Originally posted on: 14 July 2005 @ 12:10 am
2005.07.14 song update
Song Descriptions
Minmi - Legend ~Are yu ready feat. 10 FEET~
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, Summertime!!
Minmi is an R&B/reggae/dancehall artist. Her debut song "The Perfect Vision" came out in 2002 and it was definitely my favorite song from that year. She has since released several singles and 2 albums.
Her latest single "Summertime!!" is a more upbeat song than what Minmi has released so far. While it's kind of catchy, I thought it would be more interesting to upload the remix of "Legend ~Are yu ready feat. 10 FEET~" because it's more on the hard rock side, which is a huge difference from her usual songs.
Kishimoto Hayami - Venus 18
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, JUMP!NG↑GO☆LET'S GO⇒
Hayamin is a pop artist who sometimes has R&B sounding songs. This latest single, fortunately, doesn't sound that way. The title track is a great pop song with guitars and the 2nd song "Venus 18" is a cuter pop song, which I liked a lot. The 3rd track "SAY GOOD BYE GLOOMY DAYS" is more on the slower side. I think this is a great single from her.
m-flo loves Akiko Wada - HEY!
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, LOOP IN MY HEART / HEY!
I've mentioned many times that I hate the new m-flo because of their cheesy music. "HEY!" is the first m-flo loves collabo that I actually enjoy. It features the Japan icon Akiko Wada, who is a singer, entertainer, and hostess extraordinaire. For those of you unfamiliar with her, she's a very tall and mannish woman. When I first saw her, I thought she was a female impersonator. =/ And her low, manly voice doesn't help either.
"HEY!" is a very catchy song. Sure, it's more pop than usual, but who cares? The song is awesome so go check it out for yourself. Also, on the m-flo topic, their new album entitled BEAT SPACE NINE will be released late August and it will feature collabos with such artists as EMYLI, YOSHIKA, BENNIE K (I'm not sure on this one), Monday Michiru, Sowelu, Rie fu, Kato Miliyah, and....LISA, their original vocalist!!! Definitely looking forward to this one now that they're reuniting for a song. ^^
MAX - Nirai Kanai
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, Nirai Kanai
MAX started out with Amuro Namie as the girl group Super Monkey's. When Namie got popular, she went solo, and the remaining girls became MAX (Musical Active eXperience). They were popular in the beginning, but later on, their popularity dropped. They were my favorite girl group back in the day and I'm just amazed that they're still going on.
MAX's latest single "Nirai Kanai" is really great. In the title track, the girls' vocals are well harmonized and it's a techno-ish song. "Someday" is a more mellow one, and "TORA TORA TORA 2005" is a new version of their old song of the same name.
Nobuchika Eri - Sketch of Summer (Live ver)
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, Sketch of Summer
I mentioned Eri in a previous entry, so I won't say anything else about her. Except for this song is really beautiful. It's a ballad and Eri's voice really suits it. Looking forward to her future releases.
Ootsuka Ai - NEKO ni fuusen
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, NEKO ni fuusen
Ai is known for her cute voice and songs. While her well known songs are mostly upbeat, crazy stuff, she also has several slow ballad types.
"Neko ni fuusen" is a acoustic song with cute lyrics. "Natsu sora" is a ballad.
Yaida Hitomi - BIRU wo miorosu okujou de
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, Mawaru Sekai
Yaida Hitomi, or "Yaiko" as she is called by her fans is a great artist. Her songs are mostly on the rock side, but she also has a few ballads that are really beautiful. Her debut song "My Sweet Darling" is still my favorite song by her.
"Mawaru sekai" is on the mellow acoustic side, which is the direction she seems to be going in. While it isn't bad, I wish she'd have the occasional upbeat song. "BIRU wo miorosu okujou de" is a piano ballad.
Younha - motto futari de
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, motto futari de
Younha is another Korean singer releasing music in the Japanese market. I think that she's the only Korean artist who doesn't seem to have a Korean accent when singing. Her songs are on the pop side with a bit of rock influence, which is a refreshing change from most of the other Korean artists releasing stuff in Japan. "Motto futari de" really sounds like an aiko song--folky pop with strings. I don't like it as much as her "Houkiboshi" single, but it's still something to check out.
