Joyo Joyo
February 28, 2008 at 7:42 pm | In Wonder Girls | Leave a CommentTags: Joyo Joyo, single, Wonder Girls
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Joyo Joyo
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Joyo Joyo (instrumental)
If anyone has/finds a bigger picture of the cover could they please tell me, this is really annoying me.
Joyo Joyo is so much fun. There is like no backing music but there’s no way that detracts from the song overall. The vocals are great, as always, though I do have a bit of a problem with So Hee’s. I really love this song, it’s one that you welcome getting stuck in your head.
Track Rating; A+
Single Rating; A+
Kingdom
February 23, 2008 at 5:29 pm | In Kumi Koda | 4 CommentsTags: 2008, album, Kingdom, Koda Kumi
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Introduction For Kingdom
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LAST ANGEL feat. Tohoshinki
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Amai Wana
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Himitsu
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Ai no Uta
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anytime
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Under
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BUT
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Koi no Mahou
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Aishou
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Anata ga Shite Kureta Koto
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Wonderland
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FREAKY
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MORE
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Black Cherry (Bonus Track)
The album I’ve waiting sooo long for kicks off with Introduction For Kingdom, which is a smooth “R’n'B” track that just has Koda singing ‘Love’ throughout with a few ‘ah’s for effect. I was expecting that it would be a dancey track like the introduction for Black Cherry but it’s definitely not.
Track Rating; A
Next is LAST ANGEL feat. Tohoshinki. Now, I like Tohoshinki but at times their vocals seem so strained in comparison to Koda’s pretty powerfully relaxed ones. That said as a song it is amazingly groovy, with a fantastic beat and drive. I didn’t like this song at first but the more I’ve listened to it the more I like it, especially the chorus 
Track Rating; A+
The smooth Arabian stylings of Amai Wana are up next. Despite there not being much going on and the song lacking a real focus point, Amai Wana is one of my favourite songs on Kingdom. Koda’s vocals suit the Arabian feel down to the ground, as proved by songs like SHAKE IT and Candy.
Track Rating; A+
Himitsu starts very nicely and then goes from nice to pretty to fantastic. I like Himitsu a lot, Koda’s dynamic vocal helps it to be interesting as opposed to bland. The chorus, though not amazingly different from the rest of the track, has a really lovely pace to it.
Track Rating; A
Ai no Uta has already been reviewed
Track Rating; A*
anytime has already been reviewed
Track Rating; A/A+
There’s a certain feel to Under that’s really difficult to name. The music is a little creepy and wouldn’t sound out of place over the credits of something like Resident Evil, but beyond that… Under is a great hip-hop-type track. Koda looks amazing in the video but I’ll talk about that when I review the PV DVD. A little samey in places…
Track Rating; A-
BUT is a song I’ve been listening to a lot. I like the synth chaos-ness and strange rythms contained within… Koda’s gives a classic vocal performance. BUT is a song that can easily be skipped because it’s not the most accessible track, but give it a couple of listens and you’ll start to like it! ; p
Track Rating; A+
Koi no Mahou is just a bit sugary. And by ‘a bit’ I mean ‘a lot’. ‘Koi no Mahou’ translates as ‘the magic of love’ so you’d expect something sugary sweet and Koda delivers and I like the results. A shiny, poppy song that is a lot of fun.
Track Rating; A+
Aishou starts with a really nice guitar and low vocal from Koda. I like her low, controlled vocals, they have a depth that holds a lot of emotion. I wouldn’t class this song as a ‘ballad’ per se, more of a slow rock-ish song. Aishou is a gorgeously rich song.
Track Rating; A+
Anata ga Shite Kureta Koto is nice and pacey and follows after Aishou very well. I love how Koda sounds when she sings the chorus, it’s such a nice sound!
Track Rating; A+
Wonderland is even more sugary than Koi no Mahou, just about as sugary as Birthday Eve (from Best ~second session~). Koda raises her voice a little and makes it sounds very cutesy… and peppy. The backing music sounds like something out of a small girls’ video game… So do I like or not? I LOVE Wonderland! It’s my kind of song!
