[Album Review] MAMI KAWADA BEST -BIRTH-

Mami Kawada released a best-of album called MAMI KAWADA BEST -BIRTH- this February 13, 2013, under Geneon Universal Entertainment. The album contains all the A-sides of twelve of her singles, plus a new recording version of her debut song Kaze to Kimi wo Daite, one other eroge song, an old anime song, and a new titular track, for a total of 16 songs.

It was probably about time for Mami Kawada to release a best-of album. With more than 11 years in the music industry, she has undoubtedly created for herself a discography of songs of high caliber and diversity. Did the fans bite on this release though?

Tracklist:

1. radiance
2. Hishoku no Sora
3. Akai Namida
4. Get my way!
5. JOINT
6. PSI-missing
7. masterpiece
8. No buts!
9. See visionS
10. Serment
11. Borderland
12. FIXED STAR (new song) 

13. Kaze to Kimi wo Daite -2013 ver.- (new recording ver.)
14. eclipse
15. Asu e no Namida
16. BIRTH (new song)

Kaze to Kimi wo Daite -2013 ver.-

Lyrics: KOTOKO
Composition and Arrangement: Takase Kazuya

Kaze to Kimi wo Daite is Mami Kawada's debut eroge theme song. Some may find the song bad, some may find it just okay. But actually, as a debut song, it was great enough, biases aside. A slow, pop/ballad, and unenergetic song is not necessarily and automatically a bad song, right? Well, it can be a bad song for you if you have such a closed and narrow mind unable to appreciate the subtleties of this song.

This song is subtly soothing, relaxing. Nothing loud, nothing too explosive, nothing too powerful. Just one feel-good track.

The decision for a 2013 version of this song was a great one. It sure brings nostalgia, an appropriate characteristic for a best-of album. Moreover, it shows how Mami's vocals have improved since then. More personality, more emotions, and the vibrato worked itself to excellence. Kudos to I've and Mami herself.

Rating: 7.8/10

BIRTH

Lyrcis: Mami Kawada
Composition: Nakazawa Tomoyuki
Arrangement: Nakazawa Tomoyuki & Takeshi Ozaki 

BIRTH, as a titular track, gives a sort of a bittersweet feeling.

Sweet because Mami Kawada has always been good with ballads. And with BIRTH, she once again showed us her softer, emotional side. It was subtle, calming, just like Kaze to Kimi wo Daite. Her vocals shines through and permeates through the whole song. 

I've Sound's work is also commendable enough. The techno/trance/ballad hybrid was of equal proportions. It is a mix we've heard before many times, but it still works. It works and it does not overpower the other elements in the song.

In contrast, however, the bitter feeling was mainly due to its resemblance to EXTRACT ~The truth in me~ in a bad way. BIRTH tends to drag on and on monotonically. Apart from that, the song is not even a stand out compared to the Mami songs in its league. It does not have an excellent of a composition compared to IMMORAL, eclipse and not nearly as good a ballad as SEED, Not fill, or Linkage. On the brighter side though, it is never that easy to beat your very own best songs, and the minor flaws of this song may be overlooked. 

However, the I've producers could have done something better than this. They should have. For a titular track of a best-of album, and compared to the rest of the tracks, BIRTH was such a drag-down. At the very least, it was a nice cool-down from all the hype the rest of the album tracks gave.

Rating: 6.5/10

Review for FIXED STAR

MAMI KAWADA BEST -BIRTH- was a great best-of album, mainly because Mami's singles have been consistently great. The chronological order of the tracks by date of release was not an issue, it was even probably a good move at that, showing how Mami had performed and transformed through the years. How Mami had performed well. The inclusion of her eroge theme songs eclipse and Kaze to Kimi wo Daite and such an old yet nice song like Asu e no Namida ushered in no complaints. I've's decisions for this album were brilliant, a once-in-a-blue-moon case, perhaps. The new songs may have significant flaws here and there but in general, the album was a gem, an I've Sound gem, an anison gem. 

And it all manifested on the album's performance in the charts. A #4 debut in the dailies and a #15 debut in the weeklies. Such rank was highly, highly commendable for an I've/Mami release. It has been more than 3 years since an I've produced album (KOTOKO's Epsilon no Fune) made it to the top 15, and about 5 years since a Mami album (SAVIA) achieved the same feat. While chart ranks for releases at different times are hard to compare, it still is a good tool to approximate an artist's caliber against other artists.

BEST -BIRTH-, in fact, was the highest ranking and best-selling anison album at the day and week of its release. That fact alone somehow shows us how mighty of an authority Mami Kawada has assumed in the anison industry. The album had also made it to #8 on the NINKI charts, prior to the release.

The release of this album added an important milestone in Mami's career. Its success shows that her career is still flourishing and far from dying even after all these years. Mami Kawada still has a long way to go. Though that also depends on I've Sound and Geneon, and how they handle her. 

And so it seems BEST -BIRTH- marks the birth of a new perspective on the name Mami Kawada, a brand name in the anison industry. We don't know how long she can keep up, how the circumstances will turn out, but please, please do support her for as long as you could. This woman deserves all the love and support she can get.