Koda Kumi's third album shows you her mind.
feel my mind is the third album Koda Kumi released. It came out in February of 2004 and it definitely shows the talent of this pop diva. Whether it's ballads or soulful pop songs, the female popstar can do both.
Break it down starts with a spoken voicemail message, which is followed by an R&B intro with a pop touch. The beat is nice, but the bells are a bit too much, and the different sound effects seem to be separated and don't blend together. Although the vocals are great, the music is mainly composed of sound effects, so it sounds weak. Track two is a very danceable song that is less urban and more pop. During the chorus Koda Kumi really shows of her voice, singing powerfully and in high range. Unfortunately, some parts are also dominated by the synthesizer, giving the music a slightly amateur sound. Crazy 4 U, on the other hand, is definitely of better quality with a nice break in the second part. The instruments blend together much better, and Koda Kumi's voice is perfectly suited for the energetic music.
The title Rock Your Body might suggest a rock tune, but the music is very laid back. An acoustic guitar can be heard clearly and the song has a slightly exotic atmosphere. Next up is Rain, a beautiful ballad. The vocals are the most prominent part in this song, and this ballad is one of the better tracks on the album. Koda Kumi sings almost flawlessly; halfway through the song she seems to be struggling a bit with the high notes. She puts a lot of vibrato into this track, but since it's done in the right places, it's not annoying. The chorus of the fifth track is catchy, and Without Your Love is a good track to dance to. In the second half, Koda Kumi's voice sounds great. It's completely different from her normal vocal style, but she still manages to pull it off. The next two tracks are typical Koda Kumi songs, being something between a ballad and slow pop song.
Get Out The Way has a great R&B style melody with a nice beat. In the beginning, the vocals sound a little weak, but the chorus is powerful. A good mix of music and vocals, it is really an original song. The distorted background vocals give this track just the extra touch it needed. Another one of Koda Kumi's semi-ballads follows. These are the type of songs that suit her voice the best. The next two tracks are also ballads. With so many ballads on this album, the CD might seem to get boring fast, but because of Koda Kumi's powerful yet sweet voice, the ballads stay interesting. A lot of her slower songs still have a catchy beat.
COME WITH ME is break from the previous ballads and the chorus has an energetic dance melody. The song, which was also released as a single, is very catchy and easy to sing along to. The horns give it a party feeling, and the overall atmosphere will definitely make you smile.
The first press of feel my mind comes with two bonus tracks. The first one is a remix, and it could be described as an R&B song with an Arabic touch. The music is nice, but the vocals don't suit this remix style. The music is much faster than the slowly sung lyrics. The male vocals that can be heard towards the end fit this style much better. Cutie Honey follows, and this one later also appeared on Koda Kumi's album secret. The song was used for the live action series "Cutie Honey." It's a hyper pop song, but the low jazzy sound in the background makes this song stand out on the album.
Unfortunately, the first few tracks are musically dominated by synthesizer sounds, which gives them a sort of fake feeling. Koda Kumi's singing is great though, and if it weren't for the synthesizer, they could have been great songs, making the album a better work as a whole.
