Kat's Reviews
NOTE: Posted from Newest to oldest.
Aragaki Yui - Make My Day [single]
Aragaki Yui is a model, actress, seiyuu (voice actress), and occasional radio show host. She is regarded as one of the most prominent actresses in Japan, along side Horikita Maki, who are below twenty years of age.
Make My Day was her first single, released July 16, 2008.
The Cover
There's three different versions of the cover. The first being only the CD, the second being the CD and live DVD, and the third is the CD and PV DVD. The regular edition is my favorite. It's extremely simple, and it looks like something Yui drew herself. It's just cute on so many levels. The second cover is pretty ordinary. And the third one, thought was pretty ordinary, till I realized there was a key on her ear. Is that an earring?
The Overall Cover: 9 Ladies dancing out of 10
The Songs
1. Make My Day
2. Soba ni
3. I Believe
4. Make My Day (naked voice ver.)
5. Make My Day (Instrumental)
1. Make My Day
It's the main single, which I have to admit she actually pulled off pretty well, seeing as she's not a very good singer. The tune is completely j-pop, so I'm a bit biased. Anytime it gets to a part with a high key, her voice gets quite weak. But overall, it's a cute song, that comes along with an equally cute PV. The overall meaning: I believe is just living each day, day by day, and doing whatever because you really only get one chance.
2. Soba ni
It's an extremely slow song, that I hated, because it really shows off her weak vocals. But the overall tune isn't horrible, it's just her voice that couldn't adjust to the song I believe. Perhaps I'm making excuses for her since I like her quite a bit, but like I said, I'm a bit biased.
3. I Believe
This is another ballad. But I quite liked this one because it started out like a Chinese song. (Chinese song, as in reference to either Taiwanese pop music or Hong Kong pop music). It just has an overall really pretty tune.
The Overall Songs & Lyrics: 8 Maids a-milking out of 10
Her voice is extremely weak when compared to other singers, but the songs that she's given are quite hard to sing. The key is pretty high. But overall, they all represent her cute image. I quite liked the songs overall.
The Overall Single: 9 Ladies dancing out of 10
Download Preview: Aragaki Yui - Make My [single]
MICA 3 CHU - I DON'T KNOW [single]
MICA 3 CHU is a collaboration between Nakashima Mika and the comedy group Morisanchuu. "I Don't Know" is Mika's 26th single. The songs on the single are rock songs, and the single was marketed as Girls Angry Rock. It was released July 23, 2008.
The Cover
To be honest, I'm not really sure what they're trying to portray here. Sure enough, they pull off this "girls angry rock" image. Though, why a collab with a comedy group? That's beyond me.
The Overall Cover: 5 Golden Rings out of 10
The Songs
1. I DON'T KNOW
2. SHUT UP
3. I DON'T KNOW (Instrumental)
4. SHUT UP (Instrumental)
1. I DON'T KNOW
This song is entirely in english, and does put off the image of rock. The intro music is amazingly good. Pretty much it's a song about getting annoyed at people trying to make someone different than what they are. The image does actually fit what I think Mika does or should portray. But why does the song have to be in english? This would have been a good song if the lyrics could be heard. Mika's english isn't all that great, and therefore many of the lyrics are unrecognizeable.
2. SHUT UP
Before listening to it, I was praying that it wasn't in english. Well, it didn't work apparently, since it is in english. Another random angry girl rock song, and another song with english lyrics that we can't understand.
The Overall Songs & Lyrics: 2 Turtle Doves out of 10
Overall, an overly done single. What's with singing in english, if you don't even know english yourself? Not even being able to understand half of what she was singing, and when I found the lyrics to the two songs, it was easier to follow. But in reality, the lyrics are pretty random. At least they fit the "angry girl rock" genre they were trying to portray.
The Overall Single: 4 Calling Birds out of 10
Miley Cyrus - Breakout [album]
Miley Cyrus is most known for her role in the Disney Channel hit series Hannah Montana. This is her second album under her own name. It was released July 22, 2008. She wrote most of the songs on the CD, and from the lyics it can be made pretty obvious.
The Cover
It's alright I guess. But I suppose it does fit the image she's trying to portray, "an older her". Her first album was to 'meet her', and this one is where they actually 'get to know her'. There's not much to say about the cover...it's pretty ordinary.
The Overall Cover: 5 Golden Rings out of 10
The Songs:
1. Breakout
2. 7 Things
3. The Driveway
4. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
5. Full Circle
6. Fly On the Wall
7. Bottom of the Ocean
8. Wake Up America
9. These Four Walls
10. Simple Song
11. Goodbye
12. See You Again (Rock Mafia Remix)
1. Breakout
Like many of the songs on this CD, this song has the pop/rock theme. The lyrics do make me think that the song is indeed written by a 15-year old so I wasn't all that impressed with this song. The beat and tempo is definitely the highlight.
2. 7 Things
I loved the beginning of this song!...that is till it got to the chorus which was too much of a change in tempo, from pop to rock in one second. It was a bit random for me. But it's definitely one of the better songs on the CD. Talking about 7 things that she hates about a guy which makes her like him. Reminds me of the movie "10 Things I Hate About You". But in reality that's all there is to it.
3. The Driveway
The tune overall isn't all that bad. But the lyrics were strange and didn't make much sense to me. Like, since when can she drive? I think she is trying to say that they ended a relationship before anything really started.
4. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
It's a great classic song, which I think she killed by covering it. The tempo was driven up way too fast. Though, her voice was perfect in it which I can admit, is the only upside to it.
5. Full Circle
Defintely one of the better songs on the CD. It's about how no matter what happens when she keeps going back "full circle" back to where she was, to wait for the guy.
6. Fly On the Wall
For me, it's the most random song ever. Why would a guy want to be a "fly on the wall" just so they can spy on their girlfriend? This is just a random song that made no sense to me whatsoever.
7. Bottom of the Ocean
Usually, I like the few soft songs and ballads in a CD full of upbeat pop tunes. But this tune I couldn't feel at all.
8. Wake Up America
This one is probably my favorite song on the CD. Her voice gets so low, but it's nice to hear because it's different. And hearing the lyrics "global warming, going green, I don't know what all this means" just made me smile. Though I think the whole song is about needing to take care of America, and the world. It's definitely not her normal typical song. I just loved the overall tune. "Everything you do matters in some way."
9. These Four Walls
It's not her own song, and it shows through with her voice in the song. Her voice sounds a bit scratchy at the beginning to me. But the lyrics are great, being much more mature than she actually is.
10. Simple Song
A lot of her songs on this CD are exactly that, "simple songs" that have no real point. To me, half it sounds like she's drunk. I mean with lyrics like "I swear sometimes I can't tell which way is up and which way is down"?
11. Goodbye
This is the one reason i like her ballads. They usually have really nice lyrics. This is not an exception. The lyrics are mostly about a break-up, and remembering back on the relationship.
12. See You Again (Rock Mafia Remix)
The remix version? To be honest, I didn't see much of a difference between this version, and the original, besides for the techno beat in the background making it seem like club music.
The Overall Songs & Lyrics: 5 Golden Rings out of 10
To me, overall I found most of the lyrics either to mature for her, or lacking in any meaning. I'm sure lots of people are looking to see this album to be a good thing, because her music is maturing, not doubt about it. But she's only 15. I read that she wrote most of these songs based on what's happened to her within the year. But, half of them don't seem like something that would happen to a 15 year-old girl in show biz anyways. Perhaps, I'm not thinking properly, and most kids these days mature at a really young age, but I found no meaning in the songs, compared to her first album which I actually liked a lot.
The Overall Single: 5 Golden Rings out of 10
Download Preview: Miley Cyrus - Breakout [album]
Tegomasu - AiAiGasa [single]
It was released June 18, 2008, making this their third single since their debut as a temporary unit in 2006. Tegomasu is a group made from Tegoshi Yuya and Masuda Takahisa from NEWS. Their debut single - Miso Soup was debuted in Sweden, even before Japan. This group was created during NEWS's short hiatus in 2006.
AiAiGasa literally means 'sharing an umbrella'. It's a picture with an umbrella, and a heart on top, with two names on either side of the umbrella. It symbolizes two people who like each other enough to share an umbrella, and therefore is associated with couples in love. I believe they decided to release the single mid-June because it's around the start of Tsuyu (the rainy season in Japan).
The limited edition only has 3 songs, and the AiAiGasa PV/making of.
The Covers:
The Limited and Regular Edition Covers
The limited edition cover is love. Surrounded by colorful umbrellas and in the rain Tegomasu are supposed to look like rain gods, or something of the sort. Most would say Tegoshi looks like a girl, or an angel. But even so, it's simple, but exactly what the single needed. The fact that the regular edition doesn't have Tegomasu on it is kind of saddening. But, the regular edition cd cover is extremely beautiful even in its simplicity. A simple picture of an "AiAiGasa" on the chalkboard, and two umbrellas says it all. I didn't notice it before, but after looking over the cover once more, I realized that there's s picture frame in the right corner, and on it lists the four songs on the RE (not including the karaoke version). So, that was pretty interesting.
The Overall Covers: 10 lords a-leaping out of 10
The Songs:
1. AiAiGasa (Love under the Umbrella)
2. Bokura no Uta (Our Song)
3. Moshi mo Boku ga Pochi Dattara... (If I Were Pochi)
4. Boku no Cinderella (My Cinderella)
5. Aiaigasa (Original Karaoke)
1. AiAiGasa
This is the main song, which was used as the ending theme for the anime Neo Angelique Abyss. It has a sweet melody, being a ballad about an experience of aiaigasa, a rainy experience with two people getting closer and closer.
2. Bokura no Uta (Our Song)
It's probably my favorite song on the single. The tune is extremely upbeat, and just overall really good. It's a simple song with some more simple lyrics about "Our Song", a song that's constantyly sung between the two even when they're apart. There really aren't any strong feelings conveyed in the lyrics, but they're sweet and show Tegomasu's innocence.
3. Moshi mo Boku ga Pochi Dattara... (If I Were Pochi...)
Firstly the title by itself seems kind of odd. Its translated into "If I were Pochi", Pochi being a dog's name. It's a song based on puppy love. It's another song about innocent love. It has a very slow tune, yet is perfect nonetheless.
4. Boku no Cinderella (My Cinderella)
The title in itself, says it all. A guy wanting to tell his "Cinderella" that he likes her, but being unable to. And, once he wants to, it's too late, just like the story of Cinderella. It's a simple song with simple lyrics. It's a jumpy pop tune, and adds to the goodness of the song.
5. Aiaigasa (Original Karaoke)
What more is there to say, except that it's the Original Karaoke version? Pretty much all Japanese singles have that.
