A touching single from the strong-voiced singer songwriter.
Namida is Naotaro Moriyama’s first release of this year, and his 17th single in all. Whereas his most recent album Shokun!! dealt with various styles and a number of upbeat songs, this single is quite the opposite; it contains three songs that consist of very few instrumentals, and most of the focus is on Moriyama’s voice and gentle melodies.
Similar to his best-known hit song Sakura, the first track Veranda de niji o mita starts with Moriyama Naotaro singing a capella. The melody, however, has very little to do with Sakura and is much more modest and sorrowful. The song is rather slow, with only an acoustic guitar and violins accompanying the vocals. Half of the song is sung and the other half is spoken, which adds to the melancholic atmosphere. Quality wise, it is certainly a strong song, but it lacks a certain appeal and feels a little too dreamy and lackluster to enjoy properly.
The second song, Hitorigoto, is a little faster paced, although still kept sober with the use of the same instruments. This time, the acoustic guitar is a little more prominent, and the warm sound fits well with Moriyama Naotaro’s timbre. Again, the song leans heavily on its melody, and Moriyama shows off the flexibility of his voice by singing in a style reminiscent of the vocal style from Okinawa.
Last on the single is Namida, the song it is all about. And indeed, compared to this song, the first two tracks seem to wither, as it is a much stronger song and loaded with emotions. It starts quietly, with only the sound of a piano, but soon an acoustic guitar and some subtle strings join in. Moriyama’s voice is sorrowful and gentle, but gradually it gains strength, and at times it is as if he draws the power for his vocals from his whole being. The song is very moving, and it is definitely appealing enough to have the same immense success that Sakura had.
With the single Namida, Moriyama Naotaro shows himself in a very vulnerable way by keeping his songs modest. This results in three very honest-sounding, pure songs, although Namida is definitely the most outstanding piece and can be considered as one of the best songs from of his repertoire.
