Kaori Oda solo + collabs (non-YK / non-Sound Horizon)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Onizuka90
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Wow! I didn't realize it could be that kind of a drastic change to switch her to another fach! So are we going to get even more Keiko-like depth, darkness and warmth in Kaori's low notes?! 🤔 😍

I noticed that Kaori's low notes had already strengthened by KajiFes live that she was comfortably singing low harmony to Keiko's lead in the "Yuyami no Uta" performance, which was pleasant to hear.
 
https://youtu.be/mcsWnTAgcaY?si=JoDSe7yBs8HUGtDZ&t=263 - Yuki Kajiura - Magia + Sokyuu no Fanfare (NHK Live 2023)

Listen to Kaori's switching from mix to head voice from 4:23 - 4:40 and her strong vibrato. I would really like to hear her singing more like this in Kajiura's work, really using her head voice with intensity and not breathy (though that is also an useful effect she can do well).

I feel Kaori doesn't use her voice in the most efficient way all the time, going for power and grit rather than smoothness (even though she is definitely capable) and those are the times she goes off-pitch a bit.

She's a higher level singer than she sometimes comes across. It's just the choices of what [technique] to use when that sometimes doesn't make her shine the best.
 
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Same video 5:13 - 5:30
Listen to how Kaori was taking the high harmony then at a point dropped to the low harmony! All the while being in full voice and virtually over-shadowing both leads (ASCA and ReoNa), which was powerful though not completely ideal, especially with her distinctive vibrato.

The vocal control to do that expression but at a lower intensity (without going too breathy) is something I feel she still needs to improve on: messa di voce essentially. Mastering it would unlock another level of dynamic control for her (though she is already a versatile singer) instead of needing to go breathy or belting as a necessity, but rather as a stylistic choice. (This is something Hikaru and to an extent Wakana were also limited/lacking in and so often had to go breathy/belted since they couldn't really sing soft dynamics without breathiness).

That is actually one more developed skill that MIKI had in the Revo TTE3 live that differentiated her from an albeit much younger Kaori, though they were often singing/switching the same parts.
 
I am really looking forward to a FictionJunction jazz duet with Kaori and Joelle as the main singers, since they both have a background in singing jazz songs. The question is if Kajiura will write in that kind of style.
 
Pardon me if anyone feels I am spamming this thread (since already posted this video link in the SH page!), but because Kaori, specifically, is in this video I felt I could go ahead and share here, seeing that we were talking about Kaori's vocals and possible changes. PLEASE WATCH and if you haven't, hope you like it! (Watch from the beginning but she comes in before 2 minutes in). This video is infinitely rewatchable for me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3soN2HRkUI
Sound Horizon - Nageki to Shi no Kaze no Miyako ~ Illion [TTE III Live Day 1]

I am a super-lover and many-time watcher of this video because it's just so fun and instructive - we can hear the differences in vocal timbres of all the singers, and how Kaori's voice fits in that mix/ensemble setting, singing high, middle or low, and handling the different requirements of the slow or fast songs, in a high-level theatrical stage setting (@george1234 and I were talking about Kaori's theatrical experience and how she would sing in the SIX musical show - I don't think she would be up for their costuming, maybe if she were in her early FJ years or Elemental period).

Kaori has really been running with the big dogs for quite a while! If Revo's shows had really caught on prior to Attack on Titan she would have had a much bigger stage to shine on as a solo personality, since Revo has multiple solo songs/showcases for his singers (how I discovered Joelle too)!

It also makes me appreciate her ability, level, and stage experience and wish even more that she would have been more successful personally and SANG BIGGER SONGS carrying her name! I guess an ensemble singer doesn't get to shine as much as a solo singer, though if you are part of a supergroup, being viral and in the public eye, and having many hits, your profile and visibility gets raised really high with the group and you get noticed more.

FJ live is a more subdued, professional vocal setting, following Kajiura's personality and vision, and so the ultimate focus is on her, not the singers, though their personalities come through a bit in the relevant MC sections, and of course while singing.

Thinking further, it makes me understand even more Keiko, Wakana, and Hikaru's need for Kalafina to return - apart from their friendship and the desire to satisfy the fans and sing the songs, it's their only supergroup experience. It's what has given them their high visibility and fandom (more than FictionJunction to be honest) even as individual members of a group. Kalafina can trend at any time and draw international attention and their three faces are at the front and center (they are Kalafina), so it's like a steroid boost to their fan energy, visibility, and potential opportunities. There's just no other vehicle with that level of momentum! Hikaru may even get more awareness and attention on her solo lives just based on the reunion concert...so I feel she's definitely not letting go of that momentum with all her planned solo activities. Just hope her voice is able to deliver for her.
 
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