When last I discussed fashion model/actress/singer Anna Tsuchiya, I noted how her raspy, smoky voice was a wonderful candidate for well-done rock music and that rose, her debut single for the NANA anime series, didn't do that voice justice.

All is made better, however, by this follow-up release. kuroi namida is Tsuchiya's fourth single -- her second under the NANA moniker -- and first release since her debut album dropped in August 2006. It debuted at #6 its first week on the charts and is Tsuchiya's third highest-selling single.

As a song, kuroi namida is probably one of Tsuchiya's greatest to date. A haunting, mournful rock ballad, the song proceeds rather quietly at first, building upon a simple repeated guitar line and drum part as Tsuchiya relates a tale of loss and self-loathing. I can’t count the nights when I’ve hoped tomorrow won’t come,, she sings, her voice soft and controlled, as if holding in the emotion that’s building inside. However, as the song approaches and transitions to the chorus, the song – and Tsuchiya’s performance – changes, reflecting the shattered emotional state she finds herself in. Strings, which sound almost-menacing, join the arrangement, the guitar amps up in volume, and the drums crash down harder. I cry black tears! I have nothing! Tsuchiya cries, in a controlled wail that seethes with sadness and anger at having lost all that she has held dear, culminating in a simple declaration as the chorus closes and the guitar briefly solos: I can’t stand being alone.

Sure, the lyrics are a bit on the “pity me or I’ll go cut myself” side, but the manner in which Tsuchiya performs them makes the words transcend eighth-grade whining. These words are no longer simple declarations, but instead cries of anguish and truth from someone who has just had it with the hand they’ve been dealt and, although they realize it’s selfish, would rather end it all than put up with things any longer. Tsuchiya’s voice has such innate raw power and emotion that the transition from a soft-voiced, poor, unfortunate soul to a full-out rock goddess is almost seamless. When everything – Tsuchiya’s performance, the song’s beautiful, exquisite arrangement (provided by Gary Newby of The Railway Children, who also plays guitar here), and sheer emotional resonance – comes together, it adds up to a song that is one of the greatest rock ballads I’ve ever heard. Well done, Anna.

The first of the disc’s B-side tracks – a cover of Depeche Mode’s JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH -- is a delight, continuing the display of artistry that makes Tsuchiya one of Japan’s premier female rock artists. The song’s arrangement (again by Newby) gives the song a modern spin while still letting it sound slightly dated, replacing the almost-completely-synthesized backing with a cadre of rock staples – a gritty, bouncy electric guitar, strangely-happy sounding drums, and a bass that comes in at all the right times. Tsuchiya herself provides an impromptu vocal line to replace the keyboard-provided transition between verses. Vocally, Tsuchiya again provides a wonderful performance that is infectious in its energy and emotion – it’s quite easy to imagine that she’s singing this to her one true love as they walk along the street, and it is this aspect that allows one to overlook her occasional stumble on the song’s all-English lyrics. Tsuchiya’s B-sides are oftentimes as good as or better than her A-sides, and this song is no exception.

As much as I lauded rose for its generic-sounding arrangement, such a sound works well when the song it’s used for is actually good, as is the case with the second of the B-sides, I’m addicted to you. In terms of instrumentation, the song is an exercise in simplicity, using a repetitive guitar line as its foundation and layering more grit and edge over that in the form of even more guitars and a super-fast-paced drum beat. I’m not particularly fond of it, but it works and is quite catchy to boot. On the performance side of things, Tsuchiya gives her best effort, rushing through her self-written, completely-English lyrics in a tone that is filled with attitude and grit during the verses and adds a sense of commandment during the chorus, where she orders “[her] prince” to kiss me, feel me, oh, I don’t want you to stop…God, I’m addicted to you!. It’s an interesting track and well-performed, and I have to give Tsuchiya credit for again writing a full-English song, but she’s got errors aplenty here that make it quite obvious she’s less-than-fluent. Still, while it’s the weakest of the disc’s tracks, it’s definitely not bad.

Although it’s subtitled as the “deep sadness version”, the re-arrangement of kuroi namida that closes the disc actually seems to be more emotional than the original. While it retains much of the grit and emotion of the original – including some of the well-played guitar lines – the arrangement as a whole is more orchestrated, pitting Tsuchiya against a brooding piano-and-guitar-based arrangement that again manages to soar during the chorus. However, the arrangement is also the song’s weakest point, as it tends to overpower Tsuchiya, making the song lose a bit of the emotional presence the original arrangement gave it. Still, this is a quality version – I just don’t prefer it as much.

Anna Tsuchiya is an artist whose talent is easily noticeable, given the right tracks, and all four tracks here are quality displays of her multifaceted artistry. I can’t give this less than five stars, because Tsuchiya gives it her all here, and it really, really shows. Highly, highly recommended.

ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES): "kuroi namida"
[ CDS | CTCR-40248 | ¥1,050 | 2007.01.10 | 1st ]
[ CD+DVD | CTCR-40247/B | ¥1,680 | 2007.01.10 | 1st ]

01. kuroi namida [ 5:10 ]
02. JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH [ 3:50 ]
03. I'm addicted to you [ 3:42 ]
04. kuroi namida ~deep sadness version~ [ 5:03 ]

[ http://anna-t.com/index.html ]

Other Anna Tsuchiya Reviews:

rose (Single) (2006)

Recommended: Yes