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CRY NO MORE Release Date: 2006.02.22 Peak Position: #8 Label: SONY MUSIC ASSOCIATED RECORDS ISBN: AICL-1730 First Press: “BLOOD+” jacket-sized sticker Nakashima Mika’s Official Web Site

After playing the role of NANA and releasing a single posing as her, Nakashima Mika returned with “CRY NO MORE” a slow blues ballad that washes Blast (Oosaki Nana’s band) completely away from her. However, Nana herself isn’t completely washed off. Mika is set for a sequel for the movie which will start production soon. Also, her collaboration with HYDE in “GLAMOROUS SKY” has formed a deep friendship with him and might lead to more work together in the future. A small piece of evidence of future collaberations with him is that “CRY NO MORE” is the ending theme song to the anime “BLOOD+”, while HYDE’s latest single (released on the same day!) is the opening theme song. One has to wonder what this magical pair will work on in the future.

1) CRY NO MORE

Featuring a few instances of gospel choir, “CRY NO MORE” is a pleasant piano-driven blues ballad. But, in all reality, that’s all there is to it. Mika’s voice is quite pleasant to listen to, but she doesn’t shine too much. The chorus gets tiring after awhile, with the constant repetition of “I don’t wanna cry no more”. It picks up for awhile before the end with more of an instrument ensemble, and the chorus picks up, too. However, this song doesn’t present the same impact that her other ballads such as “yuki no hana” and “hi no tori” presented. All in all, it falls short.

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2) BLACK & BLUE

“BLACK & BLUE” is a tougher, jazzier song, that has a very old feel yet sounds modern enough to be interesting. It gives the impression of someone doing some detective work. Mika’s vocals here really display the song’s emotion, and her voice really fits the song. The chorus is quite catchy and finger-snap worthy, and for some reason, it’s fun hearing Mika yell out “Son of a gun!” Maybe if this was the main track, the single would have had something going for itself. It rates a 4, but just barely.

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3) CRY NO MORE (instrumental)

4) BLACK & BLUE (instrumental)

Conclusion: This song barely reached the top 10, and for someone who is seen as an extremely popular artist these days, it’s only an okay ranking. The first track isn’t anything too special, and with a c/w that is barely any better, it’s no wonder why it didn’t fare so well for an artist of her caliber. Let’s hope that next time she doesn’t feel like crying, she doesn’t tell us in the form of song.

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