Trip Trip is Kokia

Kokia (singer)

is a Japanese singer-songwriter, who performs under the stage name Kokia . She is best known for her songs and "The Power of Smile." She is also recognised for her numerous contributions to anime/game soundtracks, the most notable being "Ai no Melody/Chōwa Oto " for the film...

's second album, released in January 2002. It was her first album released with Victor Entertainment

Victor Entertainment

is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...

, and her only released under Gai Records management (though Kokia worked with both companies for her collaborations with Ryuichi Kawamura

Ryuichi Kawamura

is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor and record producer. He is best known as lead singer of the rock band Luna Sea. After the group disbanded in 2000, Ryuichi went on to a successful solo career. In 2005 he formed Tourbillon with, fellow Luna Sea member, Inoran and Hiroaki Hayama...

 on his ЯKS album, Kanata Made, in 2000). Unlike Songbird

Songbird (Kokia album)

Songbird is Kokia's debut album, released on . It is her only album released under Pony Canyon, the rest being released with Victor Entertainment or ....

, the album was self-produced.

The opening track, "Chōwa Oto," was later re-arranged and used as the opening theme song for the animated film Origin: Spirits of the Past in 2006. It was released as the second A-side on the single , and also features on her greatest hits album Pearl: The Best Collection

Pearl: The Best Collection

Pearl: The Best Collection is Kokia's first greatest hits album, released on December 2, 2009. It was released simultaneously with her first video clips collection, Jewel: The Best Video Collection....

in this re-arranged version. No other songs from the album featured due to licensing issues with Gai Records.

"A Gift" was used in European commercials for Subaru

Subaru

; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...

 in 2002.

Background

Four singles were released from the album: "Tomoni," "Say Hi!!," and "Tenshi" in 2001, and "Ningen tte Sonna Mono ne" in 2002 (simultaneously released with the album in Japan). None of these singles charted in Japan.

After Kokia's initial recognition in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, some of these singles were released in the Chinese speaking world. "Say Hi!!" was released as a special five track release (featuring "Tomoni," its B-side, "Yes I Know" and an instrumental track as added songs), while "Tenshi" was released in a standard form. Both of the overseas releases were delayed after their initial Japanese release (Say Hi!! by three weeks, Tenshi by two). Kokia also performed at two high-profile concerts to coincide with these releases: the 13th anti-drug concert in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 on November the 17th to 30,000 people, and the annual Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

ese New Year's concert to 120,000.

The singles were given several tie-ups. "Tomoni" was used as an ending theme song for two Nippon Television

Nippon Television

is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...

 shows: Shin-D Quintet (Shin-D クインテット) and Nitteru (ニッテる). "Say Hi!!" was used for Shiseido

Shiseido

is a major Japanese hair care and cosmetics producer. It is the oldest cosmetics company in the world and the fourth largest cosmetics company in the world.-History:...

 commercials in Asia, outside of Japan. "Tenshi" was used as the ending theme song for the NHK

NHK

NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

 show Shin Mayonaka no Ōkoku (新・真夜中の王国).

Reception

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The album did not chart on the Japanese Oricon

Oricon

, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

 albums charts.

Reception by critics was positive. CDJournal praised Kokia for her song-writing skills and vocal variations. Music critic Hiroshi Suzuki believed the strength of the album came from the self-conscious nature of Kokia's songwriting, comparing her sound to early Kate Bush

Kate Bush

Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...

.

JaME World noted a Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

ern sound in the music, as well as the variety of instruments and genres used. Both JAME World and MTV Taiwan

MTV Mandarin

MTV Mandarin is a 24 hour music channel combined mandarin and international music programs owned by MTV Networks Asia Pacific. One of the first three MTV Asia channels along with MTV Southeast Asia and MTV India. MTV Mandarin has two different feed...

 found the album to be showing an apparently more honest and sincere side to herself, in comparison to her debut album Songbird

Songbird (Kokia album)

Songbird is Kokia's debut album, released on . It is her only album released under Pony Canyon, the rest being released with Victor Entertainment or ....

.

MTV Taiwan

MTV Mandarin

MTV Mandarin is a 24 hour music channel combined mandarin and international music programs owned by MTV Networks Asia Pacific. One of the first three MTV Asia channels along with MTV Southeast Asia and MTV India. MTV Mandarin has two different feed...

 found her lyrics to be poetic, and praised the aspects of nature and humanity expressed in her music. However, they found the album's length to be detrimental to the album, slowing the pace and stagnating it in parts. They also believed the marketing of Kokia as the successor to Enya

Enya

Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...

 and Miyuki Nakajima

Miyuki Nakajima

is a Japanese vocalist, guitarist, lyricist, composer and radio personality. As a principal Japanese female veteran singer-songwriter she is often compared to Yumi Matsutoya, she has released 37 studio albums, 40 singles, 2 live albums and multiple compilations to date, and whose sales have been...

 to be far-fetched.

Track listing

All songs written and produced by Kokia. The mainland Chinese bonus track, "Current," was used in Suntory

Suntory

is a Japanese brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan. Its business has expanded to other fields, and the company now offers everything from soft drinks to sandwich chains...

 Oolong tea commercials in Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

.

Personnel

• Kaoru Abe - drums (#11)
• Akino - hair, make-up
• Naoya Emi - bass (#6, #8)
• Nobuo Eguchi - drums (#3)
• Miho Fukujoji - visual coordination
• Masayoshi Furukawa - guitars (#12)
• Keiichi Hayakawa - promotion (Gai Records)
• Miki Horihiro - artist management (RKM Family)
• Toshiaki Kanoh - guitar (#2, #4)
• Kokia - arranger (#5, #7), booklet illustrator, chorus arranger, song writer, piano (#7), producer, vocals
• Yasumasa Kubota - executive producer (Victor Entertainment)
• Yasuomi Kurita - styling
• Mecken - bass (#3)
• Chiharu Mikuzuki - bass (#11)
• Masafumi Minato - drums (#6)
• Mataro Misawa - percussion (#7, #12)
• Shigeo Miyamoto - mastering (at Flair)
• Masayumi Muraishi - drums (#2, #4)
• Masayuki Nakahara - recording/mixing (#5, #9-11, #13)
• Shuji Nakamura - guitars (#1, #11)
• Nobuhiko Nakayama - programming (#10)
• Susumu Nishikawa - arranger (#10), bass (#10), guitar (#3, #6, #10)

• Takashi Nishiumi - guitar (#2, #8)
• Takashi Noguchi - photography
• Teruo Saegusa - supervisor (Victor Entertainment)
• Taisuke Sawachika - arranger/programming (#2-4, #6, #8-9), percussion (#4), pianica (#2), piano (#6, #8),
• Yasuaki "V" Shindo - recording/mixing (#1-4, #6-8, #12)
• Keiji Sugimoto - executive producer (Gai Records)
• Jun Sumida - guitar (#3)
• Shunji Suzurikawa - sales promotion (Victor Entertainment)
• Masayoshi Tanaka - executive producer (R K M Family)
• Akio Ueki Quartette - strings (#13)
• Hitoshi Watanabe - bass (#2, #4)
• Naoki Watanabe - bass (#12)
• Yoshitaka Watanabe - A&R
• Takuya Yamada - art direction, design
• Tetsuya Yamada - sales promotion (Victor Entertainment)
• Ryuta Yoshimura - arranger (#1, #11-13), piano (#13) programming (#1, #5, #11-13)