Sugar High

To begin this blog, the first album I am going to review is Sugar High by the Japanese artist Chihiro Onitsuka. From an early age, Onitsuka was exposed to American music and even today some of her favourite artists are The Carpenters and Jewel. As a result, her musical compositions are largely ballads with piano being the primary instrument. Onitsuka's favourite musical trick is placing her cold and introverted lyrics to a warm and calming melody.



Sugar high is Chihiro Onitsuka's third album and was released by EMI Music Japan on the 11 December, 2002. The album title is from the song "Sugarhigh" by Coyote Shivers.

01. NOT YOUR GOD

02. 声 (Voices)

03. Rebel Luck

04. Tiger in my Love

05. Castle・imitation (album version)

06. 漂流の羽根 (A Drifting Feather)

07. 砂の盾 (A Sand Shield)

08. King of Solitude

09. BORDERLINE

01 NOT YOUR GOD

Warm piano tones are contrasted with Onitsuka's voice which has a slightly cold tone to it in this song. The lyrics are completely in English and are rather good although certain phrases sound rather awkward in English. The song is quite short at 2:53, but long enough for us to be able to enjoy it.

02 声

Koe is the Japanese word for voices and like it's previous song, it has a warm tone with Chihiro's voice complimenting it. The lyrics to this song are absolutely gorgeous and talk about wanting to go on despite everything for someone. The harp in this song is very well worked into it. Bravo, Takefumi Haketa for the lovely arrangement. Overall, this song is rather mellow and I have no complaints.

03 Rebel Luck

Rebel Luck, unlike the songs so far, doesn't have an intro and starts immediately with Chihiro singing the chorus. The songs on Sugar High are all rather warm and Rebel Luck is definitely the warmest. The lyrics talk about not giving up and it's probably my favourite from the album. "When we're just about to be crushed by despair and have lost sights of ourselves, we just just remember that we haven't lost a thing" sums up the theme of the song fantastically. The acoustic guitar is marvellous and the strumming of the guitar with the organ goes together so well in the bridge.

04 Tiger in my Love

You've probably already made the connexion between this song title and the title of the blog! Already we're aware this song is different from the rest and starts with a very heavy, infectious beat. Her voice comes in deep and sultry. Although a little breathy, her voice is fantastic on this song. Tiger is a very strong song, and the title appears in the song at the end of the chorus. Although there is no guitar, this song is definitely the first rock song of the album. I love how she plays around with the last line at the end.

05 Castle・imitation (album version)

This song works as the centrepiece of the album with its string and piano introduction. The lyrics are rather vague, but it really is an opus in Onitsuka's discography. I love the sweeping feeling in the arrangement and lyrics. The song was used as the theme of the video game Breathe of Fire 5 and the song itself features many fantasy references.

06 漂流の羽根

Hyouryuu no Hane, which means "A Drifting Feather" has a cello and piano intro creating a very dramatic feeling. The warmth which was brought in by Koe has now gone and this song is rather melancholy. The parts with the cello are just gorgeous and I really adore the depth it adds to the music.

07 砂の盾

Suna no Tate (Sand Shield) is apparently the counter song to Rebel Luck and you can tell. The music is most definitely not as warm. Also this song has a rather stripped back arrangement with the strings replaced with electric guitar. The percussion in this song is rather calming.

08 King of Solitude

Although the title suggests a sad song, the piano intro is actually a return to the warmth with its lullaby-type sound. Onitsuka sings the lyrics slowly, which are about of course, loneliness. Rather than seeing it as a negative thing, Chihiro sees it as something positive in this song. Although this song is lovely, it seems to drag a little unless you're in the right mood for it. In a side note, Onitsuka says she pictured Christmas in New York at 10 pm whilst writing this song. That could explain the lullaby feel I get from it.

09 BORDERLINE

As the last song, BORDERLINE brings us back to the rock element of Chihiro's music. The song starts with just piano and the vocals are sweeping and breathy. There is English in the chorus and the lyrics appear to be daring someone to act. Some people may be annoyed by the audible presence of Chihiro's breathe in this song, but I feel it adds to it fantastically. I love how this already loud song gets louder as it crescendos with the introduction of more and more instruments as it goes on.

It's a very impressive place to end the album.

Overall I believe this album has done well to get away from the heavy ballads of her first two albums (Insomnia and This Amor).

Favourites:

Rebel Luck, Tiger in my Love, Castle・imitation, BORDERLINE