The Overall Songs & Lyrics: 10 lords a-leaping out of 10
The overall song names make me smile. Titles such as "If I were Pochi...", "My Cinderella", "Our Song", show exactly how innocent love should be portrayed. They're strange names, but the lyrics are so amazingly sweet.
The Overall Single: 10 lords a-leaping out of 10
Download Preview: Tegomasu - AiAiGasa [single]
Arashi - One Love [single]
Their latest single, being their 22nd single was released June 25, 2008 to be used as the theme for the new Hana Yori Dango Final Movie opening in theaters in Japan on June 28, 2008.
Arashi (meaning storm in Japanese) debuted in 1999 as a part of JE. They're a group of 5 guys that are all involved in many dramas, TV shows, and musicals. This single, is being used as the third and final conclusion to the Hana Yori Dango series which Matsumoto Jun took part in.
The Covers
The Limited Edition & Regular Edition covers
The diference between the two, is the position Arashi are actually in. One, they're facing each other, and the other facing us. The quality of the images aren't all that great, so I'm sorry about it, but that's the best I can do for now. I'm pretty sure though, that the originals are supposed to look something similar to the same quality, because it's the same quality as that of the PV. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but it just looks fairytale-like.
The Overall Covers: 8 Maids A-milking out of 10
The Songs:
Limited Edition Tracklist:
1. One Love
2. FINAL Remix feat. WISH, Love So Sweet & One Love
and also include the One Love (PV)
Regular Edition Tracklist:
1. One Love
2. How to Fly
3. One Love (Original Karaoke)
4. How to Fly (Original Karaoke)
Limited Edition Tracklist:
1. One Love
The intro is amazingly beautiful. First is starts off like Scottish bag pipes, then the regular j-pop type music in the same tune. It's a slow ballad, with still the j-pop of a tune. All I can say is, that it gives me all types of happy in this one song. Sure enough, Matsumoto Jun's voice is still a little squeaky, but I was surprised that he's gotten to be a little bit better, since you can't tell of his sqeakiness at the beginning of the song. The lyrics of the song sum up what a marriage should be: a couple loving each other forever, and being devoted to one another. And they don't need anything except for each other. Pure simple lyrics is what they are, but it's enough.
2. FINAL Remix feat. WISH, Love So Sweet & One Love
I believe the title is called FINAL to emphasize the fact that the single is for the Hana Yori Dango Final Movie. WISH is the first season's opening theme, Love So Sweet is the second season's opening theme, and One Love is the movie's. Therefore, this Remix is just one song to be able to incorporate all the themes into one song. The way they created the song was quite pretty to listen to, to say the least. The background tune is similar to that of "One Love" and so it's a nice transition.
One Love (PV)
Because it was included in the LE single, I decided I'd review this also, since I could find it. I'll talk purely on the video, rather than the song. It starts off with flying doves, CGing with lots of flowers and a world that seems unreal. Even with Arashi being in the actual video (well, I guess they have to since it's their PV) they seem unreal in it. The entire PV is pictured as if at a wedding, and in a fairytale. It kinda gives me a little bit of a contradicting feeling, as if they're trying to tell me that what they're singing is just a fairytale. The CG in this is amazing, and I'm amazed. Their faces seem blotted though, which is interesting.
Regular Edition Tracklist:
1. One Love
Same as above
2. How to Fly
It's quite different when it comes to "One Love". It doesn't have a very good transition either. I'm amazed they put this song as the coupling song. It sounds like something between Spanish and African (similar to Lion King) music. It's funny to listen to actually, even with all the negative comments I'm giving it.
The Overall Songs/PV & Lyrics: 9 Ladies Dancing out of 10
The Overall Single: 8 Maids A-milking out of 10
My last review being Vanessa Hudgen's Identified [album], and having to compare it to Japanese pop is sad. I think I've completely lost faith in english pop music because I won't be able to listen to the people I used to like, to sing the songs that I used to like anymore. Arashi's new single is definitely something I wasn't even expecting to look forward to, especially since I don't like them all that much. But the music just glowed.
Download Preview: Arashi - One Love [single]
Vanessa Hudgens - Identified [album]
Her debut album V debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200 in early October 2006. With the help of High School Musical, she has come to be a highly known name in any household. If you're expecting some for this second album to be something like the first, then you've got it all wrong.
It seems everyone under the Disney Label (Hollywood Records), people like Jesse McCartney and Hilary Duff are leaving the bubble gum pop to join the rest of the world with their techo songs. Vanessa Hudgens is no different. For sure it seems these days pop has taken a 180 being filled with only techno-type music.
So, I guess I'm quite biased writing a review on this, since I quite like the old bubble gum pop compared to the new techno-pop.
It was released July 1, 2008 in the US, and June 25th in Japan. It has a total of 12 songs. The Japanese version has 15 tracks.
The Cover
It's a simple cover, but I liked it a lot better than her debut album's cover. It shows an older image, and that's exactly what she is, older than before. But nonetheless, it's nothing extraordinary.