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ALBUM REVIEWS
shela - COLORS
shela - FLORAL
COLORS Lyrics
FLORAL Lyrics
Official Site
Click to buy COLORS album
Click to buy FLORAL album
COLORS tracklist
01. ~an epillogue~ 「White Destiny」
02. ~a prelude~ 「Love Again」
03. ~an overtune~ 「friends」
04. Happy Birthday* sunny-side up
05. 19RED
06. sepia
07. Dear my friends
08. feel
09. Fly away sunny-side up
10. flower fallin'...
11. eternity
12. Wish
FLORAL tracklist
[cori's note: ★ indicates the tracks that were previously released on her garden album]
01. I believe in love★
02. Rose★
03. Dear my friends
04. in my pocket (GROOVE THAT SOUL MIX)★
05. into the light
06. 星が見える場所★ (hoshi ga mieru basho)
07. OVER THERE
08. Baby's breath★
09. Days★
10. Precious Moment*
11. Birthday Song by: sunny-side up
12. 月と太陽 (tsuki to taiyou)
13. treasure★
14. 枯れない花★
shela's been in the music biz for a while now. While I'm not too familiar with her background, I do like most of her songs which are mostly pop songs, with ocaasional ballads. Because shela doesn't have the greatest voice, some people may not like her, which is too bad because her songs are really nice.
COLORS is a singles collection. It's a great album for those unfamiliar with her, but if you have her 1st album COLORLESS, it might be a waste because there are many songs from that album on it. It starts out with 3 orchestrated versions of her older songs "White Destiny," "Love Again" (which is the theme song from the J-drama Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta Koto (KIKU title "From the Heart") and "friends." "Happy birthday" is a cute piano ballad that was done by sunny-side up, a duo of shela & speena. "19RED" is more on the dance side, "sepia" has an Asian sound to it and it also has a slower dance beat. "Dear my friends" is an upbeat song, "feel" is a cute slower acoustic song with a string arrangement during some parts. "Fly away" is a laidback, feel good song and it's cute at the same time. "flower fallin'" is a very Komuro Tetsuya sounding song and it's no surprise that he wrote it (and many of the other songs on this album). Back to the slower side with "eternity" then the album ends with a Christmassy song "Wish" which is another song with a strings arrangement. Not surprisingly, it's a ballad-type.
FLORAL is the 2nd single collection released on the same day. The thing I'm disappointed about is it features a lot of songs that were already on her garden album. "I believe" is a great song to open up with because it has a positive feel to it. "Rose" is a nice song, but shela's voice kind of irritates me in the beginning. "Dear my friends" is an inspirational souding song, "in my pocket (GROOVE THAT SOUL MIX)" is a more dance oriented song and it's really great. "into the light" is a slower song with kind of an R&B feel to it. "Hoshi ga mieru basho" is a pretty ballad, "OVER THERE" has an R&B feel to it, "Baby's breath" is an average song so it's not really noteworthy. "Days" is nice during the chorus, "Precious moment" is a mellow song with a dark feel to it. "Birthday song" is another sunny-side up song, uses the same tune as "Birthday song," bu t it has different lyrics and it sounds more on the acoustic guitar side with a beat. Though I'm not one for buying singles, I still bought it only because it was released on my birthday. =p "Tsuki to taiyou" is another semi-R&B type ballad, "treasure" is an acoustic ballad and it's probably one of my favorite songs by shela. "karenai hana" has a pretty piano melody and it's a great way to end this album.
Overall, I preferred COLORS better because there were a lot of songs that I wasn't familiar with, but FLORAL is also a good buy. I was really disappointed that neither CDs included my favorite shela song "Let me be with you." My final ranking:
COLORS gets an 8.5 out of 10
FLORAL gets an 8 out of 10
SINGER SONGER - Barairo Pop
Lyrics
Official Site
Click to buy album
SINGER SONGER is a band made up of Cocco and some of the members of Quruli. Cocco is a pop rock artist who "retired" until she released a new version one of her popular songs "SING A SONG ~NO MUSIC, NO LIFE~." Quruli is a rock band, so one would think they'd come out with some heavy rock songs. That's not so in this case. Much of Barairo Pop is on the light acoustic side, whic is not a bad thing, but those who know both artists might be disappointed in their new sound.
