Filed under: Miscellaneous, Utada Hikaru | Tags: Utada, Utada Hikaru, Utada Hikaru CD
I’m really excited today because I bought another Hikki album; HEART STATION!!! I bought it at Shinseido in Chatswood, for a great price, they even gave me a discount! It was a total success. I prefer to buy albums rather than to download them, as it gives credit to the artist! This means I now own three Utada Hikaru items, Exdous, HEART STATION and Utada Hikaru in Budokan. Thanks to Shinseido, keep up the great imports! :D
Filed under: Ai Otsuka | Tags: ai, Ai Otsuka, ai otsuka sakuranbo, さくらんぼ, sakuranbo
Tracklist:
1. Sakuranbo
2. Kaerimichi
3. Momo no Hanabira (studio live ver.)
4. Sakranbo (instrumental)
5. Kaerimichi (instrumental)
This is Ai’s second and most popular single to date, with sales past the half-a-million mark. This is the single that really set her up for a music career.
Sakuranbo starts of with little ai’s thoughtfully placed, nice teasing strings and then Ai’s powerful vocals! The strong rock-pop beats create a nice atmosphere. Ai’s vocals are at their best here; her vocals are cheery, along with the lyrics, which is something we’ve come to love from Ai.
Click, Click, Click is what opens Kaerimichi, then, Whistle, then Ai’s vocals, yay! This song is fun and Ai’s vocals are once again at there strongest. While the beat and melody is relatively straight forward, it is fun and very effective, another great song from Ai.
Momo no Hanabira (studio live ver.) is seen on Ai’s debut album “Love Punch”, except this time it’s without the synthesised beats making it feel genuine. This song really showcases off Ai’s precious vocals. The piano and guitar are perfect for this song. This song is also one of the few emotional songs from Ai.
It’s not hard to see why Sakuranbo is Ai Otsuka’s most popular single. It shows a diverse and wonderful range of Ai. From the synth beats, to the beautiful piano in Momo no Hanabira (studio live ver.), to the hot CD cover, this single is fantastic. I ai this single XD!
Rating
4½ stars
Filed under: Chihiro Onitsuka | Tags: Chihiro Onitsuka, Chihiro Onitsuka Infection/Little beat rifle, Infection, Infection/Little beat rifle, J-POP, JPOP, Little beat rifle
Tracklist:
1. Infection
2. LITTLE BEAT RIFLE
Infection/LITTLE BEAT RIFLE a double A-side single and is Chihiro’s 5th single and reached #5 on the Oricon charts selling 172, 000 copies.
Infection emotional song that starts off with a soothing piano solo, which is a great start to the song, making it feel genuine. This ballad has powerful and wonderful alto vocals, which is why Chihiro Onitsuka without doubt is the best ballad singer/writer ever! Someway through the song Oni adds beautiful strings. English lyrics are scattered throughout, which is good for non-Japanese speaking people. The lyrics are just amazing, but they did face some controversy, this is one of Oni’s best songs!
LITTLE BEAT RIFLE opens up with a cheery piano, and Oni’s fantastic vocals. The arrangement isn’t nearly as good as Infection, but Oni’s amazing voice is enough to satisfy anybody. The lyrics and atmosphere to the song are somewhat happier then Infection and it sends a nice message across. While I thought this song was amazing, the arrangement got on the boring side for me and it didn’t have to same emotional appeal as Infection has, but a very good try.
Chihiro’s 5th single is great! Infection being the main attraction, but LITTLE BEAT RIFLE is still a great song! A strong single from the strongest voice in the Japanese music industry!
Rating
4 stars
Tracklist:
1. Kissing You
2. Sparkling
3. Joyful Smile
4. Kissing You (Instrumental)
5. Sparkling (Instrumental)
6. Joyful Smile (Instrumental)
This is BoA’s 26th single and her first since the release of her Japanese album The Face.
Kissing You opens with a somewhat distorted piano line and strings, which is really catchy. Then comes BoA’s vocals, which sound deeper then her vocals on “The Face.” This song has a constant beat throughout. Cute English lyrics are dotted throughout the song. A very cute song, but the annoying thing is that it gets very repetitive towards the end.
