Ah yes the lead single from 1 of the most anticipated made straight to TV sequel High School Musical 2 & this time , it's the whole cast of HSM 2 singing together !
I have a thing or 2 against the song title but aside from that , I really like it ! It's a typical summer song where usually summer songs are upbeat & very cheery & it's on par with We're All In This Together which was taken from the 1st movie .
I'm sure millions of HSM fans out there like myself are looking forward to the release of the 2nd movie which will open on Disney Channel Asia on 9th Sept , Sun . I'm & you bet that I'm going to get a copy of the soundtrack once it's out in stores !
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Mika Nakashima - LIFE
Mika Nakashima's 23th & newest single , LIFE is scheduled to be released in Japan on 22nd Aug , Wed .
There's a B side which will accompany LIFE , something that's called IT'S TOO LATE .
Well honestly , I think LIFE's ok although I feel that she could definitely come up with something better with a more swinging Jazz feel to it but hopefully this song can do ok for her on the chart .
But I have to say I absolutely adore the B side single IT'S TOO LATE . I think it's awesome , very catchy , swinging Rock & Jazz beats in that track & it's possibly 1 of the better B side songs that I have been listening to lately . If you ask me , she should release IT'S TOO LATE as a single instead of putting it as a B side but hey whatever floats Mika's boat !
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Angela Aki - Tashika ni (Surely)
Talented JPop singer/songwriter/pianist/composer Angela Aki is back with her 7th single called Tashika ni (which means Surely in Japanese) & this song was released last Wed in Japan .
It has been described as a 'summer pop tune' & I really like this No. when I 1st heard it as it's a very upbeat/happy No. but unfortunately as much as I like it , Tashika ni didn't do well in the Oricon singles chart . It debuted at No.15 for Angela . I was so hoping that it will crack the Top10 at most but looks like things are not meant to be .
I like Angela's material & I have her 1st major label debut album Home which's really good & it's said that her 2nd album called TODAY is scheduled to be released in Japan on 19th September , Wed which I'm definitely looking forward to it & I'm sure Tashika ni , together with her other 2 singls that she has released already such as Sakura iro (which means Color of Sakura in Japanese) & Kodoku no Kakera (which means Fragment of Solitude in Japanese) will be included in TODAY as well .
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
CD Review :: Koda Kumi - Black Cherry
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
CD + 2 DVDs Cover :
Tracklist :
1) INTRODUCTION 2) Get Up & Move !! 3) Ningyo-hime (Mermaid Princess) 4) Yume no Uta (Dream Song) 5) Tsuki to Taiyou (The Moon and the Sun) 6) Puppy 7) Koi no Tsubomi (Bud of Love) 8) WON'T BE LONG ~Black Cherry Version~ 9) JUICY 10) Candle Light 11) Cherry Girl 12) I'll be there 13) Unmei (Fate) 14) With your smile 15) Milk Tea 16) Twinkle (First Press Bonus Track) 17) GO WAY !! (First Press Bonus Track) 18) WON'T BE LONG ~Red Cherry Version~ (First Press Bonus Track)
I downloaded & then bought a copy of Koda Kumi's 5th album Black Cherry . Just like Namie Amuro & Ayumi Hamasaki , Koda's also under Avex Trax so Warner Music distributes & produces only the CD + DVD version of Black Cherry locally .
I saw the CD only version of Black Cherry in HMV as it was directly imported from Japan . It wasn't cheap , it cost a staggering S$48 !! While the locally produced CD + DVD of Black Cherry costs a modest S$21++ , pretty worth it especially since you're paying for a DVD alongside with the CD .
Just like Namie Amuro , I'm not familiar with Koda's older material . I only chanced upon Koda's music when I 1st heard a few tracks that were uploaded in various different sites in MySpace & also saw a few of her music videos on MTV Asia , such as Cherry Girl , I'll be there , Get Up & Move !! .
I almost didn't want to give her Black Cherry album a shot but I decided to give it a go as I see no harm in it & I have to say the album's amazing .
A generous 18 tracks's found in Black Cherry & despite worrying that each song will tend to sound the same , my fears were unfounded when I gave Black Cherry a listen . It's a really good record & all the songs are awesome .
