This is a list of albums that I love & came across during 2007 . It's not necessary that the albums were released in 2007 , some of them were released the year before or a few years back .
They're not listed in any order of sorts to begin with .
Without further a-do , let's hit it !
1) abingdon boys school - abingdon boys school
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
Stand out released tracks :
- Nephilim - INNOCENT SORROW - HOWLING
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Via Dolorosa - ReBirth + ReVerse - LOST REASON Feat Home Made Kazoku's Micro
Essentially my fave new band of 2007 , this's abingdon boys school or abs's debut self titled album . It's pure J rock at its best .
2) The Click Five - Modern Minds And Pastimes
Stand out released tracks :
- Jenny - Happy Birthday
Stand out non-released tracks :
Everything
Another no brainer , this's another 1 of my fave CDs to have emerged in recent times & somemore I managed to catch The Click Five in person & in performance when they made their way down to S'pore in Oct for a showcase performance at MOS .
For one they don't suffer the dreaded 2nd album syndrome & to be able to redefine your sound despite a change of their lead singer (due to the surprise departure of former frontman Eric Dill) & to be able to sound even better than their debut album Greetings From Imrie House , it's impressive so to speak .
3) ayumi hamasaki - GUILTY
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
Stand out released tracks :
- talkin' 2 myself - decision - glitter + fated - Together When ... (Digital Single)
GUILTY's ayumi's 9th album & it's not scheduled to be released in Japan til next Tue but somehow I managed to get a 1st hand listen on the album . Great effort . Just when I thought she couldn't top this up with her previous album Secret , she has defy all odds & produced another stunning record .
& GUILTY marks another 1st for her in that the album contains a prelude of Marionette . Not sure if her 1st 2 albums has since I didn't listen to them but I leave it as it's .
4) ayumi hamasaki - Secret
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
Stand out released tracks :
- BLUE BIRD - Startin' + Born To Be ... - Beautiful Fighters
Stand out non-released tracks :
Everything
Secret's ayumi's 8th album & it was the 1st ayumi record that I bought . It boosted some of her most amazing album sleeve pics to date & the sound on Secret's a mixture of metal , techno , synth & lounge in which it creates a slick , futuristic sound which sounds refreshing & great .
5) ayumi hamasaki - (miss)understood
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
Stand out released tracks :
- Bold & Delicious + Pride - STEP you + is this LOVE ?
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Beautiful Day - rainy day - criminal - Will
(miss)understood's ayumi's 7th album & it's possibly her most experimental album to date in that she sampled 6 tunes from German band Sweetbox & incidentally I really like ayumi's renditions as well as the tunes that she sampled from Sweetbox . Both Sweetbox & ayumi's renditions of their own respective songs are great & Sweetbox's a band that's worth checking out .
& some of the singles that she has released from (miss)understood did not make the cut on her A BEST 2 greatest hits album especially the fanastic Bold & Delicious + Pride & the B side of fairyland , alterna which's a shame .
6) ayumi hamasaki - MY STORY
CD Only Cover :
4 Alternate CD + DVD Covers :
Stand out released tracks :
- INSPIRE c/w GAME - Moments - CAROLS
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Catcher In The Light - my name's WOMEN - About You - Humming 7/4 - WONDERLAND
MY STORY's ayumi's 6th album & the album's her most rock influenced album to date in that she incorporated a much heavier & harder rock sound as compared to her previous & subsequent albums .
Although the album contains a massive 17 tracks & tends to get quite samey at times , it's still worth a listen .
7) ayumi hamasaki - RAINBOW
Stand out released tracks :
- H (independent , July 1st , HANABI) - Voyage
Stand out non-released tracks :
- WE WISH - Heartplace - Over - Real me
RAINBOW's ayumi's 5th album & the album's very D.A.I influenced . It contains 1 of ayumi's best ballads & most successful single to date , Voyage which stayed on top of the Oricon singles chart for 3 weeks which's something that her other singles has never accomplished before .
RAINBOW also contains H (independent , July 1st , HANABI) which's a triple A side single & it's her 5th million selling single . H was the top selling single of 2002 & it was the last single to accumulate a million copies by a female artist in Japan .
8) ayumi hamasaki - I am ...