Track Rating; A+
My ultimate favourite song by Koda Kumi is FREAKY. I love the beat and infectiousness it has and it’s almost always on my MP3 player. If you’ve never heard FREAKY you are really missing out on some fun.
Track Rating; A*
The penultimate track on this edition of Kingdom is the smooth jazz song MORE. Koda shows another side to her voice in this, a rich, powerful, tone comes out in the chorus and it’s just impossible not to enjoy her strength in it.
Track Rating; A
And lastly the new version of the Introduction to Black Cherry; titled… well, Black Cherry. I always liked the original and to hear it as a fully fledged track is brilliant!
Track Rating; A+
In conclusion……… Oh, hell, she’s just bloody amazing!
Overall Rating; A*
Download; Amai Wana … Wonderland … FREAKY
Made In Twenty (20)
February 20, 2008 at 10:21 pm | In BoA | 1 CommentTags: 2007, album, BoA, Made In Twenty
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Lady Galaxy
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Nanairo no Ashita ~brand new beat~
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Winter Love
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Still
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SO REAL
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KEY OF HEART
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OUR LOVE ~to my parents~
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no more make me sick
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Revolution -code- 1986-1105
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Your Color
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Prayer
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Candle Lights
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Gracious Days
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LAST CHRISTMAS (bonus track)
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Winter Love (Live)
I absolutely adore Lady Galaxy. It’s one of my favourite songs ever. I think it might be because of the dance element in; energy and power just oozes from BoA’s performance. My favourite section is definitely when she sings ‘Wo-ai-ni, je t’aime, Ti Amo, Saranghae, aishiteru, I love you’. BoA at her best
Track Rating; A*
Nanairo no Ashita ~brand new beat~ is a sugary, fun, shiny song that carries on the energy from Lady Galaxy, just packages it in bright pink and orange…watch the video, you’ll know what I mean. I’ve always loved Nanairo no Ashita.
Track Rating; A+
Winter Love is the first ballad on the album. For quite a while I hated BoA doing ballads, just like Koda Kumi, but now I really respect how strong her vocals actually are. The composition of the song is absolutely georgeous.
Track Rating; A
I swear I’ve heard Still somewhere before… but I can’t remember where. Anyway, Still starts off sounding a bit ballady, but then introduces a groovy bouncy beat and it gets funky! The chorus would not sound out of place in a ballad.
Track Rating; A-
SO REAL is nice and synthy to start and then BoA enters with some great ‘ah-ah-ah-ah’s. Just like… well, every other BoA song SO REAL has an addictive beat and sound.
Track Rating; A+
KEY OF HEART, which I thought was going to be a ballad, er… isn’t. It has slight ballad elements, like strings, but it gets funky! KEY OF HEART is one of my favourites on Made in Twenty (20).
Track Rating; A+
OUR LOVE ~to my parents~ is a ballad…. BoA’s voice is divine! The music has a delicious slow “R’n'B” beat. I just keep listening to this.
Track Rating; A+
no more make me sick. Strange title, unusual style of song. I thought this would be a pounding dance song… It should have been. no more make me sick is kind of… meh! There’s not really enough about it.
Track Rating; B-
Revolution -code-1986-1105 is the dance-ness that I wanted. A typically addicting beat, great lyrics…. Just fun
Track Rating; A+
Your Color is such a calm down after Revolution. If I keep going I’ll have to repeat everything I’ve said about all the other ballads on Made In Twenty
Track Rating; A+
Prayer is not what you’d expect. I think I’ll leave it at that.
Track Rating; A
Candle Lights has a Spanishy guitar to begin with. It’s very non-complex, with just a beat, a voice and other instruments.
Track Rating; A-
In Gracious Days the piano-y bit reminds of Vanessa Carlton, weirdly enough. Gracious Days is a smily song. It sounds very full and BoA’s vocals round the sound out fantastically… Win!
