OLIVIA - The Cloudy Dreamer

To the delight of her many fans, Olivia was brought out of her long hiatus by her affiliation with popular anime series, NANA. After two single releases working as 'Reira' for that series, Olivia has once again stepped out alone, creating music as herself with the release of the bilingual (about half the tracks are in English) mini album The Cloudy Dreamer. It marks a newer, lighter Olivia than previously heard on her solo works, combining her unique dreamy writing style and ethereal vocals to often stunning effect.

Olivia opens The Cloudy Dreamer with If you only knew. Those who enjoyed Close your eyes and Tears and Rainbows on the NANA releases will adore this song. If only you knew is a melancholic number that creates a beautiful, ethereal atmosphere with a light trip-hop feel and Olivia's talent for interesting lyrics is clear as she sings 'Remember back then, when we played on the Dandelion Hill till the sun set'.

Stars Shining Out is more in line with Olivia's 'Reira' style with a sound that seems to combine the rockier aspects of Wish with the otherworldly feel of A Little Pain. It is incredibly catchy, moving along at a fast pace that grabs the listener in addition to Olivia's beautiful voice, particularly in the 'I'm sinking now, sinking now' lines. It is one of the stand out tracks not only on this album, but in Olivia's whole catalogue.

The pace slows again with Dreamcatcher, which may be recognizable to some as the ending theme to the drama 'Jigoku shoujo'. It is a heart wrenching rock ballad with a melody characterized by the acoustic guitar that introduces the song. Olivia's voice is again rather stunning, although at times in the chorus it seems to go momentarily flat and higher notes do seem to occasionally cause a slight issue. Who's gonna stop it is sadly the least impressive song, and the low point on the album. Musically it is interesting, and features a slight nu-metal inspired melody. Unfortunately the lyrics are a little off and seem a bit too 'pop political'. It reminds of Celestial Delinquent (from The Lost Lolli) but while the lyrics there seemed suitable, here they appear a little naive.

The following track, Cloudy World, is not the most appealing song on first listen. It grows on the listener, but initially the strangely childish sounding first verses do not seem to suit Olivia very well, or at least the current Olivia. It reminds of her earlier pop songs but with a more polished feel. Despite these misgivings though, as the song moves along, it becomes very beautiful.

Cut me Free is the last of the 'original works' on the mini album and follows the same ethereal and haunting sound as If only you knew. It could be accused of being a little repetitive and hypnotic with its simple piano melody, but in this reviewer's opinion, it simply adds to creating a gorgeous, if slightly creepy, atmosphere.

The final tracks on A Cloudy Dreamer are from Olivia's NANA period. Wish is presented here in English. It is the same fantastic rock melody with all the power and pace of the original, but with different lyrics. At first it is a little disconcerting, particularly when used to the original Japanese, and the English lyrics do not seem to immediately gel with the melody. Rather, they seem a little too 'long' and Olivia sounds as though she is rushing to fit the word in. On further listens however, the English Wish does grow on you, and Olivia's pronunciation is perfect as expected. The choruses are particularly effective in English with the words 'My world is crumbling down'.

A Little Pain closes the album. It is the only song which was a previous release, being Olivia's first song for the NANA franchise and the song to re-introduce her to the music buying public. While a bit unusual for long term Olivia fans, there is no denying that this is a beautiful song. There is a gentle guitar-led introduction together with Olivia's heartfelt vocals, which are never over stretched throughout the song, and a wonderful sing-along chorus. It sounds incredibly polished and makes for a satisfying finish.

While A Cloudy Dreamer is not completely flawless comeback for an Olivia free of the 'Reira' tag, it is a superb release from an alternative female vocalist. Her music is lighter now than circa The Lost Lolli, and with more trip hop/rock influences than her very early era of I.L.Y Yokubou and Re:Act. Yet it feels better, taking influences from her past to create a great sound that is at times haunting and at others fantastically rock and roll.