Crystal Kay covers of Kazuyoshi Saito's "Utautai no Ballad"

Just as I began to wonder what in the fuck was happening with Crystal Kay's covers album, she releases a new song from it; Kazuyoshi Saito's "Utautai no Ballad".

"Utautai no Ballad" is a song that's been covered quite a few times over the years since its original release in 1997. Pop duo Alüto covered it in 2008. Daesung of Big Bang covered it in 2013. And Beni covered it for her second covers album Covers: 2 not even a year prior. "Utautai no Ballad" also featured in the 2017 anime Lu Over the Wall.

As was the case with Crystal's last cover choice "Sangatsu Kokonoka", "Utautai no Ballad" is a song that many people in Japan across generations know.

This is a really nice cover, but it's so damn safe and vanilla. There is so much space in this cover which should have been filled with Crystal giving us harmonies. 2007 Crystal never would have left this song with so much pockets of emptiness. And bitch, where was the strings? Your shit always used to have strings! I was waiting for the orchestra to come in and send me, but...nothing. I do like that this has a very Crystal Kay flavour to it in terms of how it's arranged; a pleasant surprise given how her previous releases seem to want to trample over Crystal's signature style - but it needed more vocals and more strings. This shit needed to be bigger and really go somewhere given that it's a 5 minute song.

It's difficult to tell the direction of this covers album from just two songs. But if the covers we've gotten thus far, along with the direction of Crystal's last two studio albums are anything to go by, it's going to be an album led by what will resonate with the general Japanese buying public first and foremost, as opposed to Crystal's personal tastes and desires; which makes complete sense given where Crystal is with her career right now. This is what happens when you don't build yourself a core fanbase early on, because I don't think Crystal has one any more. Crystal's fans are split between those who hopped on the CK train during Shine...and MAYBE Vivid. And those who have been on the CK train since her Sony days and don't fuck with her new shit, but stay on-board in the hopes that maybe she'll throw us back to the sound that made us fall for her in the first place. Crystal isn't fortunate enough to have a huge core fanbase who will support her no matter what she does, and make sure the sales are there, and it's something which is affecting her musical output and the ways in which she is (not) marketed. It's really unfortunate. Because Crystal Kay has the talent and the look, and she should be so much bigger than she is after 20 years.

There's still no confirmed release date for Crystal Kay's first covers album, but LDH have stated that it will release at the end of the year.

🎧 Stream Crystal Kay's cover of "Utautai no Ballad": Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music | Google Play Music

💿 Crystal Kay album reviews: For You | Shine | Vivid | Spin The Music | Color Change! | All Yours | Call Me Miss...
📀 A Crystal Kay Dance album: Euphoria
🎧 Playlists: This is Crystal Kay | This is (some of) Crystal Kay
🔙 CK Flashbacks: J-R&B? Nailed it. | Girls who flop together, flock together