Tracklist:
01. SING A SONG ～NO MUSIC，NO LIFE～ Album Edit
02. ロマンチックモード (romantic mode)
03. 雨のララバイ (ame no lullaby)
04. 雨降り星 (amefuri hoshi)
05. Home
06. Millions of Kiss
07. Come on you
08. オアシス (oasis)
09. Baby，tonight
10. 初花凜々 (hatsuhana rinrin)
This version of Cocco's "SING A SONG ～NO MUSIC，NO LIFE～" is in Japanese and it's a lot more laid back than the original and it seems like a country song, there's also a violin/fiddle playing. And so is her voice; it's sweet and a little vulnerable sounding. "Romantic mode" is a feel-good light rock song. "Ame no lullaby" is a bluesy song, "amefuri hoshi" is a straight up fun country hoedown kind of song. It's really cute, as is Cocco's vocals. I'm just surprised at this song since it's totally a different style from her past songs; not to say that it's a bad thing, it's a pretty catchy song, especially during the chorus. "Home" sounds like a lullaby with a piano and Cocco's soft voice. "Millions of Kiss" is a medium paced folky song, "Come on you" is a more upbeat poppish semi-rock song all in English. It's a bit too cheerful for my taste. "Oasis" is a moody acoustic guitar song which is quite a change from the rest of the album. It reminds me a lot of The Brilliant Green's "Tsumetai hana" song during the verses. "Baby tonight" is entirely in English. It's a slow piano song. "Hatsuhana rinrin" is an upbeat poppish song and it's a great way to end this album--with a positive sound.
This album gets an 8 out of 10. Too bad it's too short though.
Takei Shiori - My Favorite Things
Lyrics
Official Site
Click to buy album
Tracklist:
01. 静かなるメロディー (shizuka na melody)
02. あの海が見えたら (ano umi ga mietara)
03. Close Line
04. 蜜月 (mitsugetsu)
05. 新しい季節 (atarashii kisetsu)
06. 二人のsunny Day (futari no sunny day)
07. 夕凪 (yuunagi)
08. 星のかけら 君の涙 (hoshi no kakera kimi no namida)
09. 時の砂 (toki no suna)
10. 君に恋してる (kimi ni koi shiteru)
11. 今日 (kyou)
Takei Shiori is a mellow pop sounding artist. Some of her songs have a tropical feel to it and a lot of the lyrics were written by Azuki Nana, the keyboardist of the band Garnet Crow.
It starts off with "shizuka na melody" which is a laid back jazzy tropical sounding song. It's an indication of what to come. The next song is "ano umi ga mietara" which is another light-hearted medium paced song. "Close Line" is a little darker sounding than the previous songs. Still it keeps up with the tropical sound. "Mitsugetsu" is a really nice bossanova song. It's a more on the serious side & the acoustic guitar is a nice touch. "Atarashii kisetsu" is a cuter song, "futari no sunny day" is (surprise) another tropical song, but that doesn't make it boring at all. "Yuunagi" is a bit upbeat and sounds a lot different than the other songs in the sense that it's on the folky rock side. "Hoshi no kakera kimi no namida" takes us back to the tropical sound. Shiori's voice sounds a little higher than her previous songs so it makes her sound younger. "Toki no suna" has a slight Latin sound and there's a trumpet playing. This is more upbeat than any of the previous songs. "Kimi ni koi shiteru" was released as a single and it's definitely a highlight of this album. It steps away from the tropical side and it's more on the acoustic guitar pop and it's a great feel good song. Finally "kyou" ends the album with a slower note. It's another soothing song that I like.
My Favorite Things is a nice album for those times you want something soothing to listen to and Shiori's voice is perfect for this type of music. This album gets an 8 out of 10.
。・☆。・☆・。。・☆。・☆・。。・☆。・☆・。。・☆。・☆・。。・☆。・☆・。
Originally posted on: 07 July 2005 @ 08:34 am
2005.07.07 song update
Song Descriptions
globe - Here I Am (original edit)
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, Here I Am
globe is a 3 person group made up of Komuro Tetsuya or TK (vocals, song writer, leader), KEIKO (female vocals), and Marc Panther (white dude who does the rapping). They've been around for about 10 years and their music is mostly dance, technoish, (at times) semi-rock sounding, and in recent times, trance. In their "LEVEL 4" album, YOSHIKI (formerly of X-Japan) joined, but that didn't change their signature sound.
"Here I Am" is a slower song than what they usually do. It's a pretty good aong, and KEIKO's voice is nice in it, although it can be an acquired taste to some. The rest of the sing are just snippets of songs from their upcoming album. Looking forward to that.