Stand out released tracks :
- Dearest - Connected - UNITE ! - evolution - M - Daybreak
Stand out non-released tracks :
- I am ... - no more words - Flower Garden (hidden track)
I am ... is ayumi's 4th album & this's the only album where she made her debut as a composer under the name of CREA & about 90% of the album was composed by her .
I am ... also contains 1 of her signature songs M which incidentally her 4th million selling single & the 1st song that she composed . M's considered as 1 of her greatest songs by fans & she performed M at the 1st MTV Asia Awards in 2002 which was held in S'pore .
9) ayumi hamasaki - Duty
Stand out released tracks :
- SEASONS - AUDIENCE - SURREAL
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Duty - SCAR - End of the World - girlish - teddy bear
Duty's ayumi's 3rd album & it's her best selling album to date at 2.9 million copies sold in Japan . It contains 1 of her best singles which's SEASONS which became her 3rd million selling single selling 1.3 million copies & in turn she won a songwriting award for SEASONS .
It also contains 2 other singles that she released vogue + Far away in which vogue + Far away + SEASONS marks a 1st for her , a trilogy video .
10) ayumi hamasaki - A BEST 2 -BLACK- & A BEST 2 -WHITE-
A BEST 2 -BLACK- ::
CD Only Cover :
CD + 2 DVDs Cover :
A BEST 2 -WHITE- ::
CD Only Cover (1st Press) :
CD Only Cover (2nd Press) :
CD + 2 DVDs Cover :
A BEST 2 -BLACK- & A BEST 2 -WHITE- is ayumi's 3rd best of compilation that was released this year in Feb & all of the songs were remastered in Los Angeles by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner .
A BEST 2 -BLACK- contains songs with "painful/heartbroken" lyrics while A BEST 2 -WHITE- contains "Light" songs with "bright/cheerful/upbeat" lyrics .
If you wish to make your acquittance's with ayumi , A BEST 2 -BLACK- & A BEST 2 -WHITE- is a must get to get to know all of the singles that she has released from her evolution to her HEAVEN days & all of the singles went straight to no.1's in the Oricon singles chart .
+ A BEST 2 -BLACK- contains a new track that was never unreleased , a fantastic ballad titled part of Me .
11) ayumi hamasaki - Memorial address EP
Stand out released tracks :
- & (ourselves , Greatful days , HANABI ~episode II~) - forgiveness - No way to say
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Because of You - ANGEL'S SONG
Memorial address was the 1st mini album released by ayumi & it's the best selling mini album that was released by a female artist in Japan shipping more than a million copies .
The album contains so far her last triple A side single & (ourselves , Greatful days , HANABI ~episode II~) & I'm a bit sore that forgiveness didn't make the cut in her A BEST 2 greatest hits album .
12) Koda Kumi - Black Cherry
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
CD + 2 DVDs Cover :
Stand out released tracks :
- Yume no Uta (Dream Song) - 4 hot wave (consisting of 4 A sides singles in the form of JUICY , With your smile , I'll be there & Ningyo-hime [Mermaid Princess] ) - Koi no Tsubomi (Bud of Love) - Cherry Girl + Unmei (Fate)
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Tsuki To Taiyou (The Moon and the Sun) - Puppy - Get Up & Move !!
A great solid album from Miss Koda & she's 1 of the artistes that I've been listening & checking out constantly ever since the beginning of the year . Black Cherry's her 5th album & so far it's her highest selling album to date clocking in at around 1.46 million copies that have been sold in Japan .
She has paid her dues ever since debuting in the scene in 2000 . She did not experience any major success til the release of her 7th single real Emotion / 1000 no Kotoba which was released & sung in conjunction with the Final Fanasty X2 game .
She's going to drop her 6th album Kingdom at the end of Jan '08 & I'm looking forward to the release of her new record .
13) Koda Kumi - BEST ~second session~
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
CD + 2 DVDs Cover :
In Dec 2005 , Koda Kumi began a project called the ~12 Singles~ Collection in which she released 12 singles for 12 consecutive weeks . The project was such a massive success her management wrapped all of the 12 singles into one best album : BEST ~second session~ .
The album contained all the title tracks of the ~12 Singles~ Collection , with the exception of the terrible sounding Boys♥Girls and all the music videos of the project + 2 new tracks Love goes like ... & a cover of A Whole New World together with Peabo Bryson in which this track's only available in the limited CD + 2DVDs edition .