You get a mixture of R&B uptempo no.s & ballads in the mix . & aside from the tracks that I have heard before prior to before I download the whole album , there's only 1 Rock track in Black Cherry , that's track 3 Ningyo-hime(Mermaid Princess) . That song's kick ass & it's found in her 4 hot wave single , a single consisting of 4 A sides . The other 3 songs in 4 hot wave are JUICY , With your smile & I'll be there .
I like her uptempo tracks such as Puppy , GO WAY !! & Koi no Tsubomi (Bud of Love) . The video of Koi no Tsubomi's really cute , you should go & watch it on youtube .
That's not to say that her ballads are not good . In fact I enjoy them too . Tracks such as Unmei (Fate) , Candle Light , Tsuki to Taiyou (The Moon and the Sun) are very nice & soothing . I also like Yume no Uta (Dream Song) as well & I feel Yume no Uta's 1 of Koda's best ballads/singles that she has done to date .
Strangely enough , the double A side single which accompanies Yume no Uta , that's Futari de ... (2 of us ... ) is excluded from Black Cherry . I'm not sure why Koda didn't include Futari de... in but she should have .
I like both Yume no Uta & Futari de ... . The unusual thing about both songs is that the same melody was being used . The arrangements differ , as well as the lyrics and vocals - Yume no Uta is sadder and more of a power ballad, while Futari de ... is quieter and a bit happier - but the melody is shared between songs . This was done because the single is set as a two-story ballad , with each song representing different sides and outcomes of the same love story .
The videos of both songs are almost the same with the exception of the outfits that Koda wears & also what happened in the latter 1/2 for both videos . The ending of Yume no Uta's sad man .
Not only that , you also get 2 remixes of a cover of Da Bubblegum Brothers's WON'T BE LONG . Koda did a duet of the song with EXILE but in Black Cherry , both remixes of WON'T BE LONG are entirely sung by her .
Between the 2 remixes , I like the ~Red Cherry Version~ better as I think it sounds almost like what she did with EXILE except it's just her singing on the song . Also her 1st composition Milk Tea's included in Black Cherry too . It's a nice one but I feel that she should have make the track a bit longer as 2:35 mins of Milk Tea's a bit too short for my liking .
If you're wondering where's the Eng duet called Twinkle that she did with Show Luo , you wouldn't find it in Black Cherry . Instead you only can find the music video of Twinkle in the DVD which accompanies the Black Cherry CD .
On the Black Cherry CD , there's still Twinkle yes but it's just Koda singing alone in the song which I feel it's better than what she did with Show .
Still on whole , I really like the whole album . It has been a while since I last enjoyed a record in which there're no fillers & stinkers to begin with which of course at this age in the music business , it can be considered a rarity & the album deserved to earn its stripes of being the 2nd top selling album of 2006 in Japan & not to mention holding onto the No.1 spot in the Oricon album chart for 4weeks's further proof as to why Black Cherry's top notch !
Monday, July 16, 2007
CD Review :: Namie Amuro - PLAY
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
Tracklist :
1) Hide & Seek 2) Full Moon 3) CAN'T SLEEP , CAN'T EAT , I'M SICK 4) It's all about you 5) FUNKY TOWN 6) Step With It 7) Hello 8) Should I Love Him ? 9) Top Secret 10) Violet Sauce (Spicy) 11) Baby Don't Cry 12) Pink Key
I downloaded & most recently bought a copy of Namie Amuro's 8th album PLAY . Namie's under Avex Trax so in S'pore , Avex Trax's under the sub-division of Warner Music . Warner Music S'pore only released & distributed her Play album that comes with the CD + DVD album cover .
This is also her first album to be released in both the CD and CD+DVD formats .
I'm sure you probably have heard about Namie Amuro , musically or/& non musically . For me I wasn't familiar with her music in any bit but I have heard lots of things about her non musically . She was the original Queen of JPop before Ayumi Hamasaki overtake her popularity & then some in the early 2000s .
When Ayumi's popularity & material was taking off , Namie suddenly found herself to be suffering a severe case of a demise in popularity & music as in the early 2000s , she released albums/singles that weren't really good & were not on par with her eariler material .