Track Rating; A
And now onto the bonus track. BoA’s version of LAST CHRISTMAS isn’t something you’d yell about from the roof-tops, but over the original version it’s doing somersaults. BoA’s English has also noticably improved; it’s still a little slurred in places, but that can be forgiven .
Track Rating; A
Track 15 is a live version of Winter Love. That’s all I need to say really.
In conclusion, BoA’s Made In Twenty is a triumph… (look at all the pretty A+’s)
Overall Rating; A+
Download; Lady Galaxy … OUR LOVE ~to my parents~ … Revolution -code-1986-1105 … Prayer
Heart Station/Stay Gold
February 20, 2008 at 8:49 pm | In Utada Hikaru | Leave a CommentTags: 2008, heart station, single, stay gold, Utada Hikaru
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Heart Station
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Stay Gold
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Heart Station -instrumental-
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Stay Gold -instrumental-
Heart Station is a display of Utada’s simple but wonderful vocal. Despite Utada Hikaru being the reason I started listening to J-Pop, I quickly fell out with her music, finding her albums a little bland in total but really enjoying some of her singles (Keep Tryin’). Heart Station is a good song, but I just find it a little boring and samey. Why does she pronounce ‘Heart Station’ ‘Hearto Sutation’?
Track Rating; B/B+
I like Stay Gold a little more than Heart Station. It has a bit more energy and more musical variety. That said, I don’t like it to a huge degree…. In general it doesn’t enthuse me much!
Track Rating; B+-ish
Single Rating; B
Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushi
February 14, 2008 at 4:28 pm | In Ikimonogakari | Leave a CommentTags: hana wa sakura kimi wa utsukushi, Ikimonogakari, single
- Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushi
- Saigo no Houkago
- Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushi (instrumental)
Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushi is beautiful and was enough to convince me to track down a download of ikimonogakari’s album. I don’t know much about ikimonogakari but their music is fantastic. Hana wa Sakura starts sounding very ballad like before it gains a great amount of pace and oomph! The vocals are commanding and fantastically paced. It’s just a great song.
Track Rating; A*
Saigo no Houkago is a worthy disc-mate for Hana wa Sakura. A slower paced track with a great chorus… once again amazing vocals and brilliant backing.
Track Rating; A+
Single Rating; A+
diverge
February 14, 2008 at 3:55 pm | In mihimaru GT | 1 CommentTags: diverge, mihimaru GT, single
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diverge
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Eegana
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diverge -instrumental-
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Eegana -instrumental-
diverge is a beautiful song. Hiroko’s voice is really given a chance to shine and shine it does, without interruption. The orchestral backing is beautiful and well included. I think the song could have done without Miyake’s input though
Track Rating; A/A+
How islandy does Eegana sound? I mean… wow! Wouldn’t sound out of place at a luau… Eegana is a little disapointing, especially when it speeds up at the chorus. If those sections hadn’t been included, or were just different, I’d probably be inclined to give it a better rating. Unfortunately, I have the feeling this song might grow on me.
Track Rating; C+
Single Rating; B -is what it averages at, thanks to diverge, but it really deserves more.-
BRAIDED
February 14, 2008 at 3:42 pm | In SOULHEAD | Leave a CommentTags: 2004, album, BRAIDED, SOULHEAD
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BRAIDED -intro-
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YOU CAN DO THAT
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AT THE PARTY
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Jiggy Uhh.. pt 1 -skit-
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Kokuhaku
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itsudemo kimi no koto wo
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NO WAY
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A pretense of love
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I&I -interlude-
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Forgive me
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words of love
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Jiggy Uhh.. pt 2 -skit-
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D.O.G -album ver.-
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STAY THERE
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FOR ALL MY LADIES
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Jiggy Uhh.. pt 3 -skit-
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kono mama
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GET UP!
BRAIDED -intro- sounds incredibly futuristic and pretty. Then it transitions into a very SOULHEAD sounding section…I really like this track, even if it is only 52 seconds long.
