Girl’s Night

Single Review
Crystal Kay – Girl’s Night

Girl’s Night is Crystal Kay’s 6th single. It was released on May 9, 2001, and reached #100 on the oricon charts.

tracklist:
1. Girl’s Night
2. Girl’s Night -Layer 7 Remix-
3. Make Me Whole

To think that Girl’s Night marks the very first time Crystal Kay does R&B, I must say she made me like her more.

I really think shey made a really nice change with Girl’s Night. Leaving the independent sound she had with her CLL era was a very smart move, in my opinion. The new and fresh R&B sound this song carries was really nice, and I think it was something that made Kuri sound more mature.

Although, I DO HATE the very first part with all the talking. I really don’t get the point of having that part because the song could’ve just started right away. But, I guess it won’t really bother me because the arrangement and everything was just great, especially the playful beats.

The background vocals were quite good too because they blended well with Kuri’s main vocals, and they fit in perfectly with the arrangement.

Definitely one of the best early CK songs.

Good Original Version, BAD REMIX. SRSLY. The Layer 7 Remix of Girl’s Night was just plain wierd. The Arrangement was so dull, and I hate the fact that they sped Kuri’s vocals up.

I really think the problem with Crystal Kay during her early days of career was that she has terrific A-sides but typical B-sides, and Make Me Whole proves that.

The piano was nice, but boring, while Kuri makes a good vocal performance. But, overall, the song was just boring. I really do not like it.

Favorite Track:
Girl’s Night

Shuffle rating!
B

stay with me

Single Review
Koda Kumi – stay with me

stay with me is Koda Kumi’s 42ndh single. It was released on December 24, 2008, and reached #1 on the charts. It sold a total of 65,657 copies.

tracklist:
1. stay with me
2. Winter Bell
3. stay with me (Orgel Version)
4. stay with me (Instrumental)
5. Winter Bell (Instrumental)

ANOTHER BALLAD?! PFF.

Okay, it may seem like I’m hating stay with me so much, but actually, I don’t. Well, I don’t hate it right now, but I HATED it A LOT before. I was actually quite happy about how the ERA for TRICK was going, but I was suddenly turned off when I first heard stay with me.

I thought it was the worst single she’s put up recently, but actually, it’s an alright song. It has a really nice winter theme in it that fits the love message in the song. The string arrangement and sparkly instruments they used for this track was really good too.

So Overall, It may not be the best Kuu ballad, but it’s definitely a better ballad than her recent ones.

I must say that I quite like the backing track of Winter Bell. Only the backing track though, because I hate Kuu’s vocals here. She sounds sick here or something, and it sometimes sounds like she’s forcing her voice to sing the notes.

The orgel version of stay with me was simply an orgel playing the tune of the song. It was a nice listen though.

Favorite Track:
stay with me

Shuffle rating!
A-

Ren’ai Shashin

Single Review
Ai Otsuka – Ren’ai Shashin

Ren’ai Shashin is Ai Otsuka’s 13th single. It was released on October 25, 2006 and reached #2 on the weekly Charts. It has sold a total of 147,975 copies, and charted for 20 weeks. It is the 75th best-selling single of 2006. The A-side was the theme for the movie Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru.

tracklist:
1. Ren’ai Shashin
2. Hanikami Jane
3. Haneari Tamago (Live Version)
4. Ren’ai Shashin (Instrumental)
5. Hanikami Jane (Instrumental)

Good Lord, I LOVE Ren’ai Shashin. It possibly is my favorite Ai-chin song after daisuki da yo., but either way, it’s such an amaaazing song.

The melody is really nice, and it goes very well with Ai’s vocals. The overall atmosphere was so calm, that makes the song perfectly relaxing. There’s something about the track that’s really really catchy too.

The piano and the really light beats made the song possibly epic, and the lyrics were just romantic. Again, I say this is definitely one of Ai-chin best songs!

The kiss we exchanged when it was raining,
Ties the both of us together
This feeling will not last my entire life, I can’t explain it well, but
After meeting with you, every day of my life  Has shone brightly
However, I still love you..

While the A-side was really a calm, romantic treat, the B-side, Hanikami Jane shows the normal, upbeat side of Ai-chin.

The happy-go-lucky arrangement of the song was quite similar to all of her other uptempoed songs, but was executed really well. Normally, I would sometimes hate Ai’s up-beat songs, but this song made a change.

