An Akinary Christmas!

I love X'Mas for all its reasons. All the sharing, the giving and the loving ... where for at least once a year, we think of someone else and what we can give to thank them for the year of friendship, support and love.

I have officially finished working for the rest of the year and was feeling rather tired tonight until I chanced upon this email that was sent from Danny Bunny, sharing this Akina X'Mas medley video which was sent from a fellow Akina fan to the VAMP site. Thank you so much!



I am a fan of Christmas carols but only if they reflect the good Christmas cheer and especially if they are the traditional Christmas songs. My favourite Christmas album of all time is "Christmas Portrait" (1978) from The Carpenters, which you will probably hear in most malls during X'Mas. It is the definitive Christmas album and Karen's voice brings out the warmth of a cheerful time and the loneliness some of us feel when we don't have anyone close to share this special season with.



I am not a big fan of Japanese X'Mas albums, especially when they attempt the standards, but I have only listened to mostly Seiko's Christmas albums, which are forgettable and her voice a little too saccharine for these classics. Therefore, it was with utmost surprise that I played this video and was totally refreshed by Akina's cheerful and effortless performance.

I don't usually associate the term "kawai (cute)" with Akina because she is usually more "kakoii (cool) than "kawai", but she is so cute in this video (which I believe was filmed in 1984?). She attempts the Christmas classics "Jingle Bells", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" and "I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus", and she does it with such style. Her live performance is so much more energetic than all those Japanese studio Christmas recordings and has renewed the Christmas cheer for me. I love the way she stretches the end note of one of the verses of "Jingle Bells" with "Woo ..." and her voice, is so lovely and surprisingly suitable for these songs.

http://gazo05.chbox.jp/idol-classic/src/1133270703591.wmv

So, if you would like to share in my Christmas cheer, join us fans having a very Merry Akinary Christmas. It's a great way to start off the festive season and lastly, Thank you all for the wonderful joy you bring to my life ...