The Overall Covers: 8 Maids a-milking out of 10
The Songs:
1. Last Night
2. Identified
3. First Bad Habit
4. Hook It Up
5. Don't Ask Why
6. Sneakernight
7. Amazed ft. Lil Mama
8. Don't Leave
9. Paper Cut
10. Party On The Moon
11. Did It Ever Cross Your Mind
12. Gone With The Wind
Not included in the review
13. Set It Off (Japan Bonus Track)
14. Committed (Japan Bonus Track)
15. Vulnerable (Japan Bonus Track)
1. Last Night
It's a song about a girl not wanting to know what the guy did last night. Nothing more to it then that. The first time I listened to the song, I hadn't even realized that it was Vanessa singing. It's not even R&B. I'm not sure what kinda genre I'd put these songs under. I guess it still is under pop. But this one especially just made me think, "Why is her voice so squeaky?"
2. Identified
It's the title of the album, which means, usually, that it's one of the better songs on the album. And to be honest, it's true. It's got a techno beat, but it's pretty good still. It's about understanding the other person even though the other is putting up a cover. The vocals in this is quite good, and is one of the songs I'm more used to hearing her sing.
3. First Bad Habit
A boy that's a bad influence is something the girl can't get away from. And even though that's he case, she doesn't want to get away from him. It's a different song. But it's a cute song actually. The one thing I really like about Vanessa is her wide vocal range, and this song really does show it. The whole song made me think of the j-drama Last Friends, but I guess that's totally unrelated.
4. Hook It Up
I honestly hated it the first time I heard it. The first few seconds were some black guy I think, and I can't even hear what he's saying. I keep hearing "Black mafia" or "Rock mafia". This song is nowhere near rock. It's a rap-ish kind of song. I think we all know what Vanessa looks like. Nowhere in that image does she look like a rapper. It's about a girl pretty much waiting for a guy to come over and dance. It's just an overall awkward song to listen to for me.
5. Don't Ask Why
The whole song in a nutshell, is about wanting to break up, and not wanting the guy to ask why. It's not a horrible song. It's highly repetitive. Though the lyrics are quite nice and relateable.
6. Sneakernight
It's a jazzy song that kind of reminds me of Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man". I don't quite understand this song, to say the least. How does dancing have to do with it being a sneakernight? It's another highly repetitive song and quick-paced song.
7. Amazed ft. Lil Mama
It starts off with a techno beat. The way they cover up singing with techno mixing is not something I usually listen to in english pop. It's normal for Japanese pop. But, it was odd listening to this song. But the fact that the whole entire song was made in that manner was quite annoying to listen to. The best part of the song might've been the fact that Lil Mama was actually rapping in it.
8. Don't Leave
Pretty much it's a song about a girl not wanting a guy to leave, unless the guy wants to leave. It's a little contradicting. But it's another one of the better songs on the cd. The tune is catchy and slow. But it adds to the goodness of what Vanessa can sing. There's a bit of rap in there, but it fits into the song. BUt to her image, it still doesn't quite fit.
9. Paper Cut
The way the guy hurts the girl is like a paper cut. It's funny how the pain is related to a simple paper cut. It's got a pretty good tune to go with pretty interesting lyrics.
10. Party On The Moon
The first few seconds already killed the song. I don't know really what the intro was supposed to show, but it made me imagine being a fish gulping water. Defying gravity to have a party on the moon. It's another song that made no sense to me whatsoever.
11. Did It Ever Cross Your Mind
It's a highly monotonous song, and is one reason why I didn't like it. It's about a girl wondering if the guy's wrong-doings ever crossed his mind. Simple as that. It would've been a better song, or not as boring a song, if only it wasn't so monotonous.
12. Gone With The Wind
The old girl that you'd once known, is no longer there. Kinda reminds me of what I'd think about Vanessa's new image and her new songs. The old her must be "Gone With The Wind".
The Overall Songs & Lyrics: 5 Golden Rings out of 10
I guess, like I said before, that I'm biased because I liked her old pop-music a lot better. Even her debut album was more R&B, and I liked that better than this.
The Overall Single: 7 Swans a-swimming out of 10
Download Preview: Vanessa Hudgens - Identified [album]
KAT-TUN - Queen of Pirates [album]
I think this is my second KAT-TUN review, but it's not my fault. They just keep releasing more and more stuff. So, on with the review:
This is their third album released June 4, 2008. It's probably their best album by far. It includes 1 old song, and 3 songs that were used in dramas (Yukan Club, 1 Pound no Fukuin, Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go). But there are so many other tracks that it's worth the listen. This is actually the first album after Akanishi Jin's return from hiatus in 2006 (his return was in 2007, and KAT-TUN came out with the 2nd album on their own). KAT-TUN is known for their songs involving lots of english. Many of these songs do just that, include english verses. The limited edition also comes with a DVD of the Making Of the "Don't U Ever Stop" PV.
The Covers
The Limited edition and regular edition covers
Looking at these covers, you'd think, "another simple set of covers from KAT-TUN." They're both the same aside from the colors, differentiating the limited edition with a gold color, and the regular edition with silver. In reality, I didn't realize because you can't tell from the small images, but they are supposed to look like figurines on stands. It's quite interesting that they decided to make a cover like that. The font type that hey used is also quite unique. But all in all, I still don't see the connection betwen the figurines, the font, and the album title.
Overall Covers: Nine ladies dancing out of 10
The Songs
1. T∀BOO
2. KEEP THE FAITH
3. AFFECTION ~modorenai~
4. HELL, NO
5. DISTANCE
6. MOTHER/FATHER
7. LIPS
8. Yorokobi no Uta
9. "un-"
10. OUR STORY ~Prologue~
11. Nannen Tattemo
12. SHOT! [bonus track]
13. 12 o'clock [bonus track]
14. Ai no Comando [bonus track]
15. SIX SENSES [bonus track]
1. T∀BOO
It's actually spelled T∀BOO with an upside down A. Why? I still don't understand. It starts with an somewhat orchestrated intro, but goes into a techno kind of sound with a reoccuring verse "I will see through your secret". It took me a while to realize, that the "T∀BOO" is the secret. It does somewhat introduce the whole "pirates" theme, and then...at the same time, it doesn't.
