Get Your Hands on This One!

It's always awful when a loved artist disappears for a while. Their absence makes their comeback that much sweeter though. In Nobuchika Eri's case, I really haven't appreciated her return delivery as much as I should have. Of course I was hoping for some heart-pounding epic dance tracks that fuelled her debut album. But her new mini-album focuses on the softer, jazzier and more acoustically inclined side of her. Eri's voice is as rich and full as ever, and she does a fantastic job of really feeling the music and giving the best delivery possible. While we've seen she can belt out with as much power as anyone, hands really solidifies that she is also an intuitive, sensitive and varied vocalist. Kimi Nanda is poppier and sweeter than anything she's done yet, but she carries it like she's done the style a thousand times. In fact, she delivers every track like she was born singing the style.

While it's infinitely more laid back and softer than her debut, hands is no weaker. It's just completely different. Listening to it now, it really makes me appreciate just how strong a musician Eri is, and truly makes me excited for any direction she may head in the future.