Kawashima Ai - Shiawase desu ka/ Suitcase

Kawashima Ai was one half of pop duo i Wish, and she now continues to use her skills as vocalist and pianist in her solo career and new single, Shiawase desu ka.

Shiawase desu ka is a gorgeous ballad that relies on a sweet piano melody and soft backing string accompaniment. It remains constantly gentle throughout although in striving for a grandiose climax, it strains the vocals and removes a little of the sweet simplicity. Ai conveys in her voice a wistful air, in a song that translates to 'Are you happy?'. She sings with clarity, although as she reaches higher notes, her otherwise strong vocals start to shake and waver becoming occasionally a little nasally too. Despite this, Shiawase desu ka is a lovely, memorable song.

Suitcase is another piano-based piece, with a strange Final Fantasy-folk feel. Initially, the soft piano and acoustic guitar mark it as an even simpler piece of music than Shiawase desu ka, but the introduction of further instruments unnecessarily complicates the song and the synth sound is a bit dated. As the double A-side accompaniment it fails to make an impact; there is little to distinguish it from Shiawase desu ka. Ai's vocals however are better and less strained. She could have made more with a song titled Suitcase and given it more of a fun personality, as it is too much like Shiawase desu ka.

The final song, Rainbow ~atarashii watashi, hajimaru~, is one with a little more personality with a fun uptempo rhythm and slightly thudding drums. It is a folky pop song with greater use of an electric guitar to give the song a bit of fire (albeit a rather gentle one) and at times sounds like a fast Otsuka Ai song. One wonders why this was not the dual A-side with Shiawase desu ka. On further listens it is quite obviously more suited as a B-side song, although it does make the listener wish Ai had injected Suitcase with the sassiness present here. Rainbow is an uplifting song and a great song for karaoke but ultimately it never stands out any more than a competent B-side.

Kawashima Ai's latest is fairly impressive. The gentle and sweet natured lead track will capture the attention and despite the similarities between Suitcase and Shiawase, it remains a good single. Ai's main problem is straining her vocals too far beyond her range, but when she is firmly in her comfort zone she truly excels.