The next track on the single was the live version of Haneari Tamago, a song from her LOVE COOK album.

I actually thought the live version was really good. It was really similar to the original version, which I think was a good thing. The piano accompanying her was pretty cool too.

Favorite Track:
Ren’ai Shashin

shuffle rating!
A+

Koi Kogarete

Single Review
BENI – Koi Kogarete

Koi Kogarete is Beni arashiro’s 11th single, and 3rd as BENI. It was released on June 10, 2009, and reached #70 on the oricon weekly charts. It sold a total of 1,266 copies.

tracklist:
1. Koi Kogarete
2. CRUISE the WORLD
3. FOREVER 21
4. Koi Kogarete (Instrumental)

I nearly died when I first found out that BENI’s next single was another mid-tempo track. Knowing what BENI sounded like on one, like Kiss Kiss Kiss got me even more excited with Koi Kogarete.

Koi Kogarete was first described by SONY as a summer-themed ballad with a mid-tempo arrangement. Well, that’s pretty much what the song really is, to be honest. But if I were to give my own description of this song, I’d call it “The best BENI track in the world”. YES.

I’d write again and again about how I love this song, if I just wasn’t too lazy today. But oh God, Oh God. Koi Kogarete was another awesome A-side by BENI. I just couldn’t help it. Koi Kogarete just blows everything she has done out of the water.

This song just gets me everytime I listen to it, which probably happens because of it’s amazingly sweet melody. The guitars which blend in well with the beats and BENI’s vocals show a really promising result. Especially when the song reaches the first chorus.

Compared to Signal, BENI’s previous B-side, CRUISE the WORLD, and FOREVER 21 are better. I did not really like Signal, which is why my expectations were a bit high with the B-sides in this single. But happily, those expectation were met.

CRUISE the WORLD, in no doubt, is something really different from what BENI has recently released. The electropop arrangement is something I believe she hasn’t tried out yet, but surprisingly, she pulled it off really great. Her voice really fits the synths and the fast tempo, which was a really nice change because almost all of her songs have the same elements in it.

FOREVER 21 was another B-side better than Signal, but no, not better that CRUISE the WORLD. Although I don’t like it as much as the previous tracks, I must say that I really like BENI’s voice here. They may not be as impressive as her other vocal performances, her voice is really highlighted by the light arrangement.

Favorite Track:
Koi Kogarete, and CRUISE the WORLD.

shuffle rating!
A

Wasurenai yo

Single Review
Aoyama Thelma –Wasurenai yo

Wasurenai yo is Aoyama Thelma’s 7th single. It was released on August 5, 2009 and reached #20 on the oricon charts. It sold a total of 7,839 copies, and has so far charted for 2 weeks.

tracklist:
1. Wasurenai yo
2. Don’t Stop
3. Wasurenai yo (Instrumental)
4. Don’t Stop (Instrumental)
5. Wasurena yo (Acoustic Version)

I have to tell you guys. Thelma has got to be one of the better people in JPop these days. I seriously thought that she won’t be able to bring up something as strong as Todoketai, but wow was I wrong. She actually released something better.

Wasurenai yo easily got me at the first listen. I really like it because, even though it’s not that different from any other Thelma ballad, it still gave me a really nice listen.

It’s such a beautiful track with all those melodic instruments, and Thelma’s impressive vocals. The background vocals were also able to highlight the way Thelma delivered the notes, and they also added color to the arrangement.

The slow beats also helped the song flow a lot better, and the piano added lots of emotion to the song. Just to make everything I said short, every single instrument used here really made the song sound so good.

When the A-side was slow, the B-side was an upbeat one. Don’t Stop is like MADONNA, from the Mamoritai Mono single, but this one has more attitude. Although, I’m not saying that it’s as mind-blowing.

I actually prefer this one that the B-side of Todoketai, but it’s actually not that amazing, in my opinion. I’ll admit that it’s catchy and fun to listen to, but I just don’t like the bridge, and the intro. The bridge was really misleading and confusing, while the intro with Thelma talking on the phone was kinda lame for me.

Just remove those two flaws, the we get a good track. period.

The acoustic version of Wasurenai yo was nice. It contains more piano elements than the original, so you can actually say that it’s a lot calmer. But I still prefer the original because this version almost came to a point where I was bored already. It’s a Nice addition though.