Rather than giving up , she solidered on & bounced back with a successful 2005 album named Queen of Hip Pop & this time round , she finally returned back from the shadows with a more successful follow up in the form of PLAY .
What's even more amazing's that PLAY's the 1st album for her to debut at No.1 in the Oricon album chart since her 2000 album Genius2000 so I'm happy that she has emerged & survived the worst times in her music career .
So far , PLAY's still at the No.1 spot in the Oricon album chart ie. it's still at No.1 , 2 weeks & counting . When its first week was over , PLAY became Namie's first weekly No.1 album since her 2000 album Genius 2000 with an amazing gap of 120,258 copies sold . For its first week, the album sold an impressive 250,619 copies, her highest first week sales since Genius 2000 .
If I'm correct , Namie's main forte lies in R&B . I never heard her older material before so I can't comment on that . But I do know that PLAY showcases her new style & it features a Rock number & a chic slow song .
Initally I didn't want to give her music a shot but after I heard the 1st single off the record which's the fanastic Hide & Seek , I decided why not ? It wouldn't do any harm & boy am I eating my words now . and Hide & Seek is possibly the catchiest song that I have heard in recent times & what better way to kick off the album with this no. . Too bad she didn't released this as a single as I felt it's a great single & that it was destined to be a no.1 single .
Her PLAY album's really good . There's not a single bad track on the record which's a rarity these days in the JPop music scene .
Aside from the fanastic track to kick things off which's Hide & Seek , I really like Violet Sauce (Spicy) which was the theme song for the Japanese release of Sin City , Top Secret , Should I Love Him ? , the only Rock No. in the album in the form of It's all about you , Pink Key & CAN'T SLEEP ,CAN'T EAT ,I'M SICK .
Full Moon's good too & I really like the melody of it as it's pretty unusual & so's FUNKY TOWN . I find Hello cheesy though , as in the melody of it with the handphones ringing & all . Step With It doesn't really register in my head but I'm sure with a few more listens to it , it will register in my head in no time .
Oddly enough , 2 tracks are excluded in her PLAY album , namely Ningyo (which means Mermaid in Japanese) & White Light which're the double A sides of CAN'T SLEEP ,CAN'T EAT , I'M SICK & Violet Sauce (Spicy) respectively . I have no idea why Namie didn't include both Ningyo & White Light in as I really like both of them . Ningyo's actually a cover . If I didn't know about it , I probably wouldn't have know about it .
But other than that , it's a great album & it's definitely a must buy . I'm just glad that Namie's finally back & is able to hold her head up high once again .
Thursday, July 12, 2007
An Interview With Electrico In Cleo Magainze June '07
I chanced upon this article when I was at my hairdresser's hair salon eariler . I don't buy Cleo so I was surprised to find this . My hairdresser didn't battled an eyelid when I asked her whether can I tear it out haha
Oh yeah Ayumi Hamasaki's finally back with new material ! This double A side single glitter/fated is the 41st single by her & it's set to be released next Wed , July 18th in Japan .
This is set to be Ayumi's first single of 2007 and first single in over a year, since the release of BLUE BIRD in June of 2006 .
glitter is said to be a "shimmering up-tempo track" & that would be used in a commercial for "Zespri Gold Kiwi" , while fated is described as a "medium-tempo rock ballad" , and will be the theme for the movie Kaidan , which shares the same director as The Ring 2 .
So how does glitter/fated stacked up against her previous single BLUE BIRD ? I have no doubt that it will perform very well in the Oricon chart . I mean , come on , it's Ayumi ! You can't go wrong with her & she's like a legend in the J Pop music business .
I have different favourite song each day , as in on some days , my fave would be glitter as it's a really upbeat melody to it & it's a happy up-tempo no. which follows the same vein as BLUE BIRD as both of them are summer songs while on some days , I love fated which follows the same vein as her previous rock ballads such as Moments , walking proud , JEWEL etc .
I wouldn't be surprised if the composer of glitter's the brillant DAI as he's the 1 who composed the melody of BLUE BIRD .
If there's a grouse that I would like to pick on , is that the single covers of both the CD & CD + DVD of glitter/fated looks a bit dodgy & it looks pretty fake to me . It's like someone just slap a background of Hong Kong behind her & Ayumi posing & the background of Hong Kong is acting as a backdrop .
