Uta ga Chikara
2004 studio album by Kokia
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Uta ga Chikara (歌がチカラ, Songs Are Strength) is Kokia's fourth album, released in July 2004, eight months after her last album, "Remember Me."[2] The album centres on inspirational songs, including the official song for the Japan team at the 2004 Summer Olympics, "Yume ga Chikara."
| Uta ga Chikara | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 21, 2004 (Japan) September 9, 2005 (Asia)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Genre | J-pop, folk | |||
| Length | 42:14 | |||
| Label | Victor Entertainment | |||
| Producer | Kokia | |||
| Kokia chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Uta ga Chikara | ||||
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The song "Utau Hito" was later used as the ending theme song for the animated film Furusato: Japan in 2007. Director Akio Nishizawa felt the song was so fitting for his film, it was as if the song were commissioned specifically for it.[3] The song featured on Kokia's first greatest hits album, Pearl: The Best Collection, as well as the B-side of her 2007 single "Arigatō... (The Pearl Edition)."
Background
The album was preceded by two singles: "So Much Love for You" in April and "Yume ga Chikara" in June. "So Much Love for You" was used as the sole theme song for the variety show U! Umai n Desu., while one of the B-sides on the single "New Season (Yume ni Mukatte Fuku Kaze)" was used in a commercial for the Japan Vocational School Information Research (全国専門学校広報研究会).[4] However, most of the promotional focus went to "Yume ga Chikara." The song was used as the official cheering song for the Japan team at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[2]
Reception
The album reached #23 on the Japanese Oricon albums charts, selling 20,000 copies.[7] It is Kokia's second most sold album (behind "Remember Me"), as of 2010.[7]
The album received mostly positive reviews from critics. Tomoyuki Mori praised Kokia for her "pure and beautiful vocal quality," and was positive on the inspirational themes on the album.[6] CDJournal gave the album a star of recommendation. They especially praised "Utau Hito," saying that "(Kokia's) fervent singing from the bottom of her heart" made the reviewer fall in love with the song. Also praised were Kokia's motivational songs "Pinch wa Chance" and "New Season (Yume ni Mukatte Fuku Kaze)," along with the acoustic version of "Yume ga Chikara."[5]
Track listing
All songs written and produced by Kokia.
| No. | Title | Arranger(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yume ga Chikara (夢がチカラ, Dreams Are Strength)" | Akira Senju | 4:13 |
| 2. | "A Girl" | Ryōsuke Nakanishi | 3:48 |
| 3. | "So Much Love for You" | Daisuke Kahara | 4:59 |
| 4. | "Sora ni Taiyō, Anata ni Watashi (空に太陽 あなたに私, The Sky and the Sun, You and Me)" | Kahara | 4:17 |
| 5. | "Pinch wa Chance (ピンチはチャンス, A Crisis Is an Opportunity)" | Kahara | 3:48 |
| 6. | "Kirari (キラリ, Flashing)" | Nakanishi | 4:25 |
| 7. | "Give & Take" | Kahara | 4:44 |
| 8. | "New Season (Yume ni Mukatte Fuku Kaze) (Ｎｅｗ ｓｅａｓｏｎ～夢に向かって吹く風～, New Season (Wind Blowing Towards Dreams))" | Kokian's | 3:26 |
| 9. | "Utau Hito (歌う人, Singer)" | Taisuke Sawachika | 4:27 |
| 10. | "Yume ga Chikara (Acoustic Version) (夢がチカラ, Dreams Are Strength)" | Senju | 4:07 |
Singles
| Date[7] | Title | Peak position | Weeks | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 21, 2004 | "So Much Love for You" | 40 (Oricon) | 5 | 6,692 |
| June 23, 2004 | "Yume ga Chikara" | 30 (Oricon) | 5 | 8,258 |
Japan Sales Rankings
| Release[7] | Chart | Peak position | First week sales | Sales total | Chart run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 21, 2004 | Oricon Daily Albums Chart | ||||
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 23 | 8,172 | 19,917 | 7 weeks | |
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart |
Personnel
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