Sparking opens with slow vocals, piano and percussion, but then quickly changes to an upbeat techno song. Once again BoA incorporates cute English lyrics into this song, but BoA also has made this song very repetitive, and her vocals aren’t the strongest, but a decent try.
Ah, finally, this is more like it! Joyful Smile is by far the best song on the single. Its chirpy vocals and lyrics really create a “happy as happy can be” atmosphere, like most of her songs. But be warned: This song is extremely catchy! About three quarters through the piece there is a thoughtful electronic instrumental solo, and a little while after there is distorted beats, which give a great effect. As in most of BoA’s songs great English vocals are added at appropriate times throughout the piece. A great song!
Joyful Smile is the song that pretty much saved this single, but I really liked how this single sounded different from BoA’s previous works. BoA is a great singer, but I don’t think this was the best way to start a new era.
Rating
3 stars
Filed under: Utada Hikaru | Tags: Heart Station, Heart Station (Album), hikki, Utada, Utada Hikaru, Utada Hikaru Heart station, 宇多田ヒカル, 宇多田ヒカル heart station
Tracklist:
1. Fight The Blues
2. Heart Station
3. Beautiful World
4. Flavor of Life [Ballad Version]
5. Stay Gold
6. Kiss & Cry
7. Gentle Beast Interlude
8. Celebrate
9. Prisoner of Love
10. Take 5
11. Boku wa Kuma
12. Niji-Iro Bus
13. Flavor of Life [Bonus Track]
This is Utada Hikaru’s 5th Japanese studio album. This album has been a great success, selling almost half a million copies in the first week, and reaching #1 on the Oricon weekly charts.
The opening to Fight the Blues is one of the best openings to an album, I’ve ever heard. The crisp strings create a calm atmosphere. Hikki’s vocals are at their best, they’re smooth and powerful. I mean what more could you ask for? I knew from the opening of this song, that this was going to be a fantastic album.
Now we move onto Hikki’s most recent single before the release of Heart Station and coincidently, the song’s called “Heart Station.” This song has a strong synthesized feel to it, which makes it sound like a futuristic song. This
song, while it has very powerful lyrics, it sounds relaxed and calm. The only bad thing is that it gets quite repetitive towards the end.
What a beautiful start to one of the best albums. Beautiful World has the same feel to “Heart Station,” with powerful lyrics, synthesized beats, and a relaxed feel. But, despite the songs name, this song isn’t really all that beautiful, for Hikki it’s not one of the best songs, but I still love this song.
Arigatou, Hikki for the Flavor of Life [Ballad Version]. The opening line is so powerful that I got lost in the music even before the first verse. With its bittersweet lyrics, and powerful vocals, it’s easy to see why this is one of her most popular tracks. I think the Ballad Version was more appropriate then the Original Version on this album, as it creates a greater emotional appeal.
Stay Gold opens with a strong piano line, and after about 10 seconds Utada’s relaxed vocals enters this amazing song. This is one of the best songs on the albums. Quite simply this song is gold!
The strong brass opening of Kiss & Cry is inspiring, and then it moves into some strong bass and percussion beats, which are really catchy. The lyrics are pretty cute, and… interesting – “Mother on a diet” for example. This song won’t fail to impress.
Gentle Beast Interlude is Hikki’s most interesting and experimental interlude to date. With Arabian beats, and excerpts from “Heart Station’ added throughout. I think the “Gentle Beast” in the song title is referring to Hikki’s beloved teddy bear – Kuma Chan, but I could be wrong.
The transition between Gentle Beast Interlude and Celebrate is smooth and very effective. This song reminds me of One Night Magic on her pervious album Ultra Blue. The English vocals placed strategically throughout the song, creates a nice touch, they are strong and meaning full. I love the line – “Just enjoy the art of life” and “I love the way you make me feel.” This is the type of song I can image being played in a nightclub.
Ah, here we are the best song on the album. Every aspect of Prisoner of Love is fantastic and inspiring. This beautiful ballad has meaningful lyrics throughout the entire song. This mellow song is heartfelt and emotional. Along with Keep Tryin’ this is probably Hikki’s best song to date.
Experimental pop beats are what opens the most controversial song on the album – Take 5. This song is about death. These somewhat scary beats carry after the lyrics throughout the entire song. This song is unique and different from Hikki’s normal style both musically and lyrically. This song is very impressing, and one of the best songs on the album.