2. KEEP THE FAITH
This is definitely one of my favorites songs on the CD. It was used as the theme song for Akanishi Jin and Junnosuke Taguchi's drama Yukan Club. It's the first rock single they came out with, and perhaps the reason why it was so well liked. Everything they'd released before this song was all pop-related. It's mostly a reoccuring theme - "Don't give up" which is in terms of love of course. What kind of song would KAT-TUN be singing, if not about love?
3. AFFECTION ~modorenai~
This song is mad high for guys! When I first listened to it, I thought most of it was sung by a girl, or perhaps they were doing a collaboration with somebody. I had to listen to it a few times to realize Kame and Jin were singing really high. At some parts, I think there's a girl singing along with them which isn't seen a lot, so it was surprising to hear. It's a mediocre song with some pretty interesting lyrics. It's another love song with a guy's point of view, after telling a girl how he feels, and everything is different. It's a highly repetitive song, But, I can totally relate to the song.
4. HELL, NO
Of course, another quality of KAT-TUN is the rapping. Of course, mentioned before is the amount of english that is incorporated into their songs. I'll just call it engrish-overload. (That's right, engrish, not english.) But I have to make a confession, that listening to Jin's voice sing english is amazing! It reiterates a theme about guns, and pulling triggers, and therefore, there are random gun noises throughout the song. Overall, one of my favorite songs on the cd.
5. DISTANCE
Well, obviously, this song is about distance, even if a couple is apart, they won't forget each other or change. The main singer for the song is actually Junnosuke Taguchi, and that's nice to see, because he doesn't get many solos. It's an overall sad tune. It really didn't grab me at first listen. And, yet, still it hasn't, but it is relateable.
6. MOTHER/FATHER
Just like the title says, this song is about parents. It's a slow and meaningful song. But that's all it is, and I couldn't stand to listen to it for too long, honestly.
7. LIPS
This song is one of their most recent singles that came out in February I believe for the drama 1 Pound no Fukuin which Kamenashi Kazuya starred in. It's a hard-rock song, but that's not a bad thing at all. It's about a change in love, even though they don't want to break up.
8. Yorokobi no Uta (Song of Joy)
This song was also on their second album (cartoon KAT-TUN II You). It's an alright song, which was used for the drama "Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go". I found it annoying on first listen, to be honest. But it grew on me while watching the PV for it.
9. "un-"
First impressions: what's wrong with my cd player. I kept hearing squeaking sounds, like a DJ does to a record or whatever? Yeah, apparently, that's normal, and part of the song. It's actually a pretty good song, minus the scaring the crap out of me because I thought my cd player was dying.
10. OUR STORY ~Prologue~
An extremely pretty song! It's one of the slower songs on the cd, but that doesn't mean a thing. Everything is perfect. It's about "our story", the love between two people, what one means to the other, and how they can't forget what they had, and they don't want to. I think this might be my favorite song on the cd. Supposedly, I'm told it sounds like a song from an Arashi (Arashi, another j-pop group from the same company as KAT-TUN, their seniors) album.
11. Nannen Tattemo
It's a jazzy song like that of "SHOT!". It's not bad, but it's not great either. It's sung mostly by Nakamaru, and his voice is really unique compared to the rest of KAT-TUN. So, it's interesting to see that he gets this type of song to sing.
12. SHOT! [bonus track]
After all those rock singles they released, this is definitely a change of pace. It's got a very jazzy blues kind of sound. It's an unbelieveably good song. You wouldn't think that KAT-TUN would be able to undertake so much variety in their songs, but this is such a good song!
13. 12 o'clock [bonus track]
The intro starts off similar to a radio. It starts from 1 o'clock, talking all the way to 12 o'clock, with some pretty raunchy lyrics spoken by Jin. Once it gets to the actual song, the tune seems very disco-like. The lyrics themselves can by quite questionable. The song itself is about meeting at a club, and the things that could happen afterwards. So, like I said, the lyrics are quite questionable. But the music that goes along with it is awesome!
14. Ai no Komando/Command of Love [bonus track]
With the first listen, and the first few notes, I hated it. The second listen, the same thing. It hasn't really grown on me yet, to say the least, but I can listen through it once without wanting to skip it now.
15. SIX SENSES [bonus track]
To be honest, this song makes no sense whatsoever. It has so much random english and overall....it's just a song that doesn't make any sense! It's an old song from way back around the time of their debut in 2006. It gives an overall good beat, and you can't help loving it even though it's a meaningless song.
Overall Songs & Lyrics: Eight maids a-milking out of 10
I have to admit, that this is definitely one of my favorite albums from them. This shows variety in so many ways. The english is captivating, and the tunes pull you in.
The Overall Single: Nine ladies dancing out of 10
Download Preview: KAT-TUN - Queen of Pirates [album]
KAT-TUN - DON'T U EVER STOP [single]
KAT-TUN debuted in spring of 2006, and are a Japanese idol group under Johnny's Entertainment. The group's name is an acronym formed by the member's last name initials. They are currently one of the most popular boy bands in Japan.
