NIPPON COLUMBIA, one of the oldest record labels in Japan, has released two cover compilation albums
Enka no Chikara Premium Aka Ban and
Enka no Chikara Premium Ao Ban. In these albums, which both hit stores on November 19th, enka singers sang hit numbers from other genres with correct pitch on enka vocalisation.
The two albums are the latest works of the
Enka no Chikara ("Power of Enka") series started in 2008. Some enka singers have sung pop numbers in the past, but most of them were coupling songs on singles or bonus tracks on albums. Once NIPPON COLUMBIA compiled them into an album, it became a big hit. Ten albums from the series have been released, and it has sold over sixty thousand copies in total.
From one of the newest albums,
Enka no Chikara Premium Aka Ban, one of the highlights is enka singer
Yashiro Aki, who won one of the Gold Prizes of the 21st Annual Japan Record Awards in 1979 with her hit song
Funauta. Her contribution to the album is a cover of the theme song of the popular anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion"
Zankoku na tenshi no these, which was originally sung by
Takahashi Yōko.
NIPPON COLUMBIA uploaded an interview with
Yashiro as a teaser on YouTube. According to the interview, she said:
I sang just one chorus of Zankoku na tenshi no these for a TV commercial last year. It received a positive response at that time, and people asked whether the song was on my CD or not. So, when the record label asked me to join in on the series this time, I thought I would try this song again. The song was easy for me to learn because the melody is similar to Kayōkyoku. But a staff member requested for me to sing it in a peculiar vocalisation of enka, so I put my own features into the song. Through this series, I want young people to know there is no border between music, and to have an interest in enka, with this album as a start. How about my song Funauta too?
Yashiro Aki sings
Zankoku na tenshi no these
