Angela Aki - Tegami ~Haikei Juugo no Kimi e~

SINGLE REVIEW
Angela Aki - Tegami ~Haikei Juugo no Kimi e~

1. Tegami ~Haikei Juugo no Kimi e~
2. final destination
3. Still Fighting It
4. Tegami ~Haikei Juugo no Kimi e~
-strings version-

This is Angela Aki’s 8th single and it was released on September 17, 2008. This single reached #3 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 110,329 copies.

When I first listened to Tegami ~Haikei Juugo no Kimi e~, I thought it was rather unremarkable. It’s a slow burner and the musical structure is similar to another song that was released earlier this year: ayaka’s Te wo Tsunagou. It’s one of those songs that doesn’t really pick up until halfway through and that’s exactly what happens here. However, Aki’s vocals are stellar as always and her voice breathes life into the music, which is actually the most memorable thing about this song. Going back to the arrangement, the beginning is mostly just piano but it later adds some clapping and background vocals. This is where things begin to get REALLY good and the true message of the song comes out: “Keep on believing“. That is what Aki sings during the inspiring bridge sequence and it eventually leads into a great climax. While not as musically involved or exciting as previous singles, Tegami ~Haikei Juugo no Kimi e~ still proves to be a wonderful song that reaches out to people with its positive and endearing lyrical content.

Believe it or not, I thought the B-sides on this single were even better! They start with final destination, a vibrant song with a laid back band arrangement. The chorus is pretty catchy and Aki’s vocals are wonderful, especially when she performs those high notes. The bridge is the absolute highlight though with the English she incorporates:

Driving forward to my final destination. No matter how far or how long, whether it’s right or wrong, I belong in your arms.

The other B-side marks the return of the classic Angela Aki cover song! If you’re not familiar with her covers, she takes an English song and adds her own Japanese lyrics while keeping some of the original lyrics. In a sense, she makes the song her own while still maintaining some of the qualities of the original. This time she covers Ben Folds’ 2001 song Still Fighting It. This is actually my favorite song on the single and I think it’s beautiful from beginning to end. Aki sings with such sincerity and emotion that I couldn’t help but love it. The ending is fantasic when she sings some of the original English lyrics with powerful vocals.

An extra bonus on the single is the strings version of Tegami ~Haikei Juugo no Kimi e~. I like this version more than the original and for one simple reason: DUH, IT’S THE STRINGS. The song sounds a lot better with the them and as a result, more radiant as well. I still think the original sounds kind of “empty” with just the piano but the strings instantly fix that in this version.

Overall Rating

5 stars