Track Rating; A
I’ve always liked YOU CAN DO THAT, despite a slow start into the opening It delivers that trademark SOULHEAD funk. The slowing vocals on ‘I lost my way’ is probably my favourite part of the entire track. The pre-chorus steps up the funk brilliantly before launching into the smooth chorus. It lacks a little replay value though.
Track Rating; A-
AT THE PARTY just plain rocks. It starts with fantastic guitar riffs that..at first..seemed a little strange with the back beat, but are really, quite awesome. This whole song is about having fun and some of the vocals just blew my mind the first time I heard it…I was not expecting that.
Track Rating; A+
Jiggy Uhh.. pt1 -skit- is a short track that should not be overlooked because of its length. It has a lot going for it… the layering of the vocals is a really well executed feature.
Track Rating; A
Kokuhaku is groovy to say the least. There are some great vocal performances from the girls and an infectious beat throughout. Kokuhaku is one of the least complicated songs I’ve heard from SOULHEAD, but still brilliant. Unfortunately, that lack of complexity sometimes forces it into sounding a bit samey.
Track Rating; B+/A-
itsudemo kimi no koto wo is an understated guitary piece that focuses more on voice than danceness… . No doubt that it still has the SOULHEAD funky quality, but this time it’s played down and lets the lyrics do the work. Something different is not always a bad thing.
Track Rating; A
I like NO WAY. Mainly because of the tone of their voices during the opening ‘No way’s… beyond that it bores me a little. The chorus is definitely the best bit about NO WAY.
Track Rating; B
A pretense of love starts off REALLY 70s funk and then introduces the smooth, flowing vocals of the girls and it becomes a little confusing. A pretense of love is another samey sounding SOULHEAD track.
Track Rating; B-
I&I -interlude- is a 34 second intermission in the tracks…. Well needed because BRAIDED is 18 tracks long.
Track Rating; Far too short for a rating.
Forgive me is, without a doubt, an “R’n'B” ballad. The piano over the beat is enough to testify that. I really like the sound of Forgive me. Even though it’s a little stereotypical with lyrics like ‘You are the one, all I need is you’, the chorus, though repetative, is smooth and well executed. I’m not sure why, but I really enjoy Forgive me everytime I hear it.
Track Rating; A+
words of love is not quite what you’d expect from the title and preceeding track. It brings back the groove… in almost spectacular fashion. A track like AT THE PARTY would probably have fit better here as a follow-up to the ballad, to restore the energy. That said, I really like the ‘I used to be your girl’ lines in the chorus.
Track Rating; A
And now for Jiggy Uhh.. pt 2. Part 2 is a lot grittier than pt 1 and shorter, which is good, because it’s a lot less diverse than pt 1
Track Rating; A
D.O.G -album ver.- starts with about three sections of dogs barking which it could have done without. but then it gets into the introduction, which is somewhat awesome and then into a rap. D.O.G is a lot more rap oriented than the some of the other tracks which is a nice change of pace.
Track Rating; A-
STAY THERE is brilliant. Another rap oriented track, but this is sooooooo groovy. Some cool English phrases thrown in here and there. I don’t have anymore to say, STAY THERE really has to be listened to.
Track Rating; A+
FOR ALL MY LADIES is one of my favourite tracks on BRAIDED. I’m not quite sure why. The vocals during the chorus have a certain tone which is great and there’s a LOT of English here which is very well written.
Track Rating; A+
And the final part. Jiggy Uhh… pt 3 is another dramatic shift from the other two parts… pt 3 isn’t quite as good as the other parts though.
Track Rating; B+
kono mama is a little strangely placed in my opinion. I wouldn’t have put a ballad near the end of an album like BRAIDED, but kono mama is such a smooth, involving song that any mishaps can be forgiven. There are some really gorgeous melodies throughout and a couple of great building sections.
Track Rating; A+
I was anxious to hear what the final track would be like. And GET UP! is what I would have expected from SOULHEAD, a VERY 70s/80s sounding track with great guitar and a really sing-along-a-ble chorus… Listen to this if nothing else.
