Ever since Olivia Lufkin returned from a self-imposed hiatus from the music scene, much commotion has been made about the "sound" of her recent material as compared to her early work. Some argue that since much of her post-hiatus material has been produced in conjunction with a popular anime series, it has become too formulaic and commercial, losing the edge and innovative touch that her first solo works seemed to have; others, however, feel differently -- to those listeners, many of whom were introduced to Lufkin's work through the NANA anime, the material is new, fresh, and beloved, early material be damned.

I say that comparison is a waste of time, as these two groups of fans will never reach a consensus. Lufkin's music has progressed in a strange way, for sure, but it's dictated by her moods -- she's said so herself. Whether one enjoys the more experimental rock sound of her first album and singles or the more traditional sound of her recent stuff, there's no denying that Lufkin is doing what a musician should do -- make good, enjoyable music.

The Cloudy Dreamer, while containing some of Lufkin's NANA-related material, is not a NANA album and, as such, features more creative input from Lufkin and sounds like a more mature version of some of her earlier material. It's got the grit and edge of her four mini-albums/second album but also the experimental sound of her first album and post-album singles, but there's more life experience and emotion here than there was before, which shows regardless of the song's genre and structure.

As befitting its namesake, much of the music on the album features a very dreamy, whispy sort of feel, but this certainly isn't Enya-styled New Age-y stuff. If you only knew and Cut me free, two of the album's slower tracks, certainly don't lose any edge by using mainly piano as their primary instrument. Rather, on both tracks, the way the piano interacts with the other backing (the former features a slightly-ominous opening that transcends into a big, slightly-orchestrated, "windy" soundscape; the latter is simply haunting all around, piling the piano onto a small-but-resonant string section and incessantly-repeated drum beat) serves to make the songs well-crafted and engaging. Lufkin's performance here also serves to give these songs the emotional edge they project; her voice, when she needs it to be, can be edgy and gritty, but here she's clear and delicate, pronouncing each word carefully and injecting raw, human emotion into her lyrics. While other singers at times sound like they're simply singing words, Lufkin connects emotionally with her tracks and adjusts her performance accordingly -- If you only knew is slightly more hopeful (talking of "the magic you can create, if you only knew...") but still slightly sad, while Cut me free is determined and forceful, daring to defy "it" ("It is telling me that I am gonna choke / It is telling me that I am strange / ...Cut me free, memorizing monster!"). Two of the album's best.

However, those two tracks aren't the only ones here, as the rest of the album is not without merit. While those tracks featured a downtempo turn, the rest of the album is upbeat and rock-inspired, which works at times but seems forced and generic. Stars shining out and Dream Catcher (as well as a little pain) are some of the tracks that work; the former has the gritty edge, grinding guitars, crashing drums and simple, catchy chorus of a mainstream rock song, but Lufkin's performance makes it so much more. Instead of losing herself in trying to scream-sing, she chooses instead to simply sing the song straightforwardly, and while her voice seems slightly ill-suited to a full-band rock sound, this particular track manages to put her at a level where she isn't swallowed by the music. Dream Catcher, on the other hand, takes a completely different turn, mixing the gritty edge with a more subdued acoustic sound and having Lufkin use her higher register more -- it isn't the strongest part of her voice, but she doesn't sound too bad here, and the emotion she pours into her performance overshadows any faults in her voice.

The other songs on the album certainly aren't bad, per se, they just seem too bland in comparison to the rest of the material. Who's gonna stop it? seems to be Lufkin's attempt at a political protest track, and while she performs it well (ranging her performance from understated and simple during the verses to almost punk-esque wailing during the chorus), the instrumentation (consisting of loud, grinding punk-esque guitars and crashing drums and cymbals) comes across as generic and typical. Cloudy world suffers from the same problems and adds in the fact that the verses are incredibly repetitive, but Lufkin performs the track well. An English version of her NANA single Wish is probably the most punk of the album's songs but also sounds the most generic of the album and while Lufkin's voice works better here in the English than in the earlier Japanese release of the song, her voice is too pure and clear for this type of song.

I like The Cloudy Dreamer -- sure, it's got a bit more generic-sounding material than I'd like, but it showcases Lufkin's voice against a myriad of arrangements and she does the best she can with them. It may not sound just like her earlier material, but I think she's created a mini-album that's pretty much enjoyable regardless of what type of fan one is. Recommended.

OLIVIA: "The Cloudy Dreamer"
[ CDMA | CTCR-14511 | ¥2,000 | 2007.01.17 | 1st ]
[ CD+DVD | CTCR-14510/B | ¥2,500 | 2007.01.17 | 1st ]

01. If you only knew [ 4:30 ]
02. Stars shining out [ 4:46 ]
03. Dream Catcher [ 4:40 ]
04. Who's gonna stop it? [ 4:33 ]
05. Cloudy world [ 4:24 ]
06. Cut me free [ 4:05 ]
07. Wish (English ver.) [ 3:45 ]
08. a little pain [ 5:18 ]

[ http://www.avexnet.or.jp/olivia/index2.html ]

Other OLIVIA Reviews:

a little pain (Single) (2006)

Recommended: Yes