''Unbalance+Balance'' is the fifteenth studio album by Japanese singer

Akina Nakamori is a Japanese Singing, singer and Actor, actress. She is one of the most popular and List of best-selling music artists in Japan, best-selling music artists in Japan. Akina achieved national recognition after winning the 1981 season of the tal ...

and first studio album to be released during the 1990s. It was released on 22 September 1993, by MCA Victor. The album includes the double A-side singles "Not Crazy to Me" (coupled with " Everlasting Love" and " Aibu" (couple with " Kataomoi"). In 2002 was released re-printed version of the album ''Unbalance+Balance+6'', which includes the original version of "Not Crazy to Me", the single "Everlasting Love", "Yoru no Dokoka de", and B-sides "Rose Bud" and "Blue Lace", which was previously unreleased from the album sessions.

Background

''Unbalance+Balance'' is Nakamori's first studio album to be released after four years and on a new recording label. The first production of the album started in summer 1992, after Nakamori finished filming television drama ''Sugao no Mama de''. According to recording producer, Nakamori's distanced from her casual style and along with new music production staff aimed more into contemporary style. Some of the past musical writers were involved with the album, including Takashi Matsumoto, Makoto Sekiguchi from C-C-B, Koji Tamaki from Anzen Chitai and Brasilian singer-songwriter Osny Melo. Among new team includes well-known names as Ryuuichi Sakamoto, Nokko from

Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...

and

Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and has introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of t ...

. Composer

Akira Senju is a Japanese composer, arranger and conductor. Biography Senju studied composition at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and received his master's degree with honors. Between 1994 and 2003, he produced series of cover albums ...

later become the main producer of the series of cover albums "Utahime". With this album, Nakamori began to be in the charge of producing her albums. It is her second self-produced album for the first time in seven years. It was Nakamori's idea to write two songs with same melody yet different lyrics: ''Eien no Tobira'' was written by Natsuno Serino and ''Kagerou'' by Nakamori herself. It's Nakamori's first original song for first time in 9 years. ''Aibu'' was later recorded as a B-side on the cover single "Kataomoi" in 1994.

Promotion

Single

The album consists of one previously released single. "Not Crazy to Me" is a B-side take from Nakamori's twenty-seventh single "Everlasting Love". It was written by Nokko and produced by Ryuuichi Sakamoto. It was released on 21 May 1993. It was Nakamori's the first single to be released in two years under new recording label. It includes a new melodical arrangement to the original. The original version was included on the reissue version of album, ''Unbalance+Balance+6'' and the compilation album ''Utahime Densetsu: 90's Best''. The single debuted at number 10 on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart and was Nakamori's final single to be released in compact disc format.

Stage performances

While the singles "Gekka" and "Aibu" were performed on later live tours and music television programs, the album tracks "Kurobara" was performed during the one-night live ''Parco Threatre Live'' in 1994; "Norma Jean" on the ''Spoon'' tour in 1998; and "Eien no Tobira" and "Hikaru no Nai Mangekyō" were performed for the first time on the acoustic ''21 Seiki he no Tabidachi'' tour. Kagerou was performed very often as well: Parco Theatre Live, True Akina Live in 1995 and acoustic live tour ''21 Seiki he no Tabidachi''.

Chart performance

The album reached at number 4 on the Oricon Album Weekly Chart charted for nine consecutive weeks with sales of 186,600 copies. Re-issue version of the album debut at number 58 on the Billboard Japan´s Weekly album Charts. Until 2002 cover album ''Zero Album Utahime 2'', none of Nakamori albums did not debut in the top 10 of the weekly Oricon Albums Chart.

Track listing

Release history

Notes: *Re-releases since 2002 always includes additional 6 tracks, which were not included during its the first release time

References

{{Authority control 1993 albums 1990s Japanese-language albums Akina Nakamori albums Albums produced by Akina Nakamori