Track Rating; A+
Overall… BRAIDED is a good, constant effort. The only amazingly obvious flaw is that it’s a tiny bit too long at 18 tracks, so it’s not something you can throw on if you’ve got a 20 minute break and get to the best songs.
Overall Rating; A-
Download; AT THE PARTY … Forgive me … FOR ALL MY LADIES … GET UP!
Play [DVD]
February 11, 2008 at 4:20 pm | In Namie Amuro | Leave a CommentTags: 2007, dvd, Namie Amuro, Play
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Hide & Seek [PV]
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Can’t Sleep, Can’t Eat, I’m Sick [PV]
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Funky Town [PV]
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Hello [PV]
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Baby Don’t Cry [PV]
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Special Movie “Amuro Namie x The World of Golden Eggs Special Collaboration Movie”
The first PV is that of Hide & Seek. I love the sepia tone of most of the video, it really adds something to the feel of the song. Namie looks absolutely awesome, but I do feel really sorry for her as she had to dance in completely ridiculous heels. Speaking of dancing…The choreographt is brilliant and fantastically executed by Amuro and her dancers, thought sometimes she does look a little awkward due to said heels.
PV Rating; A
Can’t Sleep, Can’t Eat, I’m Sick is legendary for its choreography, but that’s not the only merit in it. The light set it amazing to say the least and I love the car. Can’t Sleep really does rely on the dance, so if you’re not a dance fan, this may not interest you… but if you’re like me this is your ideal waste of time.
PV Rating; A+
Here comes Funky Town. Is it a rule that the costumers give her at least one piece of awkward clothing a video? This time it’s giant sleeves. When I saw that Funky Town was going to be on the DVD, I immediately wondered what the dance would be like. It’s good and as well covered as Can’t Sleep; there’s nothing more annoying than watching a great routine and it cutting away ever other second. Namie Amuro has amazing hair and, boy, is it shown off here! Erm… Drummers in motorcycle helmets?
PV Rating; A+
Hello is probably my favourite PV. The dull light over Namie and her dancers during the dance sections looks so cool and in the close ups the colours are flared out and she looks like she’s made of porcelain. This is one of those PV’s where you see a slightly weird scene but completely accept it…the scene I speak of is when Namie’s surrounded by cell phones on a tripod thing… strange but it works. Once again choreography=amazing
PV Rating; A+
Baby Don’t Cry was never my favourite song and it’s not my favourite PV. I find it a little dull watching a woman in a long coat, strolling. Visually, it’s beautiful but it lacks that something that would interest me.
PV Rating; B
Special Movie “Amuro Namie x The World of Golden Eggs Special Collaboration Movie” it’s in Japanese, I don’t understand it, it looks weird.
DVD Rating; A/A+
DOLCE
February 9, 2008 at 5:07 pm | In Ami Suzuki | Leave a CommentTags: 2008, album, Ami Suzuki, DOLCE
- FREE FREE
- feel the beat
- Potential Breakup Song
- Bitter…
- SWEET DANCE
- THe WeekeND
- SUPER MUSIC MAKER
- MUSIC
- Stereo Love
- Ai no Uta
- Futariha POP
- Atarashii hibi Continue reading DOLCE…
I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY/Ai Kotoba
February 9, 2008 at 4:03 pm | In mihimaru GT | Leave a CommentTags: 2007, i should be so lucky, mihimaru GT, single
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I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY
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Ai Kotoba
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I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY (instrumental)
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Ai Kotoba (instrumental)
I heard this by complete accident on youtube, but then I got interested. I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY is a ‘cover’ of the Kylie song of the same name, but it’s not really…Thank god. The verses and the overall arrangement are completely different. I don’t know why, but I love the cheesy-ness of this song.
Track Rating; A/A+
Ai Kotoba is a funky slow song. It rolls along at a constant pace, and has some really good vocals from Hiroko. I like this song but I’m not sure this should have been an A-side.
Track Rating; A-
Single Rating; A
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