Enka [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type A / Jacket A]

I'm not familiar with enka in the slightest, nor was I familiar with Akina Nakamori (although I knew the name Seiko Matsuda, ironic considering Nakamori's sad past involving Matsuda) until I randomly spotted this album linked from somewhere on CDJapan. It intrigued me, as did the prospect of trying out the genre of enka. I looked Akina Nakamori up on YouTube before trying this album but could only find one of the songs from it. It was "Ettou Tsubame" and it hooked me immediately. Nakamori's voice is a surprising and pleasant departure from typical female Japanese vocalists -- it's similar to Hikaru Utada's and Mika Nakashima's in that it is rich and low in tone, which immediately sets her apart from every other cutesy idols whose high-pitched voices all kind of blend together and sound the same eventually. The music on the album itself seems to be something of an update to typical enka songs. There is no excessive warbling vibratto or nasal tones which is what I've usually heard -- it's slow, gentle, melodic, sometimes mournful, sometimes bittersweet, with a lot of symphonic backing occasionally accompanied by traditional drumming, erhu, etc. Overall, very pretty to listen to.