Keys to Everything

1. TRIP
2. Harmony
3. I believe you ~Ai no Hana~
4. Mint
5. PARTY TIME PARTY UP
6. Creamy Day
7. Sakurairo
8. Bara ga Saku Bara ga Chiru
9. Silent Motion
10. Marguerite
11. Secret Jasmine
12. A DAY TRIP
13. Nemurenu Yo ni

TRIP sounds a lot like the music I first listened to when getting into the J-Pop scene. The steady brass and unforgiving, happy pace make a brilliantly energetic opening. I was not expecting Rina Aiuchi’s voice, quite frankly, this was an impulse download and I had no prior expectations before getting into the album. I’m still sitting on the fence about her vocal ability. At times she sounds great and the tone she has works perfectly with the track, other times it hits a bit of a sour note, and even then through most of the track she sounds quite strained. Nonetheless, TRIP is a great opening track with lots of energy and a bit of nostalgia for me.

Track Rating; B

Harmony sounds like a stage theme from Sonic Heroes… is that too weird a comparison? Anyway that’s how it strikes me at first. I have to say that Aiuchi sounds far better in this, she’s not straining her voice and isn’t trying too hard. The vocal processing is a really nice touch and the constant beat is a focal point.

Track Rating; B+

I believe you ~Ai no Hana~ has a very disney-esque opening piano, before it slides into something that is definitely Japanese pop music. Again, Aiuchi’s vocal is much better, if a little nasal which proves to be a little annoying at times. It doesn’t really feel as if her voice is made for a track like this, with it’s orchestral tone. Her voice is just a little too weak.

Track Rating; C+/B-

Mint goes back to where TRIP started us off. Nostalgia time for me again. Aiuchi, no matter how much I fault her singing, suits this type of track down to the ground. The happy, arcade feel is prevelant and it doesn’t really particularly matter about the…er… not so nice vocal moments she has because the song isn’t about the voice singing the words, it’s more about the overall feeling you get from the track. Though at times it does still sound a little karaoke ^ ^’

Track Rating; B

PARTY TIME PARTY UP is like Mint’s sister track. A stronger voice is needed here, definitely. I sort of lose any positivity I have for the track within the first 3 seconds of Aiuchi singing. The ‘Party time, party up’ sections border on being a little painful. I think the first time I listened to PTPU I rather liked it, but as I’ve listened to it I’ve realised how weak Rina’s voice really is and it’s just been annoying me more here than in other songs.

Track Rating; C

Creamy Day has a nice opening, it’s unusual-ish but the 70’s disco vibe is quite nice. Again, a rather interesting opening vocal from Aiuchi, though not as bad as PARTY TIME PARTY UP. She actually hits some rather nice high notes during the chorus, but also some other not so nice notes. I’m willing-ish to look past these though as I like the rest of the song quite a bit. I think the strength of the song is in the high notes she nails and the instrumental.

Track Rating; B+

Unsurprisingly, Sakurairo is a ballad. The piano/guitar/string opening is very nice and it leads into one of the first decent opening vocals from Aiuchi. Actually, vocally, this is one of her strongest tracks, the slightly flat bits you can accept quite easily because they’re not as intrusive and certainly not as annoying. Aiuchi’s performance lacks a bit of emotion that a singer with a slightly richer tone could have probably run with, bit for once there’s not that many flaws. Probably one of the most solid tracks so far.

Track Rating; A-/A

Bara ga Saku Bara ga Chiru returns to the disco theme and then throws in some rock… strangly enough. Aiuchi is deepening her voice here and that adds so much. Her tone is much stronger and the energy she’s putting in can do no wrong. My favourite track definitely, I dare anyone listening to this not to get stuck singing ‘Bara ga Saku Bara ga Chiru’, it’s probably the catchiest song and it’s the easiest to get absorbed because you don’t have to worry about conciously ignoring bad vocals.

Track Rating; A

Silent Motion. Can I just out by saying that I love the title. The introduction kicks ass, but then Aiuchi enters with a vocal that just doesn’t match properly. After two really solid tracks, Silent Motion is shown up as being really quite feeble. Like PTPU a stronger singer could have made this song… Aiuchi just isn’t that singer.

Track Rating; C

Marguerite has a very odd opening. It can’t be explained, it needs to be listened to. Over this odd ‘instrumental’ Aiuchi really doesn’t sound that bad. Her entry into the chorus is a little ‘ouch’ and then the chorus is a lot ‘ouch’. The nasal quality just doesn’t sit well with me and I find myself wishing that she would launch into another ‘Bara ga Saku’.

Track Rating; C

Secret Jasmine opens with a barrage of vocals that I really don’t like. The high, nasal, flat bits that I’ve been referencing in pretty much every other song are all thrown into the first five or ten seconds of song… Which really inspires confidence. The verses aren’t so bad and listening the majority of the track isn’t that painful, but I always seem to be sitting on the edge of my sea, waiting for the bad parts. Musically, Secret Jasmine is really very promising, the piano over the percussion is really interesting and pretty.

Track Rating; C+

A DAY TRIP is another song with a really nice opening, musically and vocally. These are the times I smile in relief. While it’s nowhere near as strong a song as Sakurairo, it’s definitely one of the few tracks that has something going for it. There are, as expected, a few unfortunate patches, where Aiuchi tries to build her voice, but it comes out sounding rather flat and lifeless, but those aren’t as many as in songs like Marguerite. Another thing, when she sings ‘A day trip’ doesn’t it sound like she’s singing ‘A day dream’?

Track Rating; B

Nemurenu Yo ni’s opening chimes are gorgeous and the ‘la’s aren’t that bad either. Though the first couple of words aren’t fantastic, Aiuchi finds her feet in the song and she sounds a lot better as she moves through the song. Mostly, the song is okay. Not the most moving or thrilling ballad, but it’s worth ending the album with a strong song (even if it is a ballad). It has a few vocal gymnastic sections that go a little wrong and the odd place where the instrumental sounds noisy, but on the whole, a pretty good song.

Track Rating; B+/A-

Overall… If you hadn’t noticed by now, I don’t think much of Aiuchi Rina’s voice. In the majority of songs she sounds just plain bad, but the thing is, songs like Sakurairo and Bara ga Saku show that she has a lot of potential that she’s just not living up to…. I just Wikipedia’d her and let me tell you, I was very surprised to find that this is her sixth album. It feels a little amateurish in places. And I’m very sorry if I’ve insulted any fans of hers, it doesn’t sit well with me, that’s all, after all this is only my opinion.

Track Rating; B-