Crystal Kay (album)

Crystal Kay
Japanese release cover.
Compilation album by Crystal Kay
Released	November 7, 2003 (see release history)
Recorded	1999-2003
Genre	J-pop, R&B
Length	43:08 53:01 (Japan edition)
Label	Epic
Crystal Kay chronology
Almost Seventeen (2002) Crystal Kay (2003) 4 Real (2003)

Crystal Kay is an album by Japanese R&B singer Crystal Kay. It compiles Crystal Kay's English language songs, and was released across Asia in November 2003. It was re-released in Japan on December 17, 2003, under the name Natural: World Premiere Album.^[1][2]

Contents

The album features six cover songs and six original compositions of Crystal Kay's. All of the songs on the album had been previously released, except for three: "Can't Be Stopped ('Til the Sun Comes Up)", "I'm Not Alone" and the English version of "Boyfriend (Part II)", "Boyfriend (What Makes Me Fall in Love)". The already released songs are mostly composed of B-sides from Crystal Kay's singles between 1999 and 2003, including "Fly Away" from her debut single, "Eternal Memories". The song "Couldn't Care Less" was originally from 637: Always and Forever (2001), and "Love of a Lifetime" originated on Almost Seventeen (2003).

Two songs are exclusive to the Japanese edition of the album, "Liberty", a Masayuki Suzuki cover, and "No More Blue Christmas'", a Natalie Cole cover. "Liberty" was later compiled on Suzuki Mania: Suzuki Masayuki Tribute Album released in February 2004, and "No More Blue Christmas'" on Crystal Kay's 2007 extended play Shining and her 2011 compilation album Love Song Best.

Release and promotion

In November 2003, the album was released in Asian territories including South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand.^[3] After Crystal Kay's fourth Japanese studio album, 4 Real, was released on November 27, 2003, a Japanese edition of Crystal Kay entitled Natural was released in Japan on December 17, 2003, featuring two bonus tracks. To promote the release, Crystal Kay appeared at the 2003 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Seoul, South Korea on November 27, 2003, performing the English version of "Can't Be Stopped ('Til the Sun Comes Up)". This was her first live performance outside Japan.^[4][5]

Critical reception

Miwako Koyama of Shinko Music felt that the experience of listening to this album was different to listening to a regular Western release, despite all of the songs being sung in English. Because of how many songs were covers of songs from the 1980s, she felt as if she was being "immersed in the feeling of happiness" of a person playing their favorite songs for someone else.^[6] Tomoe Sato writing for Tower Records' in-store magazine Bounce praised the English language versions of "Can't Be Stopped" and "Boyfriend (Part II)", feeling that the English language version emphasized the songs' quality and Crystal Kay's singing voice. She felt that all of the album's cover songs had "refreshing" and "lovely" arrangements, and that the album should be listened together with her studio album 4 Real as a set.^[7]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arranger(s)	Length
1.	"Can't Be Stopped (Til the Sun Comes Up)"	Marcus Per Börje Dernulf, Andreas Bengt Christian Levander, Jonas Hand Nordelius	Dernulf, Levander, Nordelius	Octopussy	4:28
2.	"Boyfriend (What Makes Me Fall in Love)" (Gladys Knight cover)	Sylvia Bennett-Smith, Reed Vertelney	Bennett-Smith, Vertelney	Bennett-Smith, Vertelney	4:57
3.	"Time After Time" (Cyndi Lauper cover)	Cyndi Lauper, Rob Hyman	Lauper, Hyman	Hiroshi Okamoto	4:04
4.	"Make Me Whole" (Amel Larrieux cover)	Amel Larrieux, Guesly Larrieux	A. Larrieux, G. Larrieux	Okamoto	5:40
5.	"Good Morning Sue"	Shanti Snyder	Yoko Kanno	Kanno	2:02
6.	"Love of a Lifetime" (Honeyz cover)	Bennett-Smith, Laney Stewart	Bennett-Smith, Stewart	Naoichiro Yamamoto	3:57
7.	"I'm Not Alone"	Keri Hilson	Hilson	T.Kura	5:18
8.	"Couldn't Care Less"	Fredrik "Franciz" Anders Jernberg, Pontus "Lepont" Wennerberg	Jernberg, Wennerberg	Jernberg	3:49
9.	"Over the Rainbow" (Judy Garland cover)	Yip Harburg	Harold Arlen		3:56
10.	"Fly Away"	Snyder	Yasushi Ishii	Ishii	4:59
Total length:					43:08

Japanese bonus tracks
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arranger(s)	Length
11.	"Liberty" (Masayuki Suzuki cover)	Minnie Shady, Aki	Minako Yoshida		5:22
12.	"No More Blue Christmas'" (Natalie Cole cover)	Gerry Goffin	Michael Masser		4:31
Total length:					53:01

Chart rankings

Charts (2003)	Peak position
Japan Oricon weekly singles[8]	34

Sales

Chart	Amount
Oricon physical sales[9]	30,000

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Distributing Label	Catalogue codes
South Korea	November 7, 2003[10]	CD	Epic	2281144
	November 8, 2003[11]	Digital download
Japan	December 17, 2003[1]	CD, digital download		ESCL-2480
	November 2, 2006[12]	Rental CD

References

1. "NATURAL -World Premiere Album-". Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
2. "Crystal Kay - Crystal Kay" (in Korean). Mint Puffy. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
3. "Guest : CRYSTAL KAY" (in Japanese). J-Wave. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
4. "Crystal Kay、４thアルバムのリリース日に海外での初ライヴ！" (in Japanese). Barks. November 23, 2003. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
5. "韓国での初ライヴも大盛況。Crystal Kayがデイリー・チャートで４位を獲得！" (in Japanese). Barks. December 1, 2003. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
6. Miwako Koyama (January 15, 2004). "『 NATURAL 』Crystal Kay". Shinko Music (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
7. Tomoe Sato (December 25, 2003). "NATURAL -World Premium Album-Crystal Kay". Bounce (in Japanese). Tower Records. Archived from the original on March 9, 2005. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
8. "ＮＡＴＵＲＡＬ". Oricon. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
9. "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon. Retrieved September 14, 2014. (subscription required (help)).
10. "CRYSTAL KAY - CRYSTAL KAY" (in Korean). Hot Tracks. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
11. "Crystal Kay" (in Korean). Bugs. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
12. "Crystal Kay/Natural" (in Japanese). Tsutaya. Retrieved September 14, 2014.

External links

• Crystal Kay — official website