[WORLD GROOVE] Currently listening to Tanimura Nana – Say Good-bye

February 22, 2008 by Dennis Amith 

ARTIST: Tanimura Nana

CD SINGLE: Say Good-bye

LABEL: SONIC GROOVE

CATALOG #: AVCD-16137/B

DURATION: 23:30

RELEASE DATE: November 14, 2007

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. Say Good-bye
2. JEALOUS GIRL
3. Gimmick
4. Say Good-bye (Instrumental)
5. JEALOUS GIRL (Instrumental)
6. Gimmick (Instrumental)

DVD: Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 3 minutes

1. Say Good-bye (Video Clip)

My first time of hearing Tanimura Nana was before she was signed to the SONIC GROOVE label and was actually in an idol audition in which she placed second place. Not long after that audition, I received promotional pieces for her and by May 2007, she would release her first CD single “Again”.

On November 14, 2007, Tanimura’s second CD single “Say Good-bye” would be released and I found it to be quite an experimental CD single.

The title track “Say Good-bye” would feature Tanimura change from the J-Pop sound of “Again” to an urban R&B track with deep bass, hip hop and wondered if this was the new direction that Tanimura’s career would be heading towards. Something that I was not expecting from the Aoyama Gakuin University law student.

The track is actually not bad, after listening to it several times now and I suppose that the soulful style that she utilizes on this track works. She’s no Kelly Clarkson in her ability to transcend from different genres but “Say Good-bye” turned out to be a cool track.

The first coupling track “JEALOUS GIRL” is where I talk experimental. From urban R&B, “JEALOUS GIRL” takes Tanimura to a different route in a rock track that I can see coming out of someone like ANNA TSUCHIYA. But this track also works for Tanimura.

And the second coupling track “Gimmick” returns Tanimura back to a dance, pop track. And again it works.

The three remaining tracks on the CD single are the instrumental versions of the first three tracks.

The accompanying DVD features Tanimura with her background dancers and interesting enough, it looks like the outfits she is wearing tends to have the viewer focus on her upper body and definitely interesting positioning of her image. She’s not a gravure model, she’s cute and has a gorgeous body but if that is the direction and image that she’s going for, I definitely would like to see some choreography from her than the basic movements of idol dancing past.

The CD insert is a bi-fold and features lyrics and track credit on one side and her front cover image on the other.

All three tracks work but there are certain things that I do feel cautious about her music is mainly her vocals. Sometimes she sounds as if she has a cold.

Sometimes there are notes that are just a bit off. Also, I like the sexy look on her music video but there are times I felt even the lip synch or her timing was slightly off .

But nevertheless, I can see potential in this developing artist and with vocal training and possibly even choreography, work I can see definite, positive potential in her music.

She’s smart, she’s beautiful but to survive among the many female solo singers in Japan, she’s going to find the music that she feels comfortable with because “Say Good-bye” and “JEALOUS GIRL” are two different tracks, which I don’t mind but curious to see which direction her music will go since both her CD singles are very different.

We’ll see what happens on her next CD Single.