Nami Tamki's Greeting: A review of her first album.

In the Japanese music industry, pop idols are often debuted as young elementary school. Nami Tamaki, the upcoming star of Sony Japan's music label debuted in 2003 with her single "Believe," which was selected as one of the theme songs for the hit anime series "Gundam Seed." Following the success of her frist single, she continuted to gain popularity by releasing a second theme song for the series, "Realize." With the worldwide appeal of Japanese anime, Nami Tamaki's first full-length album "Greeting" is now avaialble in the U.S. through Tofu Records.

Track 01: Eternal Voice

The first song seems to set the tone for the entire album. Similar to other popular Jpop artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Hitomi Shimatani, Nami Tamaki's music has heavy emphasis on synthesizers and electric guitars. Her music is mainly upbeat and fast, the type of music found in clubs. This song is no exception and lacks originality. This song could be easily featured on a Hamasaki album because it mimics Hamasaki's already established style.

Track 02: Believe

"Believe" is Nami Tamaki's debut song and featured on "Gundam Seed." This song is also very "electric" and has a rapid beat. Unlike the first track, this song has a much more interesting mix. It is easy to understand why this song was selected for a theme song of "Gundam Seed" because of it's exciting mix of instruments. This song is also featured on the "Japan Gold Disc Record Award 2004" CD album in which Nami Tamaki was nominated for best new artist.

Track 03: Day by Day

This song is another upbeat song that is much more "peppy" than the previous tracks. For those who enjoyed BoA's earlier hit "Shine More," may also like this song as well. Also, Nami Tamaki vocals are very monotone in this song which makes it lack excitement.

Track 04: Complete

This song provides a little more variety and has a much more R&B and bass mix to it. The musical interlude between the vocals is rather intense and gives more impact to the song. This song was actually released as the second track on Nami Tamaki's debut single "Believe," and is actually gives the listener a good contrast with the "Believe" track. But, I think this song would have been strong enough to be releases as the title track of a single.

Track 05: Be Positive (Hikaru no Naka de Kagayaite)

After the intense upbeat of the previous track, this track is much more mellow and slower-paced. Unfortunately, this isn't the type of ballad that would give a singer the ability to show of his or her range. Nami Tamaki's voice range doesn't change from the previous tracks, which just makes this track rather bland and lacking impact.

Track 06: Never Stop my Heart (Kimi Toiu Kiseki ni)

Unlike most of the tracks on the CD, this song incorporates orchestra instruments in the music to give it a more softer sound. Similar to the previous track, this pace of this song is much slower than the opening tracks. By mixing the sounds of strings and piano, this song is more unique as a ballad.

Track 07: Shining Star (Wasurenaikara)

This track is probably one of the most unique tracks on the album because I cannot relate it to any other type of Jpop song already released. The opening of this song is actually "Twinkle, Twinkle Litle Star," but breaks off into it's own melody. At first, it almost sounds as if you are listening to something out of Disney's Electrical Parade with the heavy synthesizer mix of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." But after listening to the song in its entirity, this song is actually very unique and has the ability to give Nami Tamaki a song which can truly be her "original style." Her vocals take more range in this song, but not without effort. However, the unique mix of Jpop and a classic song will attract more listeners.

Track 08: Realize

"Realize" is Nami Tamaki's second theme song for "Gundam Seed" and is very similar to the opening tracks usually featured in the "Gundam" anime series. If this song was not featured in the anime series, it wouldn't really distinguish itself from "Believe" or the other opening tracks on this album.

Track 09: Naked

This song is similar to "Complete" and has more of an R&B feel to it. I didn't care for the opening of this song because I thought my CD player was skipping. The song starts, then cuts off and then starts again (this pattern happens about three times before the song actually begins.)

Track 10: Destiny

This track is another fast-paced song similar to the earlier tracks. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any musical nor vocal aspect that distinguishes it from her other tracks. She takes more risks concerning her vocal range, but nothing spectacular.

Track 11: Ashita no Kimi

Slowing the pace again, "Ashita no Kimi" gives listeners an opportunity to listen to her vocals rather than a complicated mix of sounds and music. "Ashita no Kimi" is more of a ballad in comparision to some of the other tracks, yet it seems to lack emotion and does not convey much to the listner.

Track 12: Prayer

"Prayer" is actually Nami Tamaki's third CD single release after her "Gundam Seed" hits. Unfortuntely, it's not much different from her previous CD releases. Perhaps most of her fan base at this time were also Gundam Fans expecting similar releases. There are other tracks on this CD that probably would have made better singles.

Track 13: Believe (Evidence01 Mix)

This is a remixed track of Nami Tamaki's debut song. This is actually an interesting mix creating a more ballad-like track in contrast to the faster original version of this song. Those who enjoy "Believe" will probably appreciate the new remix of this song. This version of "Believe" actually focus more on Nami Tamaki's vocal talents rather than on the background music.

Overall, Nami Tamaki's first album is typical for a Jpop idol's debut album. Her music and style is very "cookie-cutter" and mimics the earlier works of other great Jpop idols already in the industry, which may be what record executives may think the public demmands. Listening to her reminds me of a debut album of a Morning Musume member who has just gone solo and lacks individual experience. However, since Nami Tamaki is becoming more recognized in the music industry, she may have more potential to grow as an artist and develop her own original style. For listners who tend to favor pure Jpop or music featured in anime, then this album is recommended.