Don't U Ever Stop is their 7th single which was released May 14, 2008. With this special release, the company decided to promote them quite a bit, by splitting their solo songs onto 3 different limited edition CDs. The regular edition only has the original single "Don't U Ever Stop" and the karaoke track. One version of the limited edition has Kamenashi Kazuya and Taguchi Junnosuke's solo songs, the karoke tracks of those, as well as the single - "Don't U Ever Stop". The second version has Akanishi Jin and Tanaka Koki's solo songs, the karaoke tracks of those, as well as the single. And, the third version has Ueda Tatsuya and Nakamaru Yuuichi's solo songs, karaoke tracks of those, and the single. Which CD has which solo songs is indicated by the size of each person's head on the covers.
The Covers
Listed as: the regular edition, the 1st limited edition, the 2nd limited edition, and the 3rd limited edition covers.
The Overall covers: Seven swans a-swimming out of 10
Another simple cover coming from JE. This is where we think, is JE running out of talent? Or perhaps they've fired someone who used to make really great covers. Either way, these covers are quite simple.
Just to make everything not as confusing, by combining all the editions together under one category, I'm going to do this review by each edition, and then an overall review. So, onto the review...
Don't U Ever Stop (Regular Edition)
The Songs
1. Don't U Ever Stop
2. Don't U Ever Stop (Original Karaoke)
1. Don't U Ever Stop
The song gives off a very emo feeling. There's a small intro of other people speaking english. Overall, it's the third rock-ish song they've made as a single since Yorokobi no Uta, I think. The lyrics are quite interesting in their own ways. It's definitely my favorite song when compared to the solos.
2. Don't U Ever Stop (Original Karaoke)
Overall Songs and lyrics: Nine ladies dancing out of 10
There's not much to this edition of the single. The fact that there are only two tracks, proves that. Assuming that JE is trying to rip off their fans by releasing three other versions that have the solo tracks of all different members, just proves that they either want us to pick favorites, or buy all the versions that are available to us. But "Don't U Ever Stop" is way better than any of the solos, and the karaoke version is the only reason why this one would be worth buying.
The Overall Single: Eight maids a-milking out of 10
Don't U Ever Stop (1st limited Edition)
The Songs
1. Don't U Ever Stop
2. w/o notice??
3. Natsu no Basho
4. w/o notice?? (original Karaoke)
5. Natsu no Basho (Original Karaoke)
2. w/o notice??
We always assume Kamenashi Kazuya gets all the good solo songs, like "Sixteen seconds", and "Someday for Somebody". This is definitely not one of my favorite songs from him. The song is quite a contrast from "Don't U Ever Stop". "w/o notice??" has an upbeat tempo much like that of "Someday for Somebody", but the music is quite repetitive, with it's artificial and jazzy music, that it didn't become very captivating for me.
3. Natsu no Basho
Another contrasting song to "Don't U Ever Stop", Taguchi Junnosuke sings this summer song. It's quite a good song to say the least. It has a nice long intro with a very upbeat tempo. It's one song that definitely matches his character, and might be one of his best solo songs yet. It's written by Micro (another Japanese artist, who's music is usually more rock-ish, than pop-ish. Lately, I've only heard of him because of his song Odore, which is used as the opening theme for Osen). It's a fantastic summer song that can become addicting.
Overall Songs and lyrics: Five golden rings out of 10
The Overall Single: Six geese a-laying out of 10
Don't U Ever Stop (2nd limited Edition)
The Songs
1. Don't U Ever Stop
2. LOVEJUICE
3. PARASITE
4. LOVEJUICE (original Karaoke)
5. PARASITE (Original Karaoke)
2. LOVEJUICE
It's only expected that after Akanishi Jin's hiatus, which he went to LA to study english, that the next chance he'd get to write a solo song, would be entirely in english. Besides for the randomness of lyrics the music fits Jin. It's a highly addictive song. The lyrics talk about a foreigner, kissing, and the rest that goes along with it. It's expected this would be the type of song Jin would write; and when I say expected, it's erotic, and the lyrics are quite raunchy. On first listen, I didn't realize the song was entirely in english. Half of the words that he sings are inaudible, and are hardly understandable unless you follow closely to written lyrics while listening to the song. It's an overall good effort on Jin's part, but it just proves his english isn't all that great (at least as far as speaking goes). It's supposed to be very alike that of Justin Timberlake's music, which I wouldn't know, since I don't listen to his music.
3. PARASITE
It's expected that Tanaka Koki's solo song would be mostly rap, since he writes most of the raps for KAT-TUN's songs under the name JOKER. It's quite a rock type of song, which is pretty hard to get into unless you like the heavy metal, the loud scream, and rap. There is a small chorus, but quite insignificant in between all his rapping. I don't always listen to rap. Actually, it's rare for me, and I can't really rate the song because I'm kinda biased and don't like rap and screamo music. So overall, this song didn't capture me in anyway. From what I've seen of fan translations of this song, most of the lyrics are total nonsense.