Then again , kinda understood since the music video or should I say short movie called Distance Love was flimed in Hong Kong .
Distance Love's a short movie which strings glitter/fated together . It runs about 18 mins & it stars Shawn Yue who plays her bodyguard in the movie . You probably might remember him best as 1 of the 3 main actors in Initial D in which Shawn starred alongside Jay Chou & Edison Chen .
I saw the video of glitter yesterday & it's basically 1/4 of Distance Love . I usually like her music videos & all but I honestly think that it will be better if she flims 2 separate music videos for both songs rather than a short movie .
That was what happened with Voyage as well . I love the song as it's 1 of the most beautiful ballads from her but the short movie that accompanies Voyage doesn't really sit well with me .
The video of fated's part 2 to where it picks up from glitter . I think for both videos , they only contain snippets of Distance Love as I doubt Ayumi's management will release the full length movie .
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The Click Five - Jenny
Oh wow it has been a while since I was so excited to review a single if you ask me & today's artiste who's sitting in the hotseat's none other than The Click Five & Jenny's the 1st single taken from their brand new 2nd album Modern Minds & Pastimes .
If you're a huge Click Five fan like myself , you probably would have known that former frontman Eric Dill left the band to pursue a solo career . So the remaining members roped in a new lead singer in the form of 21 year puppy eyed singer Kyle Patrick .
Honestly I was a bit skeptical whether Kyle can carry things off , musically & then some since he seriously has some big shoes to fill in since Eric left but my doubts were cast aside when I had a listen to their 2nd album . I'm very impressed on what I have heard from them & I think Kyle has done himself a great job despite the fact that Modern Minds & Pastimes unfortunately bombed in US . Such a great pity as I honestly think their new material's awesome .
But anyway , Jenny's the 1st single off their new record . I didn't like it initally as I wasn't used to Kyle's voice but I really like it now but I notice some similarity between Jenny & Just The Girl , lyrics wise as both songs seem to be talking about girls who treated the guys badly but yet the guys still want them back & all .
Friday, July 06, 2007
Koda Kumi - Run For Your Life
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
Run For Your Life is 1 of the 3 B-sides that's found on Koda Kumi's FREAKY single . The other 2 B-sides are Sora (Sky) & Girls .
Her single FREAKY was released in Japan last Wed & it claimed the No.1 spot in the Oricon single chart , giving Koda her 4th No.1 single in Japan . Other artistes whom released artistes last Wed included Yuna Ito's Mahaloha which had to settle with the No.5 spot but still good effort from Yuna making this her first Top Ten single since her 2006 hit Precious .
Anyway back to Koda . Run For Your Life's pretty upbeat & it's almost in the same vein as FREAKY , both are edgier No.s & I like it . I like Sora too but too bad there's no music video to accompany the song .
Thursday, July 05, 2007
ayaka - Jewelry day
1 of J Pop's most promising singer/songwriter that's newcomer ayaka is back with her 6th single Jewelry day that was released yesterday in Japan .
She 1st caught everyone's attention with a fanastic debut single I believe which's taken from her No.1 debut album First Message . Having being compared to the likes of Utada Hikaru & Ayumi Hamasaki songwriting wise , it's easy to see why ayaka's destined to go a long way in the music business .
Aside from I believe , she has released tracks such as melody ～SOUNDS REAL～ , Real voice & Mikazuki (which means Crescent Moon in Japanese) which's so far her only No.1 hit single in the Oricon chart & it follows a collaboration with label mates Kobukuro on a song called WINDING ROAD which peaked at No.2 in the Oricon chart .
This time round , ayaka's back with a new song Jewelry day & it's a ballad which straightaway can be compared to the likes of Mikazuki . I like this song , it's a nice 1 from her & I hope it will do well for her as I really like her stuff .
If that's 1 grouse about her , it's her music videos . It can get quite boring at times & the video of Jewelry day's not spared too . In some point in time , it reminds me of Ayumi's CAROLS videos as both videos are black & white but other than that , the video's OK , nothing fanastic to shout about .
I'm looking forward to more new material from ayaka & I'm sure this song will be made available in her upcoming 2nd album . Not sure for WINDING ROAD though .