This children’s song by the name of Boku wa Kuma, meaning “I am a bear”, is
once again referring to Utada’s bear named “Kuma Chan.” This song has a simple constant beat and, it is short, but adds a cute touch to the album.
I love the beat of Niji-Iro Bus This fun song about striving for your dreams is plain fun and very entertaining. The English throughout the song is very thoughtful with phrases such as “Everybody feels the same.” This is a great song to wind down, and finish the official album track-listing on a happy note.
Flavor of Life pretty much sounds the same as the ballad version, but with less emotion, but the strong synthesized beats make up for that. Just like the ballad version the lyrics are inspiring and amazing.
Like all of Utada Hikaru’s albums, this album is amazing. Possibly her best album to date, but that’s a hard thing to deicide since all of her albums are the best! Compared to Ultra Blue, this album seems a lot more laidback. Hikki’s smooth vocals are at their best. All the songs have very nice and unique arrangements. Hikki has made this album a joy to listen too!
Rating
5 stars
Filed under: Crystal Kay | Tags: Anata no Soba de, あなたのそばで, Crystal Kay, Crystal Kay Anata no soba de, J-POP, JPOP
Tracklist:
1. Anata no Soba de
Anata no Soba de is Crystal Kay’s 23rd single. It reached 30 on the Oricon charts and sold 4,059 copies.
“Hey baby, won’t you come a little bit closer!” The opening of Anata no Soba de is strong. Then the R&B feel just pounds in, it creates a great atmosphere to the song. Kay uses the phrase “anata no soba de” a lot throughout the song, which makes it feel like she really wants us near her, as the title name means “by your side.” The only down point for this song is that it gets very repetitive, and to me if something gets too repetitive it gets boring, but still it’s an interesting song.
Rating
4 stars
Filed under: Utada Hikaru | Tags: J-POP, JPOP, Prisoner of Love, Utada, Utada Hikaru, Utada Hikaru Prisoner of Love
Tracklist:
1. Prisoner of Love
2. Prisoner of Love -Quiet Version-
3.Prisoner of Love (Original Karaoke)
4. Prisoner of Love -Quiet Version-(Original Karaoke)
This is Utada Hikaru’s 21st single. This single is a re-cut single, which is her second re-cut single. This single was released due to popular demand, and it’s easy to see why. This song is phenomenal! It reached number 3 on the Oricon charts.
Prisoner of Love is a pop ballad and opens with strong English Vocals that 
are extremely catchy. When I first heard this song I just wanted to belt it out wherever I went. The beats are extremely strong. It has a strong string line, and mellow synth beats. The lyrics are the one of the best in a song I have heard, and they are extremely bittersweet. The English sprinkled throughout the song, creates an authentic feel to it. Hikki shows no sign of slowing down, as her singles keep getting better!
The “Quiet” version of this song obviously is quieter and creates a sadder feel to it. The vocals are just as strong, but it has a stronger piano line. It is relatively similar to the original song, but since there is less synth beats is makes it feel more genuine, however it doesn’t capture all the atmosphere of the original.
Prisoner of Love, is a very strong ballad, the vocals are relaxed but at the same time very powerful. This bittersweet song is amazing, however I do prefer the orginal version over the “quiet” version.
Rating
4½ stars
Filed under: Utada Hikaru | Tags: dareka no negai ga kanau koro, 誰かの願いが叶うころ, J-POP, JPOP, Utada, Utada Hikaru, utada hikaru dareka no negai ga kanau koro
Tracklist:
1. Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro
2. Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro (Instrumental)
This single is Utada’s 13th Japanese single, reaching number 1 on the Oricon weekly charts and selling over 365,206 copies. This single was the theme song for Kazuaki Kiriya’s (Utada Hikaru’s ex-husband) movie Casshern.
Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro starts off with a piano solo, and then Utada Hikaru’s amazing voice that penetrates through the piece. Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro, means “when somebody’s wish comes true”, and while this song title may sound happy, this song is anything but happy, Utada’s wistful vocals really create a sad atmosphere, but it is beautiful! Her vocals are soft and don’t sound strained at all, making it one of the her best ballads of all time.
Rating5 stars