Overall Songs and lyrics: Five golden rings out of 10
The Overall Single: Six geese a-laying out of 10
Don't U Ever Stop (3rd limited Edition)
The Songs
1. Don't U Ever Stop
2. Ai no Hana
3. SMACK
4. Ai no Hana (original Karaoke)
5. SMACK (Original Karaoke)
2. Ai no Hana
This is a surprise song. Why do I say that? Because Ueda Tatsuya wrote this song completely by himself. In the Japanese world, when people say they write a song, it means the lyrics. In this case, he wrote both the lyrics, and the music that goes along with the song. It's starts with a pretty soft intro played on the piano and it really sets the mood for the rest of the song. It's a really pretty tune, with a sad feeling. The lyrics are about lost love and wanting to love again, and not being able to forget the past love. They're very deep lyrics jam-packed in a very long song. This song might be the longest of all the solos, but it's well worth the length.
3. SMACK
The lyrics were written by Nakamaru Yuuichi, and it's surprising, because it's something we normally wouldn't expect to see from him. It has a very upbeat tempo which again contrasts to "Don't U Ever Stop". But, here, you can clearly hear his voice, which is very distinct from the other members. Out of all the members in the group, I'd think his voice is the most stable. Everytime you here him sing live, his voice is always the same, compared to the rest who at times either go off key, or do something else along those lines.
Overall Songs and lyrics: Nine ladies dancing out of 10
The Overall Single: Eight maids a-milking out of 10
All the versions of the single: Seven swans a-swimming out of 10
In the sales polls, you can really see that fans are picking favorites when buying this single. From the fans that didn't buy all four, most sales were from the 1st and 2nd versions of the limited editions. Overall, my favorite out of all the songs was the main song - Don't U Ever Stop.
I hope that wasn't extremely confusing to follow.
Download Preview:
KAT-TUN - Don't U Ever Stop (Regular Edition) [single]
KAT-TUN - Don't U Ever Stop (Limited Edition 1) [single]
KAT-TUN - Don't U Ever Stop (Limited Edition 2) [single]
KAT-TUN - Don't U Ever Stop (Limited Edition 3) [single]
Utada Hikaru - Heart Station [album]
Utada Hikaru is singer/songwriter throughout Japan and the US. She is well-known internationally for her songs Hikari/Simple and Clean and Passion/Sanctuary for the games Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom Hearts II.
Her newest album, Heart Station was released March 19, 2008. This is her seventh album to date, and her fifth Japanese album. Many of the songs on this album are just a collection of singles she had previously released within the time since her last Japanese album which was released in 2006. Many of these singles (actually only two) have been used as opening themes for dramas.
The Cover
It's a simple cover, but that's all it needs to be. It shows off her new image, that is, her and her short hair. The colors - the pink and blue definitely stand out above her picture, and really work for this cover.
Overall cover: Nine ladies dancing out of 10
The Songs
1. Fight the Blues
2. HEART STATION
3. Beautiful World
4. Flavor of Life -Ballad-
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)
1. Fight the Blues
For the first song of the album, you get a pretty slow and upbeat pop tune. The reoccurring theme - "We fight the blues". The song continually talks about depression and putting up a front so no one can tell that that's the case. It's a powerful song, though the tune itself doesn't seem to do the lyrics justice. But you can definitely feel the feelings behind the song.
2. HEART STATION
This was one of the first songs I heard on this new album. It's a song about a break-up, and the sadness of waiting for another to contact the other again. Because of the mutual termination of the relationship in the song, the lyrics are about how difficult it is to move forward without looking back. It's a sad tune, fitting the lyrics perfectly. You can feel the sadness and loneliness throughout the entire song, and it doesn't help that the music is sad.
3. Beautiful World
As we all may know, if you try singing any of her songs, they're incredibly hard! She has a wide range of vocals, and it shines through in this song. It's quite an uplifting tune for such a heavy topic. It's another pop song about love and destiny, about how wonderful it is to find the right person. The lyrics are quite hard to understand, since the song is filled with contradictions, making it hard for the person looking closely into what the lyrics are supposedly saying to fully understand what they mean.
4. Flavor of Life -Ballad-
The ballad version is ther version that was used for the drama Hana Yori Dango Returns. It's another sad tune that talks about the bitterness of life, and about the ups and downs in life. I can admit, I'm definitely biased for this song, because I loved the drama Hana Yori Dango Returns, and this song was placed in all the right places during the drama, that I just fell in love with the song when it was first released. It's highly recommended by me.
5. Stay Gold
Stay Gold has an incredibly sad tune, and lyrics that talk about how one would do anything for the other so the other will be happy.
6. Kiss & Cry
The start of the song, reminded me of those Looney Tune commercials wear the pig comes out. I'm sure everyone remembers that. It has a kind of pop/jazz tune which not everyone can grow to love. For sure, if I wasn't writing a review for this entire album, I probably would've stopped the song by now.
7. Gentle Beast Interlude
Just like it's called, it's a short interlude. It's an ethereal song, featuring a sample of the song, HEART STATION. But it makes a smooth transition to the next song.
8. Celebrate
Another upbeat tempo, but with somewhat weak vocals, compared to the rest of the songs on this album. If you're into the monotone-ness of her voice, that's something that is heard quite a bit throughout the song.
9. Prisoner of Love
Another sad song, with more sad lyrics. It's a song that definitely fits as the opening theme for the drama Last Friends. Being in a relationship with feelings of loneliness and pain aren't so bad as long as you're in love. It's a constant battle of reality and a fantasy love. Though it's a sad song with sad lyrics, that doesn't make the song bad at all. If anything, all songs of Utada Hikaru's which are used for dramas are amazing. This being among them, is definitely one of my favorites on the album. This song has some amazingly deep lyrics that'll be able to captivate you from the start.