KinKi Kids - 10years
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, Velvet no Yami
KinKi Kids have released singles 1997 and have been in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most #1 consecutive selling singles in Japan. The Kids are Doumoto Tsuyoshi and Doumoto Koichi, surprisingly they aren't related, despite having the same surname. They both act in many popular Japanese dramas such as "To Heart," "Ao no Jidai," "Summer Snow" (Tsuyoshi); "P.S. Genki desu, Shunpei," "Harmonia" (Koichi). Just in case anyone was curious, "Kinki" is a place where they grew up in Japan.
"10years" is only on the Limited edition of their "Velvet no Yami" single. It's a soothing ballad-type that starts off with a piano.
Kitade Nana - chouhatsu girl
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, KISS or KISS
Kitade Nana is a rock artist who debuted in June 2004, and has released 6 singles since then, but no album in sight. She's best known for her song "Kesenai tsumi" from the anime Full Metal Alchemist.
"Chouhatsu girl" is a medium paced semi-rock song. Nothing too special about it, but it's pretty good.
Mr. Children - mirai
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, Four Dimensions
Mr. Children has been in the biz for over 10 years. They're on the pop rock side and they have a steady amount of success.
Their new single "Four Dimensions" has 4 new songs on it. "Mirai" is a light pop song that's on the acoustic side.
Nao - flower feat RYOJI (of Ketsumeishi)
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, flower
Nao is a pop artist, but her latest single features RYOJI from the hip hop group Ketsumeishi. I've enjoyed her singles and 1st album so far, so I'm looking forward to anything else she may release in the future.
"flower" is a pop song with a slight R&B sound, but it sounds tropical at the same time. This is different from the straight up pop songs that Nao usually does. RYOJI is part of the group Ketsumeishi and raps in this song.
Nobuchika Eri - Sketch for summer (live version), Voice
"Sketch for Summer" Lyrics
"Voice" Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, Sketch for summer
Eri is a relatively new singer who debuted in December 2004. With 3 singles under her belt, she has gained a decent amount of fans. Her music is on the pop side and her songs have been produced by Osawa Shinichi (MONDO GROSSO), who produced for artists like bird.
"Sketch for summer" is a ballad and it showcases Eri's lovely voice (heh, pun not intended). I'm also adding "Voice" because it's an interesting upbeat song that I really like.
YUKI - Dramatic
Lyrics
Official Site
From the single, Dramatic
YUKI is the ex-vocalist for the pop rock band Judy & Mary. After they disbanded, she released music as a solo artist & most of the songs were quite different than JAM's music. They tended to be on the more mellow, soft side, and also a bit weird at times.
"Dramatic" reminds me a lot of an aiko song that I can't place at the moment. It's an poppy upbeat song, and even though it's ok, it doesn't really grab me.
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ALBUM REVIEWS
AI - MIC-A-HOLIC A.I
Lyrics
Official Site
Click to buy album
Tracklist:
01. If
02. 365 feat. DELI
03. Another Day
04. Once In A Lifetime
05. Queen
06. Just Listen -interlude-
07. Party
08. Sha La La
09. Airport -interlude-
10. California
11. Summer Breeze
12. Passion
13. Sunshine
14. A Poem -interlude-
15. Story
AI is half Japanese, half Italian. She ??
"If" is one of the highlights of this album. It's a really great R&B track to open up this album. "365" was released as a single and kind of reminds me of the Suite Chic song "Uh Uh," only the former doesn't feature AI as the rapper, but the singer. DELI does the rapping. "Another Day" sounds like a religious song, which might turn some people off. Ordinarily I don't like those type of songs, but I do like this one because AI's voice is actually good and it's kind of a catchy song. "Once In A Lifetime" is one of the few songs in this album where AI actually raps. Too bad the song itself is pretty bland and kind of annoying. "QUEEN" was a coupling song, so it's nothing new--average R&B song with no personality except for the lyrics. Track 6 is an interlude. "Party" is another annoying song, mostly in the repetitive chorus. Other than that, it's a decent song. I like the lyrics for "Sha La La," the song is pretty low key, one of ballad types. One of the better songs on this album. Track 9 is another interlude "Airport" and it sounds like AI's rushing to her next flight, it goes into the song "California." That song annoys me during the repetitive chorus ("I'm gonna have a good time..."). If it weren't for that, I'd like this song just fine. "Summer Breeze" is just another version of "Summer Time" which was found on her Original AI album. I guess that title should be changed. "PASSION" is another single, it's more on the smooth Latin style. I like this song. "Sunshine" is a medium paced R&B song. It's another new song that I like, which surprises me because I don't tend to like a lot of AI's songs. "Story" is a ballad which was released as a single. It's an inspiring song in the music and lyrics.
