shiroi Yuki," "Soyokaze ga Sōgen o Naderu Yō ni," "You") Kazuki Nagano - product management desk, Pony Canyon Katsuhito Nakanishi - director, Pony Canyon Toshihiro Nakanishi Orchestra with Kuwano Strings - strings arrangement ("You") Teruhiko Takenaka - mastering (at Heart best Recording Studio) Jin Tamura - photographer Ichiko Yasui - stylist, Aim

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
Japan	July 16, 1999[1]	Pony Canyon	CD	PCCA-1351
Asia	October 1, 1999[13]	Pony Canyon (HK)	CD	ACCA-1351
Japan re-release	September 17, 2008[3]	Pony Canyon	CD+DVD	PCCA-2748

References

1. "ポニーキャニオン - songbird：KOKIA" (in Japanese). Pony Canyon. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
2. プロフィール (in Japanese). Kokia Web. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
3. "ポニーキャニオン - KOKIA complete collection 1998-1999：KOKIA" (in Japanese). Pony Canyon. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
4. "KOKIA in Concert in France". JaME World. 2006-03-17. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
5. ベストを発売いたします ♪. 'Otonami' Music Translator Kokia's Blog (in Japanese). 2009-10-01. Archived from the original on 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
6. "At The Dolphin Bay Original Soundtrack". YesAsia. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
7. "ＫＯＫＩＡ アーティストページ - TSUTAYA online" (in Japanese). Tsutaya. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
8. "愛の輪郭 - ＫＯＫＩＡ ／ オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
9. "Tears in Love - ＫＯＫＩＡ ／ オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
10. "試聴記コメント／ガイドコメント". CDJournal. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
11. "商品の説明 - Amazon.co.jp". Shunta Tanizaki. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
12. "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-03-09. (subscription only)
13. "Songbird (Overseas Ver.)". YesAsia. 2009-12-20. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
14. "Arigatou by Sammi Cheng". iTunes. Retrieved 2010-03-08.