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
CD Review :: Maroon 5 - It Wouldn't Be Soon Before Long
Tracklist :
1) If I Never See Your Face Again 2) Makes Me Wonder 3) Little Of Your Time 4) Wake Up Call 5) Won't Go Home Without You 6) Nothing Lasts Forever 7) Can't Stop 8) Goodnight Goodnight 9) Not Falling Apart 10) Kiwi 11) Better That We Break 12) Back At Your Door
MTV Asia's Artiste Of The Month for July takes in the form of Maroon 5 & they're finally back with 1 of the year's most anticipated album It Wouldn't Be Soon Before Long which's the follow up to their super smash debut album 2002's Songs About Jane which gives you the monster hits Harder To Breathe , This Love , She Will Be Loved , Sunday Morning .
A 5th final single Must Get Out was released as well but I think it didn't really made such a big impact as compared to This Love & She Will Be Loved .
The name of their brand new record was inspired by a phrase the band adopted to keep themselves motivated while on their tour & unlike Songs About Jane which peak position was No.6 on the Billboard Hot 200 Album Chart , It Wouldn't Be Soon Before Long gives the band their maiden No.1 album which 429,484 copies in its first week of release . It has since been certified platinum in US indicating a million copies of the album that has been sold so far & counting .
Most artistes tend to release sub par 2nd albums after releasing superb debut albums but I'm happy to say that Maroon 5 doesn't suffer this setback , musically . Although I have to admit that on 1st listen of the album , none of the tracks I felt was good enough to match up to the same standard as the songs being offered in Songs About Jane .
But I realised the more I listened to It Wouldn't Be Soon Before Long , the songs started to sound even better than before as evident in the lead single off the record , Makes Me Wonder . Initally I hated the song cos I thought it sounded bland but I love it now . In fact that song's so far their only No.1 hit single in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart & it's easy to see why it deserved the top spot as it has a great video which accompanies it & the more you listen to the song , the more lovely it sounds & as of the video , I so wish that such a cool & futuristic airport really does exist in real life .
I strongly think that there's not a single bad track on the album which's how good Maroon 5's brand new material's but if I were to recommend just 1 track , it will be Little Of Your Time which's the shortest track on the album clocking in at 2:17 but it's 1 of my fave songs on the album . Super funky & catchy !
Wake Up Call will be the 2nd single after Makes Me Wonder . I was actually hoping other songs to be released as singles such as Wouldn't Go Home Without You , Can't Stop , Back At Your Door but I think Wake Up Call will do fine although I'm not sure if it can attain the same success as Makes Me Wonder . At most , it might probably crack the Top10 in the chart .
Then again I feel all the tracks on the album are very radio friendly & I'm just glad that Maroon 5's finally back with new material to charm their fans .
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
CD Review :: ayumi hamasaki - Memorial address EP
Tracklist :
1) ANGEL'S SONG 2) Greatful days 3) Because of You 4) ourselves 5) HANABI ~episode II~ (Fireworks ~Episode II~) 6) No way to say 7) forgiveness 8) Memorial address (take 2 version)
Memorial address's the 1st mini album released by Ayumi Hamasaki .
It was released 4 years ago in Japan in Dec 17th . You got 8 tracks on Memorial address EP & it is the best selling mini album by a solo female in Japan , and it has sold more than a million copies in Japan .
What's unique about Memorial address's that all the tracks with the exception of the album title , there's a music video which accompanies every song so it's pretty something . & with the exception of ANGEL's SONG & forgiveness , you can find the other 6 tracks in both her A BEST 2 -BLACK- & -WHITE- greatest hits compliation .
If you ask me there's not a single bad track on Memorial address & I realised only the 1st 2 tracks namely ANGEL's SONG & Greatful days are happy upbeat No.s while the rest of the tracks are quite angsty in the form of Because of You , ourselves . If not you get ballads such as HANABI ~episode II~ , No way to say & forgiveness . HANABI means Fireworks in Japanese .
I enjoyed Memorial address EP a lot but I was a bit disappointed that forgiveness didn't make the cut in her A BEST 2 greatest hits compliation tracklisting which I think it's a shame as I feel it's a beautiful song & many fans regard forgiveness as one of her more beautiful songs , with aspects of classical music overlying themes of sadness . No surprises since the melody was composed by her under the pen name CREA & the brillant D.A.I .
