A beautiful CD single that Otsuka Ai fans will truly embrace and be warmed by with its touching lyrics and musical arrangement.
ARTIST: Otsuka Ai
CD SINGLE: Pocket
LABEL: Avex Trax
CATALOG #: AVCD-31322/B
DURATION: 22.6 minutes
RELEASED on November 7, 2007
- Ticket
- LIFE – LOVE CIRCLE
- Pocket (Instrumental)
- Ticket (Instrumental)
DVD: Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 6 minutes
- Pocket [Music Clip]
Reviewed back in 2007
Otsuka Ai returns with her 17th CD single “Pocket” and another ballad since last fall’s “Renai Shashin” (AVCD-31065, Rel. Oct. 25, 2006). The ballad and the coupling songs continue the collaboration with Ai and guitarist and instrument programmer, Ikoman.
One thing that I enjoy about Otsuka Ai’s music is that she often goes through the motion of impulsive songwriting to something that can be often hyperdetailed.
Similar to Sakurai Kazutoshi (Mr. Children), many times I try to look at her lyrics and see what she is communicating lyrically and of course musically.
With “Pocket”, the song is about holding the hand of the person you love, inside a pocket and simply adoring the person you love and wanting to be with them forever.
The song features a beautiful string arrangement balanced beautifully with the band, starting of gently and slow building when the lyrics tell the person that she wants to start this new life as a couple and will always be with that person.
Simply another beautiful ballad by Otsuka.
The coupling song “Ticket” is a faster tempo song that utilizes the strings as it beautifully plays in the background subtlety and manages to be an enjoyable, fun song and in a way, I would not be surprised if the song is used for a CM for a train or airline company. The lyrics is mainly about traveling with a person you love and gaining new experiences, may they be happy or sad.
The third song “LIFE ~ LOVE CIRCLE” is an all English song sung by Otsuka. The song is a rock-based song featuring simple English lyrics about making a circle with your hands and enjoying life. I know that since 2006, there was a time when Otsuka Ai was available to bring to the US to perform for an event (Note: If the event could afford her) and I wouldn’t be suprised if Otsuka does perform in the US or Europe sometime soon and possibly this would be her English song to sing to her English speaking fans. The song does have two Japanese words which is Maru Ai (used to describe Otsuka’s symbol with the kanji for Ai inside a circle) that is sung at the end of a verse and quite a bit at the end of the song. Nevertheless, an easy song that her English fans can sing at concert if she ever performs it.
The remaining two tracks are the instrumental tracks for the first two songs.
As for the accompanying DVD, I really love the winter setting with Otsuka in a red outfit, gray sky and snow around her. Then when she sings, a closeup of Otsuka Ai and the guy showcasing the red string around their fingers (based on a myth that a red string bonded between two people is a red string of fate that the two are destined to be soul mates).
The red string is shown quite a bit throughout the video with flashes of the string and strands going all over the place. Otsuka walks around the snow trying to follow the string and see where it takes her. Similar to her “Daisuki Da Yo” music video, Otsuka Ai showcases her crying. At the end of the video, Otsuka is shown in a train, sleeping and her head on a guys shoulder and then a close up of her clasping the hands of the man that she’s with.
After the music video ends, a message is displayed and showcasing photos of Otsuka and the guy and then the credits rolls.
As for the CD insert, the booklet features lyrics for the three songs and photos of Otsuka Ai.
I’m biased towards Otsuka Ai’s music, so of course I’m going to tell you that I enjoy this song. But as a ballad and what the words convey, it’s a beautiful, touching slow song that many people in love can understand. Understanding the longing to be with someone, to be a couple and to hold their hand. As for the music video, just furthering the concept of finding that someone…who has your red string of fate around their finger, wrist, etc.
So, all in all, I found the song to be beautifully sung and beautifully written and I enjoyed the overall arrangement.
Overall as the CD single, the second song was fun and average at best and the English song to me was just the “fun” Ai song thrown in for fun and possibly something geared for her to sing to her English speaking fans in the future.
But overall, a beautiful CD single that Otsuka Ai fans will truly embrace and be warmed by with its touching lyrics and musical arrangement.