10. Take 5
The lyrics talk about not wanting to believe in destiny, and only living for the today and now. It has a sad tune, even though it's upbeat. The tune is nothing special, yet it's addictive to listen to.
11. Boku wa Kuma
I don't quite understand why she wrote this song to be honest. I do remember though in one interview, that she talked about how much she loved bears, and during that time, she was collecting a lot of things that were bear-shaped, or had bears on them, or something. If you're interested in hearing her speak a little French, she says, "Bonjour! Je m'appelle Kuma. Comment ca va?" It's quite a childish tune for such a grown-up theme in the rest of the songs on this album, and doesn't quite fit with the rest of the tracklist.
Getting a little off track, I suggest listening to the song with the animation it was shown with: Boku wa Kuma
12. Niji-iro BUS
Niji-iro Bus meaning "Rainbow-colored Bus" has a nice intro. It's supposed to have an "analog sound" and gloomy, with a message about how everybody dreams of a distant place far away from reality. The tune sounds upbeat, but the lyrics are far from it. It's a pretty repetitive tune, which can get quite annoying after the first chorus. Though, there's quite a bit of english in here, and her extremely good english (because of her growing up in NY) definitely is the only thing that shines through in this song.
13. Flavor of Life
A faster-paced version of the ballad version. I'm assuming this is the original version. The lyrics don't fit the fast-paced tempo and music, and the random english that are inserted into the song don't make me love the song anymore than I did before.
Overall Songs and lyrics: Seven swans a-swimming out of 10
To be honest, I don't like Utada Hikaru all that much. Along with that, her songs aren't all that great. The only songs of hers that I grow to love are the ones that end up being used for dramas. Most of her songs and their tunes are quite mediocre. The lyrics are all written by her, and you can see the real depth to all the songs (besides for Boku wa Kuma). I've listened to her previous albums, and those were nothing special to me because I couldn't spare them more than one run through. Through this album, we can see Utada Hikaru seriously step up her game, with more meaningful songs, and somewhat less mediocre tunes.
The Overall Single: Eight maids a-milking out of 10
Download Preview: Utada Hikaru - Heart Station [album]
NEWS - SUMMER TIME [single]
A brief little overview to those that don't know. JE = Johnny's Entertainment. It's a really large talent agency that promotes groups of male idols in Japan. NEWS and KAT-TUN and quite a few others are under this agency, and are two of the few that are at the top of the j-pop world.
Coming out May 8, 2008 is NEWS's second single of the year; their first one being "Taiyou no Namida" (Tears of the Sun) used for the Kurosagi movie which Yamashita Tomohisa starred in.
The Covers
To be honest, these are probably the worst year for covers we've seen from JE. The last ones I can remember were the ones for KAT-TUN's LIPS [single]. Yikes! Why do I say this? Because these covers seem as though an amateur made them. They're covers with simple graphics and font types that anybody could've made. But lucky enough, the songs are good enough for people to ignore the covers.
Overall Covers: 4 Calling Birds out of 10
The Songs (combination of both the Limited and Regular Editions)
1. SUMMER TIME
2. EASY COME, EASY GO
3. Baby! Be My Baby!
3. Liar
4. SUMMER TIME (Original Karaoke)
1. SUMMER TIME
To start off, it's a very catchy tune. You can tell that NEWS is really trying to show individuality through their new songs. At the least, you can tell who is singing at any part of any song these days, compared to back when they debuted. The highlight of this song is not it's upbeat pop tune, but the bridge with the rap. To be brutally honest, SUMMER TIME is just another mediocre pop song that isn't all that amazing. Through the bridge (rapped by mostly Shige and Koyama) it makes the song more unique and less bland. It's an overall good song that I can't get out of my head. Yet once summer passes, it'll just be another song.
2. EASY COME, EASY GO
From listening to this song, I can only think, "Are they trying to become KAT-TUN?" They're starting to have more and more songs with english titles, and english encorporated into their songs. At one point, I believed that was what KAT-TUN was trying to get at, and NEWS would stay at the traditional Japanese pop route. Instead, you see that they're both trying to compete. This song is another nice pop tune, but there's nothing special. Though it's nice to see the NEWS members singing english, it is definitely not their forte.
3. Baby! Be My Baby!
This song shows more of a rock side to NEWS, who normally sing nothing but pop songs. This is
definitely one of my favorites on the single. Though it's another song where they sing partial english, it actually works for this song. Its rockin' upbeat tempo makes you literally want to jump out of your seat and do the air guitar.
4. Liar
The opening did not pull me in when I first heard it. It starts off with all rap, and gets into another rock song. It's definitely not one of NEWS's worst songs, though whoever wrote the lyrics definitely needs another lesson in english. There's quite a few grammatical errors that they sing. But even with these errors, the chorus is the main highlight of this song, and is definitely something to look forward to upon listening to this song.
5. SUMMER TIME (Original Karaoke)
If you've fallen in love with SUMMER TIME, then of course, you can sing along, with the karaoke version included in this single.
Overall Songs and lyrics: Seven swans a-swimming out of 10
Overall, the fact that it's a NEWS single definitely brightens my day. But when compared to their "Taiyou no Namida" single, or their "Weeeek" single, "SUMMER TIME" definitely doesn't measure up. Let's just hope they've got some more better music and covers to come. ^^"
The overall single: Six geese a-laying out of 10
Download Preview: NEWS - SUMMER TIME [single]