Crystal Kay gives us the best of her

Crystal Kay
Crystal will release a Best album titled The Best of Crystal Kay on September 2 - featuring a collection of her songs spanning her entire career. If the voting form on her official website means anything, then chances are the songs included will be those voted by fans.

I won't say I'm shocked at Crystal releasing a Best album, as rumours were abound once her official website was decor'd out in 'Crystal Kay's 10th anniversary' GIF's, JPEG's and annoying Flash. The album even had the tentative title CK10. It was always on the cards really, and I guess she's due one about now. But with Crystal having put so much time in at the studio, there was an equal chance of her dropping a new studio album. I was beginning to think Crystal would pull a BoA, by releasing a Best album and an all new studio album simultaneously. But it seems for now it'll just be a Best until further notice.

This will make a great CD for those who've yet to buy a Crystal Kay album, as you'll get a nice range of hot songs spanning her entire career. I own her albums from Crystal style onwards, and I'mma still buy this. With any luck the CD will release in a special edition format and include an additional DVD of performance from her Color change! tour.

It doesn't end here though. Because Crystal still has more new material on the way. Another collaboration no less...

With Crystal and her music currently being pimped by Tully's coffee, FLET's and film studios, Crystal will have another new recording be pimped by Fuji TV. The song is called "Step by step" and will feature as the main theme for the animated feature Kimba: The white lion. The song is produced by Nakata Yasutaka: one half of electropop group Capsule. This marks the first time the 2 have worked together.

I'm already anxious to hear "Step by step", because I dig Yasutaka's productions; of which I was first introduced to with Perfume's first full studio album Game, which he produced. My only issue with Nakata's productions is that no matter which female artist who he works with he always effects their vocals so much to the point they sound like Japanese robot chipmunks. So I hope Crystal still sounds like Crystal, and not Microsoft Mihoko. One thing's for sure though. This song is going to be something unlike anything we've heard from Crystal before. "It's a crime" and "Over and over" will be tame in the elctropop stakes in comparison to "Step by step" if Nakata's previous productions are anything to go by. I'm hyped for this song.

It's nice to have a good handful of new material to sit alongside her Best album. We're pretty much getting the best of both worlds already. New songs, and a collection of her old songs. Though I still wonder if she'll drop a collaboration album. Because every new song she's dropped since Color change! has been a song with somebody else. DJ Taku of M-Flo, Jin Akanishi, BoA, Kaname Kawabata and now Nakata Yasutaka. If these new songs feature on The Best of Crystal Kay: unless it ends up being 2 discs, half of one disc will be new material. My mind still boggles.

Plans are in the works for Crystal to tour in support of the upcoming compilation album too, though things aren't concrete on the tour as of yet. Until there is a full on tour, Crystal will be appearing at several events. In addition to MTV Vibrations and J-wave's events in August, Crystal will feature as a guest on music TV show Music Japan on July 27, as well as participate in Fuji TV'a 50th anniversary celebrations during the months of July and August.

It would be a good look for Sony to make The best of Crystal Kay available of iTunes worldwide. Crystal's exposure to Western markets is long overdue. What better way to introduce Crystal to the world, than with a compilation of her music spanning a 10 year career!?

Comments

  1. CHOOSE 3 SONGS!? What madness is this! I have like 20-30 favorite songs from CK!

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  2. I really wanted songs from her album, All Yours but they don't work on my iPod. Maybe I can get them from her best album.

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  3. I don't understand the 3 songs choice either! If you've been listening to CK for a while you have more than 3 favorite songs!

    You know I can't wait for the best of compilation. I just hope Sony actually promotes Crystal. They always under promote her which is a shame.

    Can't wait to hear her new music. The song with Perfume's producer should be interesting.

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  4. ~ 3 song limit ~
    The 3 songs choice is just to skim things down. And it forces thought from fans. If you know you can only pick 3 songs, you have to think harder about your faves. If every fan thinks really thinks hard, they can pick their 3 fave Crystal Kay songs without too much trouble.

    ~ On Crystal x Nakata Yasutaka ~
    If Nakata Yasutaka has Crystal sounding like Microsoft Mihoko on text-to-speech software, I will fly to Shibuya and slap every blonde haired Japanese dude I see in the face, hoping that at least one of them is him. I've yet to hear one of his productions with a chick who can sing and sounds like herself, so his working with CK should be interesting...

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  5. Well, I guess I didn't think hard enough, because I still had trouble after all that thinking I did. I swear, when I went in I was checkin' boxes left and right, up until the point where I saw that limit. Then, I said, f**k.

    I didn't think CK5 was worth it (granted, I just became a CK fan last August, and will celebrate my one year fanniversary by listening to all her s**t!), so maybe I'll think differently of this compliation.

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  6. Really need to get this! I been skimping on Crystal, need to give her more love.

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  7. @ Frederick
    I honestly don't think Crystal's albums were that good before Crystal style. So I'm not surprised you weren't hot on CK5. That typical CK sound was dabbled with on Crystal style and then got honed to F**K on Call me miss... - which was the album that made me a CK stan. I still play that album now.

    I think this compilation will be better because it'll feature songs from her later albums. (Hopefully!) It'd be nice if they put some of the B-sides in too.

    @ Junlee
    You should pick this up. But see what the track list is saying first. With any luck they'll be generous with her recent material.

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  8. I was actually surprised that all those remixes were listed on the voting site. "Hard to Say SPC Finest RMX" reminds me of a Danja production with all the snappin' and s**t going on. I think I voted for it, but I don't remember.

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  9. *LMAO* @ "Hard to Say SPC Finest RMX" reminds me of a Danja production with all the snappin' and s**t going on".

    I found it cool that so many remixes and a couple of B-sides were included too. It'd be great if a good selection of them made the cut. Though if they did, and Sony plan on including the new songs too, this 'Best' album will need to be 2 discs.

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