This mini album's a must grab & if you have some time to spare , go & check the video of ANGEL'S SONG , it's 1 of the weirdest videos from Ayumi & the video of ourselves's plain freaky , in fact I think it's 1 of the freakest videos from Ayumi to date .
It's funny but I used to hate ourselves for no apparent reason but after I saw her opening her most recent Countdown Live Best of Countdown Live 2006-2007 concert with that track , I really like it now !
CD Review :: NANA starring Mika Nakashima - THE END
Tracklist :
1) Hitoiro (One Color) 2) EYES FOR THE MOON 3) GLAMOROUS SKY 4) BLOWING OUT 5) MY MEDICINE 6) NEGLEST MIND 7) REAL WORLD 8) ISOLATION 9) BLOOD 10) Hitoiro ＜ALTAnative＞ 11) MY WAY
Now this's a 1st for me , reviewing a mini album that's . Having found huge success & critical acclaim in her starring role as Osaki Nana in the massive success in the form of the manga turned movie Nana & Nana 2 , Mika Nakashima released a mini album titled THE END which contained all the songs she did in both movies under the name NANA starring MIKA NAKASHIMA .
It marks the end of Mika's bond with the Nana franchise, and is also referred to as First and Last Album of Mika's role Osaki Nana .
Now before I go on any further , if you know or don't know , Mika Nakashima's music forte lies in Big Band Swinging Jazzy No.s so you can imagine the shock when I found out she ventured into Rock which's basically a HUGE music transition for her . It's not everyday a Jazz singer does Rock & somemore all the songs in THE END are nothing like her older/recent material . It really screams out Rock , Rock & more Rock but I have to say that she carries the Rock music genre really well as evident in her 1st rock song , GLAMOROUS SKY .
Overall , GLAMOROUS SKY sold 444,067 copies since release and has charted in the Oricon charts for 28 weeks . It managed to reach #10 in the 2005 Oricon year end charts , the highest position for a female artist that year . & it's this song that outsold Ayumi Hamasaki's STEP YOU/is this LOVE? & became the best selling single for a female artist so heads up to Mika !
Before I picked up this mini album , I only heard a couple of tracks namely her so far #1 hit single GLAMOROUS SKY & a few others that I found on the net which I really like such as BLOWING OUT , EYES FOR THE MOON & an Eng No. MY MEDICINE .
Initally when I 1st heard Hitoiro which means 1 Color in Japanese & it served as the main theme of Nana 2 , I thought it was bland & doesn't have the oomph factor as compared to GLAMOROUS SKY . Unlike GLAMOROUS SKY , HItorio's more mellow & less upbeat but after listening to it a few more times , I grew to like it .
In fact there's an alternative version of Hitoiro in the album which's more upbeat unlike the original which's not bad & Hitoiro didn't do as well as GLAMOROUS SKY in terms of chart & sales figure wise , its peak position was No.4 .
The rest of the tracks that I never heard before are great too in the form of REAL WORLD , ISOLATION , BLOOD & NEGLEST MIND . The last track to close things off is another Eng No. MY WAY which sounds like a bunch of girls singing on the track & in MY WAY , there was a part which went " There were times , I’m sure you know / When there was fuck , fuck , fucking else to do" which was pretty amusing . I have heard singers swearing in their songs but not a J Pop singer so that was a 1st for me . Come to think about it , was pretty funny when Mika swore 3x in a row .
Having said that , I really like this mini album of hers . I'm not sure why it's called a mini album cos by right , the tracklisting of a mini album's usually 10 tracks or less but who cares man , THE END rocks !
Blog Personnel
Karen Pang
# 10th Jan
# #1 BREAKERZ fan in Singapore since 2008 debut single ♥
# My music blog consists of JPop/Rock singles & albums reviews that I put my heart , efforts & soul into writing them as I'm disgusted with the way that JPop/Rock music is being treated/written/reviewed in Singapore so to the local media (yes you TEENS , Teenage Magazine & The Strait Times) , screw you all . I basically can write better JPop/Rock reviews , period