Favorite Track:
Wasurenai yo

Shuffle rating!
A-

Beautiful

Single Review
Mai Kuraki – Beautiful

Beautiful is Mai Kuraki’s 32nd single. It was released on June 10, 2009, and reached #2 on the oricon weekly charts. It sold a total of 33,344 copies, and has currently charted for 2 weeks.

tracklist:
1. Beautiful
2. Wana
3. Beautiful -Instrumental-

After the great PUZZLE/REVIVE, I seriously thought that Mai would do something similar with her next single. Turns out I was wrong. No worries though, because Beautiful is indeed a BEAUTIFUL song.

When it was first heard by the public through it’s PV, I have to admit that I hated it. It’s not about the vocals or whatever, it’s the style that was bothering me. There were times that made me feel so bored. So bored that I was about to knock my head off the keyboard. Okay, I’m kidding. But seriously, I did not like it.

But then the single was released, and I finally got the chance to listen to it again. By the time I heard Mai sing the chorus lines, I was like captured by her voice. The melody was really relaxing, as it could easily rock you to sleep. And I mean that in the nicest way.

The instrumentals, mostly made of pianos and strings, create a peaceful aura in the song that easily makes the song so fresh-sounding. There’s also Mai’s beautiful vocals to add on, and there’s the background vocals (obviously from her too) to make it sound even better.

Same as Beautiful, I did not like wana during the first listen. I thought it was so mediocre, and it was quite messy for my tastes. But after a few more listens, I have to say, I learned to like it even more, and I found out that it was more than what I thought it was at first. It even became one of my favorites from Mai.

The arrangement, which focuses on the piano and some synthesizers, create a unique sound that really goes well with Mai’s vocals. There’s also the turntables that give the song an additional twist to it that’s sure to surprise the listener once they try it.

Favorite Track:
Beautiful and wana

shuffle rating!
A+

Kuki (STEM)~Daimyou Asobi hen~

Single Review
Shiina Ringo – Kuki (STEM)~Daimyou Asobi hen~

Kuki (STEM)~Daimyou Asobi hen~ is Shiina Ringo’s 8th single. It was released on January 22, 2003, and reached #1 on the oricon weekly charts. It sold a total of 187,371 copies, making it the 45th best-selling single of 2003. Kuki (STEM)~Daimyou Asobi hen~ is the only single released for Kalk, Samen, Kuri no Hana.

tracklist:
1. Meisai ~Sengo Saidai-kyuu no Boufuu-u Kennai Kashou~
2. Kuki (STEM) ~Daimyo Asobi hen~
3. Ishiki ~Sengo Saidai-kyuu no Boufuu-u Kennai Kashou~

I know I already said that I’d start with Ariamaru Tomi and Shouso Strip, but I’m sorry.. I just can’t help it. I listened to Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana a while ago, and it kicked my ass. xD now moving on…

While I was already diggin’ Honnou, I wasn’t really a fan of Shiina yet. The moment I became a hardcore Ringo fan was when I first heard Meisai. Despite the ridiculously long title “Meisai~Sengo Saidai-kyuu no Boufuu-u Kennai Kashou~“, I gotta tell you, this is one heck of a song!

It has that usual impressive Shiina touch to it that makes it easily definable as her work. There’s that hot jazzy vibe to it that goes really well with her squeaky voice, and there’s that spooky atmosphere that most of her songs have.

It starts off with a continous rain sound, which goes quite good when the double bass starts playing, and Shiina starts singing the few lines. A gong-like sound then starts playing, leading the song to a fuller sound with the guitars and violins. Shiina will then start singing the verses in a style-y way, which will lead us to the hyper chorus right after.

I really think hyper is the most appropriate word to describe the chorus, because, well it is kinda insane, but excellent at the same time. Despite the wildness of the chorus, I have to say that it helps it sound more catchy to my ears. The way Shiina delivers the lines with the jazzy instruments around her was the best one I could ever imagine. There’s the uniqueness in it, and the backups really made it possible.

I couldn’t help but think of Mickey Mouse when I first heard Kuki (STEM)~Daimyo Asobi hen~. The orchestratic arrangement reminded me of those silent disney films, and I believe I’m not the only one thinking of that.

But anyways, I really think STEM was a really good song. The orchestra really kept the epicness of the song coming for a long time,  which was a good thing because it avoids the listener from getting tired of it. It was also nice to hear some english from Shiina because I don’t usually hear her sing in that language. I thought Shiina’s english in it was quite good, but I couldn’t say impressive because there were times that I couldn’t clearly hear what she was saying. Minus that, the song could have been just perfect!