Overall, I have to give this album an 8 out of 10.
Angelina - Muse
Lyrics
Official Site
Click to buy album
Tracklist:
01. My Life
02. 赤いメロディー (akai melody)
03. babybayboo (album version)
04. LYRICAL
05. my name
06. Ride
07. Know the lies
08. Poison Berries
09. Pathetic (album version)
10. Telephone booth
11. Never Before
Angelina is a Spanish-American (father) and Japanese (mother) artist who was born in Los Angeles, California, but moved to Okinawa and went to an American school. and has a really great voice. She went to college at Arizona State, studying humanities. She was introduced to ex-Megadeth guitarist Marty Freeman, who she hit it off with, and he helped her with her demo tape, which caught the attention of DJ KRUSH. This was the start of her musical career. Her songs are really eclectic so it's hard to categorize her music.
The album starts of with "My Life," which is a slow acoustic guitar song and it's entirely in English. "Akai Melody" starts off slow then kicks off into a rock number. One of my faves from this album. "babybayboo" was released as a single. It's more on the mellow acoustic side and it's a fun, cute song in contrast to the previous song. "LYRICAL" reminds me of a Fiona Apple song ("Never is a promise") in some of the lyrics. It's sort of a mellow electronic-sounding song. Angelina semi-raps in it; Mike Ladd, some unknown rapper (think that guy in Kuraki Mai's "Never gonna give you up"), helps out by doing a 2nd class rap act. "my name" is on the club music side. It's pretty upbeat compared to the previous songs and it's pretty addicting even though the lyrics sound repetitive. "Ride" is another mellow song, there's nothing too special about it, but I kind of like it. On another note, Monday Michiru co-wrote & produced it. "Know the lies" has a unique sound. Kind of reminds me of tribal music. "Poison Berries" is pretty cool, it sounds like there's an ukulele set to a backbeat. It's a mellow song with a semi-reggae beat. "Pathetic" is another acoustic ballad type. It's nice, but nothing too noteworthy. "Telephone Booth" has a telephone ringing in the background throughout the whole song. It's another song that starts off with a slow acoustic guitar, but picks up towards the chorus. Another great song with great lyrics all in English, including a telephone conversation in English, though it's not noted who the male speaker is. "Never Before" starts off with a piano clinking. It's a dramatic song and a good way to close the album.
Despite the lulls in a couple of the songs, I give this album a 9 out of 10.
Aya - Baghdad Sky
Aya - Baghdad Sky
Lyrics
Official Site
Click to buy album
Tracklist:
01. Blue Butterfly
02. NOBODY
03. 1999
04. 路上の影 (roujo no kage)
05. we.
06. ミス・ロックンロール (miss rock n' roll)
07. 雨に唄えば (ame ni utaeba)
08. Betty
09. DEAD END
10. バグダッド・スカイ (Baghdad sky)
Aya is a female rock artist, who write her own music and is often compared to Youjeen in terms of music and vocals. Her second album is highly recommended if you're into hard rock music.
Baghdad Sky starts off with "Blue Butterfly" is an all English song which seems mellow at first, but it picks up steam towards the middle of the song. "NOBODY" is the first of many hard rock sounding songs. The guitars and Aya's voice sound aggressive. I love the line, "I wonder why I never kiss your brain." Makes no sense at all, but it's so cool. =p "1999" kind of reminds me of 80's hair metal band Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood" in the intro (am I showing my age here?) and it's one of my faves. "Roujo no kage" is a song that I previously uploaded. It's more on the soft side and more melodic than her other songs. The next track "we." is even softer than "Roujo," but it still has a good sound to it. "Miss Rock n' Roll" is a semi-upbeat song. It's kind of a typical rock song and Aya's voice sounds punkish. "Ame ni utaeba" is another semi-punkish song, as is "Betty" (You bitch!). "DEAD END" is another agressive song, but something about it is a bit more melodic than the previous songs. "Baghdad Sky" closes this album and it's a rock ballad. Aya sings in a softer voice as well.
This album is definitely recommended if you're into female rockers, and none of that wimpy stuff either. It gets a 8 out of 10 from me.