Fairy Dance: Kokia Meets Ireland

Kokia first travelled to Ireland alone in 2000.{{cite web | url=http://www.kokia.com/blog/602006/ | script-title=ja:＠ 9月も終わりですね ＠ | work='Otonami' Music Translator Kokia's Blog | language=Japanese | date=2006-09-30 | access-date=2010-04-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121203204/http://www.kokia.com/blog/602006/ | archive-date=2008-01-21 | url-status=dead }} She travelled to Ireland again in October 2006 to find inspiration for her music, and to scout for places and people to record with.{{cite web | url=http://www.kokia.com/blog/602006/ | script-title=ja:アイルランド紀行 1 | work='Otonami' Music Translator Kokia's Blog | language=Japanese | date=2006-10-13 | access-date=2010-04-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121203204/http://www.kokia.com/blog/602006/ | archive-date=2008-01-21 | url-status=dead }}

Kokia returned to Ireland again in February 2008, and recorded the album in a week with [http://www.seanwhelan.com Sean Whelan] and Puck Fair and local musicians, including violinist Niamh Varian-Barry.{{cite web | url=http://www.kokia.com/blog/20/ | script-title=ja:アイルランドレコーディング ♪ | work='Otonami' Music Translator Kokia's Blog | language=Japanese | date=2008-02-02 | accessdate=2010-04-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405222135/http://www.kokia.com/blog/20/ | archive-date=2010-04-05 | url-status=dead }}

Of the songs included in the album, five are covers and three are original Kokia songs.

Of the covers, three are traditional Celtic songs ("Black Is the Color," "Siúil A Rúin" and "Taimse im' Chodladh"). "Taimse im' Chodladh" and the chorus of "Siúil A Rúin" are sung in Irish. Two songs are Japanese kayōkyoku standards: "Soshū Yakyoku" (from the 1940 film Shina no Yoru) and "Kanashikute Yarikirenai" (originally by The Folk Crusaders in (1968)).

Of the three original compositions, two were composed specifically for the album ("Lydia (Fairy Dance)" and "Sono Mama de Ii (Be As You Are)"). {{nihongo|"Song of Pocchong (Shizuku no Uta)"|song　of　pocchong～雫の歌|Song of a Drop of Water}} is a rearranged version of the same song from Kokia's previous album, The Voice. It is slightly longer, and the kanji in the song's title is different (歌 for uta (song), instead of 唄).

The album was initially released in Japan in late September 2008. Unlike previous Ancoro era albums, Fairy Dance was not released in France until well after the Japanese release. it was released six month later, in March 2009. This meant that Fairy Dance was released after Christmas Gift in France.

Fairy Dance was released in France as a part of a 3-CD set called Kokia Collection 2, on December 2, 2009. The box set also featured Kokia Infinity Akiko: Balance and Akiko Infinity Kokia: Balance.{{cite web | url=https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B002XE1COY | title=Kokia Collection Vol.2 [Bande originale] |work=Amazon.fr | language=French |accessdate=2010-04-04}}

The album reached #67 on the Japanese Oricon albums charts, selling 4,000 copies.{{cite web | title=オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 | url=http://ranking.oricon.co.jp | work=Oricon | accessdate=2010-04-04}} (subscription only)

All songs arranged by [http://www.seanwhelan.com Sean Whelan]. Kokia's cover of Yoshiko Ōtaka's "Soshū Yakyoku" is not present on the Japanese digital download version of the album,{{cite web | title= KOKIA｜Fairy Dance ～KOKIA meets Ireland～｜@Victor Entertainment| url=http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/-/Discography/A012051/VEAML-22544.html | publisher=Victor Entertainment | language=Japanese |accessdate=2010-04-04}} but is present on the European release.{{cite web | title= Fairy Dance de Kokia - Télécharger Fairy Dance sur iTunes | url=https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/fairy-dance/id304520652 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107022729/https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/fairy-dance/id304520652 | url-status=dead | archive-date=November 7, 2012 | publisher=iTunes | language=French |accessdate=2010-04-04}}

{{tracklist

| title1 = Lydia (Fairy Dance)

| lyrics1 = Kokia

| music1 = Kokia

| length1 = 3:56

| title2 = {{nihongo|Song of Pocchong (Shizuku no Uta)|song　of　pocchong～雫の歌|Song of a Drop of Water}}

| lyrics2 = Kokia

| music2 = Kokia

| length2 = 3:46

| title3 = {{nihongo|Kanashikute Yarikirenai|悲しくてやりきれない|Unbearably Sad}}

| lyrics3 = Hachirō Satō

| music3 = Kazuhiko Katō

| length3 = 4:22

| title4 = Black Is the Color

| lyrics4 = Traditional

| music4 = Traditional

| length4 = 3:44

| title5 = {{nihongo|Soshū Yakyoku|蘇州夜曲|Suzhou Nocturne}}

| lyrics5 = Yaso Saijō

| music5 = Ryoichi Hattori

| length5 = 4:59

| title6 = Siúil A Rúin

| lyrics6 = Traditional

| music6 = Traditional

| length6 = 4:18

| title7 = {{nihongo|Sono Mama de Ii (Be As You Are)|そのままでいい～be　as　you　are}}

| lyrics7 = Kokia

| music7 = Kokia

| length7 = 4:46

| title8 = Taimse im' Chodladh

| lyrics8 = Traditional

| music8 = Traditional

| length8 = 4:16

}}

{{Listen|filename=Kokia - Lydia (Fairy Dance).ogg|title="Lydia (Fairy Dance)"|description=A sample from the title track, and one of the original Kokia compositions.|format=Ogg|filename2=Kokia_-_Siuil A Ruin.ogg|title2="Siúil A Rúin"|description2=A sample of Kokia's cover of the traditional Irish song "Siúil A Rúin."|format2=Ogg}}

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Category:Kokia (singer) albums

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