When it comes to composition, Ishiki~Sengo Saidai-kyuu no Boufuu-u Kennai Kashou~ is different. Unlike the 2 previous tracks, this song uses less instruments for jazz and more guitars and drums.

Even though I don’t like this track as much as the other 2, I have to say that it was nice to hear because it was nice to hear a change from the previous genre that was offered. Although, I wish that the song didn’t just end so sudden, because it sounded so unlikely. It was a really nice track, neverthless.

Overall, despite the fact that this was the only single released for the Kalk Samen album, I think it was enough because of the great quality each track presented. All of them had the quality of an A-side, which was really handy because all tracks are in the album. I was also impressed with Shiina Ringo in this single, not only because of the uniqueness this single contained, but also because of the creativity she showned to us with this single. I bet nobody else can beat the mind-blowing idea of STEM. Nuff said.

Favorite Track:
Meisai~Sengo Saidai-kyuu no Boufuu-u Kennai Kashou~

shuffle rating!
A+

POP STAR

Single Review
Ken Hirai – POP STAR

POP STAR is Ken Hirai’s 23rd single. It was released on October 26, 2005, and reached #1 on the oricon weekly charts. It sold a total of 244,000+ copies, and charted for 14 weeks.

tracklist:
1. POP STAR
2. Tameiki Kippu
3. POP STAR ~less vocal~

I never thought I would be a fan of Ken Hirai. I think he can sing and stuff, but to be honest, I never liked him before. I found his voice to be nasally, and the music he does wasn’t my kind of music. But in the end, I guess he deserved another chance, which I gave to him when I first listened to POP STAR.

I seriously laughed my throat out when I first heard POP STAR. I thought it was a ridiculous song, especially when it comes to the lyrics. The line “I wanna be a POP STAR” was quite uncomfortable to hear at first, because, well, a guy is singing it, and of all guys, it’s Ken singing!

I considered this song a joke, especially when I heard the lyrics, but once I got to see the translations at the web, the song wasn’t as unbelievable as I thought it was. When Ken was singing the “POP STAR” phrase, he was actually referring to a lover. Evidently in the line “As you fall in love, Anybody can be anyone’s pop star”.

After I finally knew what the words meant, I couldn’t help but think that this was such a wonderful song, because it really is! The lyrics were sweet, and the upbeat arrangement helps enhance the message of the song. Especially the happy pianos and violins.

I was then amazed by how relaxing Tameiki Kippu turned out to be. The guitars and strings blend in perfectly with Ken’s vocals, and the composition was perfectly mastered to blend in with the overall product.

While I was bored with the first 2 and a half minutes, I should say that I didn’t really mind it at the end because of how the ending was delivered. The way it progressed was quite good, and the ending finishes things off with a beautiful note.

Favorite Track:
POP STAR

shuffle rating!
A

Hop, Step, Jump!

Single Review
JYONGRI – Hop, Step, Jump!

Hop, Step, Jump! is JYONGRI’s second single. It was released on February 21, 2007, and reached #32 on the oricon weekly charts. It sold a total of 5,895 copies, and charted for 2 weeks.

tracklist:
1. Hop, Step, Jump!
2. Romeo & Juliet
3. Hop, Step, Jump! (Instrumental)
4. Romeo & Juliet (Instrumental)

Quite a long time ago, while I was so busy being in love with JYONGRI and her song Possession, I also took time to try some of her stuff up. I tried a lot of them, and I really liked the majority of what I heard. One of the songs that I tried was Hop, Step, Jump!, which wasn’t quite a fan favorite, charting outside the top 30, and selling only about 5,000 copies.

I seriously don’t know why Hop, Step, Jump is recieving so much hate from many people. I quite find it a favorite of mines because of the uniqueness it has, compared to her debut single.

Hop, Step, Jump! is really different from all of the cutesy pop songs out there, especially the ones from let’s say, Leah Dizon. This song  is like L.O.V.E.U, except it’s a lot slower, it has a heavier beat, and this one has better vocals in it. Okay, well maybe not that alike, but you can see some similarities.

What I like the most about this song is that it brings us quite a crossover between Pop and the regular R&B in the music scene right now. It’s not that much of R&B because it sounds like something that belongs to a poppier side, but if you listen to it carefully, you can sense some. One that helps it sound more R&B-ish is the heavy beat running around the arrangement.The song may also sounds jazzy at times because of the trumpets, but it is kept minor.

