Single Review
Kuroki Meisa – SHOCK -Unmei-

SHOCK -Unmei- is Kuroki Meisa’s 1st single. It was released on July 22, 2009, and reached #25 on the charts. It sold a total of 7, 181 copies.

tracklist:
1. SHOCK -Unmei-
2. Wasted
3. Bad Girl <BACHLOGIC Remix>
4. SHOCK -Unmei-

Once again, ladies and gentlemen, I’m impressed with Meisa.

I don’t know why, but I JUST LOVE SHOCK -Unmei-. It’s such an amazing song, especially with it’s powerful arrangement. The way it samples a very classic tune helps make the song sound so unique, especially when it is placed with the fast synths and beats.

As for her singing skills, I’d say she’s gotten a lot better. The vocals have gotten a lot stronger, and her presence on stage is more fierce, too. After watching her performance of this song on Music Station, my mouth dropped when I saw her dancing. She managed to control both her voice and moves, which led to a very good performance.

Evem though it’s more on the poppish, rock side, Wasted still manages to win my heart. Even though it’s kind of messy, especially ’cause of Meisa’s vocals, it saves everything with the catchiness and the high-quality product of the arrangement.

So basically, I also loved Wasted.

The Bachlogic remix for Bad Girl was HOT. Even though I prefer the original version, this one sets it’s own level of hawtness. The arrangement is more dynamic, which is evident on the new thumping beats you can hear on the song. The new way they ended the chorus with the auto-tuned (?) “Love is not everything” kicked my ass too.

Favorite Track:
SHOCK -Unmei-, Wasted, and Bad Girl <BACHLOGIC Remix>.

Shuffle rating!
A+

As some of you know, S&R held an awarding through a voting process, but, sad to say, despite the fact that all the nominees are decided already, I will CANCEL the voting.

Like all of the other blogs, I’d like to talk about my opinions on this year, which I wasn’t able to do last year. So, I hope you guys are okay with it.

Sorry for the disappointment.

But hey, It’s all good, because it’s already my christmas break! =OOO

Oh, and I am about to release my first mashup album on January. Just making some final touches.

THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING GUYS!

Single Review
Namie Amuro – WILD/Dr.

WILD/Dr. is Namie Amuro’s 33rd single. It was released on March 18 2009, and reached #1 on the charts. It sold a total of 119,352 copies.

tracklist:
1. WILD
2. Dr.
3. WILD (Instrumental)
4. Dr. (Instrumental)

Right after BEST FICTION, I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect from WILD. I mean, when the first previews were out, I wasn’t really feeling it, and I could not believe it was an Amuro song. But, when the PV came out, I loved the song more, and more, and more.

WILD is a very infectious song, and I’m sure I speak for every fan of Namie, and the song itself. It has a very dancy rhythm that adds to the Namie-ness of the song, and it has a very VERY CATCHY Chorus that just gets stuck in your head once you hear it. But, that isn’t really it. There’s a lot more about the song that makes it an impressive one, but I’d say, the catchiness makes the song pretty much everything.

I fell in love in a different way with the other A-side though. Dr., was love at first sight hear. xD. There’s this plain wierdness about it, and an unexplainable futuristic twist, but it’s a plain amazing song. The arrangement if the song just blows my mind off, especially when it combunes with Namie’s voice.

For the final note, I’ll say that Dr. is a very very very (raised to the thousandth level) FANTASTIC song. Bravo Namie! :>

Favorite Track:
WILD, and Dr.

Shuffle rating!
A+

So sorry for not posting anything new, guys! School has been eating me alive, and everything’s just so hectic. I’ll update soon, but for now, please enjoy the rather old reviews here in S&R! ciao!

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

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-

Just a few seconds ago, I was in JPopstop, and saw this..

KiraKira will be released as a re-cut single? WHY?! IWANTBRANDNEWSONGSBENI! Fingers crossed for a rearranged version.

I actually have been listening to a lot of KPop recently, which is why I decided to take a look at the KPop charts on soompi. Oh, and which will be a regular feature of Shuffle and Repeat now!

See what my thoughts on the songs are, and what rank should they be for me under the cut. ^^.

#1. Heartbreaker, G-Dragon. Score: 917.
‘from the album, HEARTBREAKER.

