OLIVIA - OLIVIA inspi'REIRA (TRAPNEST)

OLIVIA proved early on that she has a lot of talent. She started her career in a pop group called D&D, and after they broke up she continued with a successful career as a solo artist. Even though people mostly knew her as a pop singer, her first solo release had a rock sound. After two years without any new releases, OLIVIA returned with two new singles in 2006 for the popular anime series NANA, for which she did the singing voice of the character Reira.

In 2007 she released a full CD as OLIVIA inspi'REIRA (TRAPNEST), which contains both of those singles and other tracks that were used in the anime. The CD was released in two versions, one with only a CD and one with a CD and DVD. The DVD includes a TRAPNEST animation clip for a little pain, and also footage from a "NANA SPECIAL STREET LIVE."

The album kicks off with the song a little pain. It begins with a beautiful instrumental intro that is followed by the wonderful voice of OLIVIA. She truly passes on the emotion that is enclosed in the song through her voice, and combined with the music it just fits perfectly. OLIVIA starts the album strongly and shows that she fits in the rock category, and that she was a great choice for the singing voice of Reira.

The next song, Wish, starts off harder than the previous song with a rocking guitar part. As soon as OLIVIA starts to sing, it becomes a bit softer, while it continues to build up to the harder chorus. It is a cool rock song with powerful backing vocals and with a great mix of English and Japanese lyrics. The bridge builds up the song even more and it ends with the same guitar riff as the intro, which is really touching.

The two songs that follow are softer than the ones before. Starless Night gets a bit harder in the chorus. It is sung beautifully and it ends with a strong solo. Shadow of Love begins with a piano playing, and that continues through the song. Later, it is followed by vocals and the rest of the instruments. It is a great song, but the least interesting up to that point.

Tell me is a lot harder, and starts with a repeating guitar riff. OLIVIA has a more playful way of singing this time, which fits with the English lyrics. The bridge consists of a nice guitar part and vocals, and is followed by a small and simple solo. The end is a bit disappointing though, if you compare it to the rest of the song. It is followed up by Rock you, which is another nice rock song with a catchy chorus. A beautiful acoustic guitar can be heard in it, and it is a song in which all instruments just come perfectly together.

The seventh song is Winter sleep and is followed by a live version of Recorder Butterflies. Winter sleep is a ballad. OLIVIA is accompanied by a piano through the whole song. Her voice is again amazing, and it is a nice change, even though it is the most poppy song on the whole album. Also, since the next three songs on the album are live versions, it makes it a great "ending" song.

The other two live songs are live versions of Wish and a little pain, in which OLIVIA shows that she is a great singer and that she also has an amazing reach with her voice, even live.

OLIVIA inspi'NANA (TRAPNEST) is a fantastic CD that you can listen to until the end without it boring you. All kinds of emotions are included in the songs on the album, and it's a CD filled with variety - not just in the music but in the lyrics as well, with a mix between Japanese and English lyrics. OLIVIA shows that she is an amazing vocalist, and that she fits perfectly in this genre. She certainly doesn't disappoint NANA fans with her part as the singing voice of Reira, since the atmosphere on the CD, as well as her beautiful, melodic voice, fit Reira. It is an absolute must have for NANA fans, and for everyone else as well, as it is a strong CD all on its own.