So overall, I can’t really say that this song beats the awesomeness of Possession, because it really can’t, but I really think this is one of JYONGRI’s better songs if you compare them to some of her lackluster ballads.

I thought the B-side was gonna suck, because, well, it is a B-side. But come to think of it, not all B-sides are bad, and the perfect example of that is Romeo & Juliet.

Just like many other people said, Romeo & Juliet has corny lyrics, which is a fact that I do agree on. Although, despite the lyrics, I have to say that I like it. Like Hop, Step, Jump!, this track also takes the poppier path. They share the same style, except there are more elements that makes it sound more R&B.

The harmonization between JYONGRI’s own vocals, and the background vocals, which are probably from her too, is perfect. The way the background voices say the line “just like that” everytime the Romeo and Juliet line passes was quite a catchy part. ^^

In the end, when we’re talking about the A-side only, I gotta say that JYONGRI has a few better A-sides compared to it, but if we are talking about the whole package, I have to say that this could possibly the best ones JYONGRI has released. It was nice that there weren’t much remixes in it, because that would’ve made my head spin. This was an amazing single, neverthless.

Favorite Track:
Hop, Step, Jump!, and Romeo & Juliet

shuffle rating!
A+

Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara

Single Review
Kana Nishino – Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara

Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara is Kana Nishino’s 6th single. It was released on June 3, 2009, and is Kana Nishino’s first single to chart on the top 15. No sales info yet, since this was just released last Wednesday.

tracklist:
1. Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara
2. Shitsuren Mode feat.WISE
3. Again

I’ve been a fan of Kana Nishino for a long time now since I started listening to her ever since she released “I” last year, but I never thought that my liking to her music would grow so big right now just because of Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara.

After she released Style., I really thought that she was gonna release an album. I was wrong since singles like MAKE UP, and Tokutemo showed up after, which was starting to bore me with Kana and her single releases. But  again, just when I thought that she was finally releasing an album, she released another single entitled Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara, which almost made me give up with her music.

I then heard the radio rip of Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara once on YouTube, and it instantly turned me into an avid fan of Kana that I never was before.

What does she offer in this song that’s impossible to like? NOTHING. It is perfect, and I believe, it is Kana Nishino’s best track ever since the day her mother gave birth to her. lol. It sound really ridiculous, but it is true.

This Heartbreak-themed song talks about how the girl doesn’t want to talk to the guy or anything because it makes the girl miss the guy, or something like that.

I wanted to meet you, I was sad but I couldn’t say anything
I just wanted to hear a bit of your voice
If you notice me acting tough, don’t be kind
because then I’ll want to see you

Okay, doing those qoute-y things has got to stop. xD But In my opinion, it was quite nice to see Kana sing songs with more mature themes to it, because after I heard MAKE UP and Style.’s childish arrangements, I was afraid that more of that style would come.

But I am really serious when I said that this is her best song in her entire career. You can hear that Kana has gotten a lot better, vocally-speaking, and the fact that she released this pop-ballad just proves to us that she could do more than just cutesy pop songs, and pop/rock ballads.

I do not like the first B-side, Shitsuren Mode, because of many reasons. I’m too bored to write it on paragraph form so instead, I’ll write it as an ordered list.

I do not like this track because:

1. WISE is in here. I really liked him when he was in BoA’s My Way, Your Way, and Kana Nishino’s Tokutemo, but I don’t like him here because..
2. WISE sounds like someone bored to death, and is just doing this song because he doesn’t have anything else to do.
3. Kana’s vocals aren’t as good as the A-side, and her other songs, because this one sounds quite pitchy.
4. The arrangement was sloppy.
5. Purely B-side material.

Yeah. That’s about it.

I was hoping for a better B-side as the next track, and Yes, I got something.

Again was a far more better track than Shitsuren Mode, but still, it doesn’t impress me. This guitar-driven song isn’t really good because the arrangement was quite boring, and it doesn’t suit Kana’s vocals. I love the guitar intro though.

So, overall, Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara was an okay single. I thought the A-side was epic SUCESS, but the B-sides were total failures. They pretty much pulled the singles grade down so hopefully, we don’t see those horrible B-sides on LOVE one.

Favorite Track:
Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara

shuffle rating!
B+