Dorothy is Onitsuka's fifth album and was released by Universal Sigma on 28 October, 2009. Although Chihiro stated the album title has no meaning, the theme of this album is most definitely stories.
01. A WHITE WHALE IN MY QUIET DREAM
02. 陽炎 (Heat Haze)
03. X
04. ストーリーテラー (Storyteller)
05. STEAL THIS HEART
06. I Pass By
07. 帰り路をなくして (Losing the Path Home)
08. Losing a distance
09. ラストメロディー (Last Melody)
10. 蛍 (Firefly)
11. VENUS
01. A WHITE WHALE IN MY QUIET DREAM
Like the opening song from Sugar High, A White Whale is rather short and is entirely in English. The song reminds me of Moby Dick with tribal drums providing a beat which Onitsuka sings to. Her English isn't the best in this song, but it's all right. It sets a nice theme.
02. 陽炎
Kagerou was the final single of the song and is a dramatic ballad with the electric guitars contrasting with the soft strumming of an acoustic. It's a nice juxtaposition. Her voice comes in very strong, which is a relief to those who were worried about her after her weak vocals on her previous album. Lyrically the song is a painful love song. I enjoy how she makes references to the seasons in the choruses. My favourite part of this song is without a doubt the final which seems to explode into a crescendo.
03. X
Perhaps one of Chihiro's more daring songs, X is a heavy rock track which features her voice under a vocoder. Lyrically the song appears to be about the spiralling descent into madness. Although not one of my favourites on the album, I appreciate that she's still trying new styles.
04. ストーリーテラー
Storyteller is one of my absolute favourites of this album and, to me, this is the song which carries the album's theme best. This is a bluesy number complete with harmonica. Her vocals in this song are rather different from what we're used to, but it fits the song very well. I love the lyrics to this song which seems to deal with indecision and fighting to the next page [of a story].
05. STEAL THIS HEART
Perhaps the weakest song on the album, Steal This Heart is another rock track which takes the form of glam rock. The melody of the song is actually very good and the lyrics are again nice, but I really don't like the use of the vocoder in this song. Chihiro has a rather strong voice and to process it in such a way makes it seem rather cheap, although that appears to be the aim.
I could really enjoy this song, but after a while it all seems too much. It is catchy though, I'll admit.
06. I Pass By
Originally a b-side which was coupled with Kaerimichi, this song was re-done for the album. This is the third and last upbeat song of the album and is, like A White Whale, entirely in English. Her English here is rather bad, but it manages to carry a fun feel to it. So far we've handled five times of rock: power ballad (Kagerou), hard rock (X), blues rock (Storyteller), glam rock (Steal This Heart) and now we have folk rock! It's a nice blend of acoustic and electric and even includes a Hammond organ! How fun! It's rather interesting to hear Chihiro swear in this song! This song perfectly captures the feeling which Steal This Heart failed to do.
07. 帰り路をなくして
Kaerimichi o Nakushite brings us down from the high of the previous songs and signifies the beginning of the ballad section. Lyrically it is very like her older songs which dealt with themes of loneliness. In this song, you can definitely hear her vocals have improved since LAS VEGAS in which her voice lacked punch on a few of the songs. I love her "screams" in the bridge and how the music quietens for the penultimate chorus.
It's rather amazing to hear how emotive her voice is in this song.
08. Losing a distance
Yet another song with my beloved Hammond organ, Losing a distance is a ballad unlike the others on this disc. Between two single tracks it allows itself to fade into the background, but upon listening to it it is a rather mellow track which gorgeous lyrics. Definitely one of my favourite songs on this album.
09. ラストメロディー
Last Melody starts in a rather upbeat way, but as with many Onitsuka songs, the lyrics are mournful. In this song she sings about a painful departure. As the song progresses, the melody seems to get even more and more doleful. This song is rather short compared to most of the songs on this album as it is under five minutes which seems to give the effect of things in life being just as transient as this song.
10. 蛍
Hotaru was the first single of this era and is the penultimate track. It starts with an string intro. Onitsuka herself stated the song is effectively a five minute novel or film and this is evident in the lyrics and melody which is again about the ephemeral nature of life. This song is just gorgeous and has an immensely warm feeling surrounding it, I love it. I think this song demonstrates her range rather well.
11. VENUS
The final track of this album, Venus is also the longest clocking in at seven minutes and twenty seconds. This is truly an epic complete with a beautiful harp running through the entire song. The lyrics are resolute and determined and although she scolds herself in them, she appears resolute to go on trying her best. As the final song, it has a sort of liberating feeling in its sweeping arrangement (the work of Masayuki Sakamoto).
Although this album is far from perfect and has possibly the worst track in Chihiro's career (STEAL THIS HEART), it still shows a remarkable growth in her music and lyrics and she shows that she is more than willing to try new things and experiment with sounds. Her vocals have improved drastically from her LAS VEGAS era and I'm pleased to hear some of the power in her voice from before has returned.
Hits:
ストーリーテラー, Losing a distance, VENUS, 陽炎, I Pass By
Misses:
X, STEAL THIS HEART
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