Femme Fatale (Akina Nakamori album)

Femme Fatale is the thirteenth studio album by Japanese singer Akina Nakamori. It was released on 3 August 1988 under the Warner Pioneer label. The album consist mainly of western arrangers that evokes to the listeners the danceable melody line in western style, which was not so well common and popular in Japan during late 80s.

Femme Fatale
Studio album by
Akina Nakamori
Released3 August 1988
RecordedLos Angeles, 1988
GenrePop
Length44:40
LanguageJapanese
LabelWarner Pioneer
Akina Nakamori chronology
Wonder
(1988)		 Femme Fatale
(1988)		 Best II
(1988)

Background

Femme Fatale is third studio album released in year 1988, after two months from previous mini album Wonder.

The album consist of any previously released single and includes 10 new songs recorded. While the previous studio albums "Wonder" had relaxing and studio album "Stock" hard-rock melody line, this album has the main the danceable melody line.

The music production team consist of main music arranger, Kazuo Shiina (expect of track 10) who previously collaborated with Nakamori in the studio album Crimson. This album includes many western arrangers as Jon Lind, Joey Carbone and Mark Goldenberg; and musicians Peter Frampton, Michael Thompson and Steve Farris.[1][2]

Two tracks were written by Qumico Fucci, who write for Nakamori single "Tattoo". Due to the unknown reasons, the single wasn't included in the album and instead released in the compilation album Best II. The album track "Reversion (Desire)" has been recorded with the Synclavier.[3]

The album has been positively praised by the critics. Writer Yukiko Kitajima points out Nakamori's singing in the very sensual way.[4]

In the weekly journal of Oricon Weekly Charts, the editors praised for Nakamori experimenting with the various vocal range performance, including shouting (La Liberte), sensual (Dakishimeteite) and whisper chanting (Femme Fatale).[5]

Stage performances

In Fuji TV music television program Yoru no Hit Studio, Nakamori performed So Mad, Dakishimete and La Liberte. In Asahi TV music television program Music Station, Nakamori performed So Mad.

So Mad, Dakishimeteite and La Liberte were performed in Nakamori's live tour Femme Fatale in 1988.

Charting performance

The album reached number 1 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and sold over 268,800 copies. The sales numbers makes Nakamori's the lowest sold album during her stay in the recording label Warner Pioneer. The album remained at number 30 on the Oricon Album Yearly Charts in 1988.[6] It's Nakamori's second album (after Stock, #14), which remained in the Yearly Album Charts in 1988.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArranger(s)Length
1."Reversion (Desire)"Kei MichiyukiAlan Gorrie, Diana MillerScott Wilk, Kazuo Shiina4:39
2."Heartbreak"Kumiko AokiMasayuki KuzuguchiJon Lind, Shiina4:12
3."Dakishimeteite (Love Is My Favorite Lesson)"Kayoko FuyumoriJunie MorrisonMark Goldenberg, Shiina4:32
4."Femme Fatale"AokiNick WoodLind, Shiina4:33
5."I Know Kodoku no Sei"Qumico FucciFucciGoldenberg, Shiina4:34
6."La Liberté"Yuriko MoriJoey CarboneCarbone, Shiina4:36
7."So Mad"FuyumoriAnri SekineWilk, Shiina4:20
8."Paradise Lost (Love Is In Fashion)"MoriRobert Etoll, Michael Des BarresGoldenberg, Shiina4:09
9."Move Me (Strictly Confidential)"Yoshiko HamadaEtoll, Peter BlissWilk, Shiina4:07
10."Jive"FucciTakashi TsushimiJun Miyake4:04
Total length:43:40

Covers

Hong Kong male group Grasshopper covered Heartbreak in Cantonese version and was recorded in the album Our Grasshopper in 1989 under Universal Music Group.

References
  1. "Femme Fatale (中森明菜 ) ワーナーミュージック・ジャパン - Warner Music Japan". wmg.jp. Archived from the original on 2009-04-29.
  2. "中森明菜 Femme Fatale". cdjournal.com.
  3. Akina Nakamori (1988). Femme Fatale (CD Album; album notes). Akina Nakamori. Japan: Warner Pioneer. (WPCL-426)
  4. Akina Nakamori (1988). AKINA (CD Album; album notes by Yukiko Kitajima). Akina Nakamori. Japan: Warner Pioneer. (WPCL-770〜3)
  5. "Femme Fatale". Oricon Weekly. Oricon Confidence. 10 (31): 11. 1 August 1988. Serial No.459.
  6. Oricon Album Chart Book Complete Edition 1970-2005. オリコン・マーケティング・プロモーション. 25 April 2006. pp. 3, 455–457, 883. ISBN 4871310779.
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