I actually like G-Dragon, since he’s part of BIGBANG and stuff, but I gotta say, I do not dig Heartbreaker that much. I admit, it is good, but I just don’t like it as much as the other tracks on his album. I think it’s kinda too much energetic for me, and there’s too much hype going on in the song. Maybe it’ll grow, I dunno.

Sould Have been: #10.

#2. MUZIK, 4minute. Score: 869.
‘from the mini-album, FOR MUZIK.

Now this is more like it. For me, MUZIK is the best KPop song since 2NE1’s FIRE. I really like the upbeat arrangement, and was a huge improvement over the ripoff ‘Hot Issue’. This definitely deserves to be #1, that’s why I’m glad they had #1’s on music shows. EPIC WIN!

Sould Have been: #1.

#3. Love Rain, Kim Tae Woo. Score: 842.
‘from the mini-album, T-VIRUS.

Since it was my first time hearing something from Kim Tae Woo, I didn’t know what to expect. But after hearing Love Rain, I fell in love. It’s such a happy song, and it’s nice to the ears.

Sould Have been: #5.

#4. My Ear’s Candy ft. 2PM Taecyeon, Baek Ji Young. Score: 756.
‘from the mini-album, EGO.

Wow. I really really just love My Ear’s Candy! It’s such a nice, dancy song, and has really nice chorus lines. The melody and Taecyeon’s rapping helps make the song sound a lot clubby too. It’s just amazing, and it gets stuck in your head once you listen to it, too. CATCHYCATCHYCATCHY.

Sould Have been: #3.

#5. Abracadabra, BROWN EYED GIRLS. Score: 700.
‘from the album, Sound-G.

I remember being soo addicted to Abracadabra. It’s like the only song in my head that time, and it had a hundred playcounts in iTunes after 2 days. But now, I’m kinda tired of it. Although, it is A REALLY GOOD SONG. Might I add that the MV is freakin’ amazin’. The dance scenes are just plain aaawesome.

Sould Have been: #6.

#6. Vari2ty, Jewelry. Score: 698.
‘from the album, Sophisticated.

OOOH. Vari2ty is definitely a hot song. definitely. The tune and the lyrics are stuck inside my head right now, and I’m definitely not hating it. The group’s vocals are really good with the filter, and the rapping sections are plain awesome too. The overall sound of the song is just.. it’s just.. *EXPLODES*

Sould Have been: #4.

#7. Love Is So Difficult, Lee Seung Gi. Score: 632.
‘from the album, Vol. 10 Repackaged version.

This song probably is the only ballad on the top10, but I should say that it is a nice, heartfelt song. I always like and have rooms for ballads like these, so yeah. Also, Being my first time listening to Lee Seung Gi, I have to say that I am really really impressed. Such a Great song.

Sould Have been: #8.

#8. Mister, KARA. Score: 564.
‘from the album, REVOLUTION.

Mister is another great song from KARA. I still think wanna is better, but Mister is a good track too. This pop song really shows us the innocent, and bright side of the group, which I think was really great. Another great song in the top 10.

Should Have been: #7.

#9. LA chA TA, f(x). Score: 534.
‘from the digital single, LA chA TA.

Did I mention before that I am in love with LA chA TA? I guess not. But really, I LLIIKE IT. It’s such a powerful, dance pop song, that showcases what the group is all about. I think it’s a great song to use for a debut since it’s so damn catchy, and there are so many highlights. Oh, and AMBER RULES!

Should Have been: #2.

#10. Lies, T-Ara. Score: 492.
‘from the digital single, Lies.

Another good song on the list is T-Ara’s Lies. I like the orchestratic opening of the song, because uh.. well, I just like it. The mid-paced tempo of the song fitted the vocals of the girls too. The MV was fantastic too, for me. I love how each of them hits the guy. Such funny good settings.

Should Have been: #9.

So, overall, I quite liked the lineup of the charts this week. I wish there would be more variety though because all I hear are fast pop songs. This week, I give the charts a rating of..

A-

See you next week!

]]> http://josh012595.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/kpop-chart-week-4-september-2009/feed/ 1 josh012595 kimtaew http://josh012595.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/3532/ http://josh012595.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/3532/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:10:59 +0000 josh012595 http://josh012595.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/3532/ ]]>

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+