LOVE PiECE's the 4th latest album released by ai otsuka . I didn't had a good impression of her but eventually I decided to give her music a shot & I listened to some of her singles & gradually my opinion of her changes .
15) ai otsuka - Ai am BEST
Ai am BEST is the 1st compilation album released by otsuka . The title is a play on her first name , Ai , and the English word I .
The album's a good listen especially since you're not familiar with what otsuka has released so far . With the exception of Cherish & LOVE MUSIC , the rest of the album contains all of the singles that she has released before she started to release singles from her LOVE PiECE album .
15) Namie Amuro - PLAY
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
Stand out released tracks :
- Violet Sauce - FUNKY TOWN
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Hide & Seek - Top Secret - Pink Key - It's all about you - Step With It - Should I Love Him ? - Full Moon
Easily the most surprising albuum of 2007 , PLAY's the 7th album released by Namie & it's her 1st album to debut at the top spot of the Oricon album chart since GENIUS 2000 which happened 7 years ago .
The album flows extremely well & smoothly & it boosts possibly 1 of the best infectious opening for an album ever in the form of Hide & Seek .
16) NANA starring MIKA NAKASHIMA - THE END
Stand out released tracks :
- GLAMOROUS SKY - Hitoiro (One Color)
Stand out non-released tracks :
Everything
THE END is Mika Nakashima's 4th Japanese album , released 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 in the movies NANA 1 & NANA 2 in which she portrayed Nana Osaki .
& unlike her previous material , THE END is pure rock & roll at its best , a sharp departure from her usual signature music style which's jazz .
While Mika sang material for the band BLACK STONES in both movies as well as act , Yuna Ito did the same thing for rival band TRAPNEST in which she played the lead vocalist Serizawa Reira & that's how Yuna came to be known in the public eye as NANA 1 & NANA 2 were both her 1st major movie roles & her voice's fantastic .
However unlike Mika , Yuna did not released a NANA inspired album . Instead the songs that she sang in both movies , her debut single ENDLESS STORY & Truth both ended up in her debut album HEART .
17) Mika Nakashima - YES
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
Stand out released tracks :
- CRY NO MORE - ALL HANDS TOGETHER
Stand out non-released tracks :
- BLACK & BLUE - DANCE WITH THE DEVIL - THE DIVIDING LINE - Yogoreta Hana (Stained Flower)
YES is Mika's 5th album and the 4th original album released under her own name .
The album boasts a slower , more gospel-orientated arrangement , but sticks to Mika's traditional formula of soft , light , almost 'adult contemporary' pop songs .
18) Soundtrack Of High School Musical 2
Great soundtrack & it's no mean feat to top it up with an even better & more polished soundtrack when the 1st one was so good but thankfully the 2nd soundtrack of HSM 2 didn't failed to disappoint .
Debuting at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart , Amazon.com , and iTunes Store , the album sold 615,000 copies in its initial week of release .
As of September 2007 , this figure amounted to the fourth-biggest first week sales of the year & it is the first soundtrack of a television movie to debut at the Billboard summit .
19) The Veronicas - Hook Me Up
Stand out released tracks :
- Hook Me Up - Untouched
Stand out non-released tracks :
- This Is How It Feels - Popular - Take Me On The Floor - I Don't Wanna Wait - Revenge Is Sweeter (Than You Ever Were)
Good 2nd album effort from Aust twins duo The Veronicas . Their debut album The Secret Life Of ... was a great record & I was worried that they couldn't top it up with an even better sounding album .
They have since ditched their trademark pop/rock sound & in Hook Me Up , they have gone for a more slick futuristic pop/dance sound in which it seems to be serving the girls well especially when the lead single of the same album title became their 1st single to hit the no.1 spot in the Aust singles chart .
20) Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Stand out released tracks :
- Makes Me Wonder - Won't Go Home Without You
Stand out non-released tracks :
- If I Never See Your Face Again - Little Of Your Time - Can't Stop - Back At Your Door - Better That We Break - Goodnight Goodnight
I love this 2nd album by Maroon 5 & I think it's even better than their debut album Songs About Jane . I hope more singles will rolled out from the album as it's simply amazing .
Somemore there's even more reason to cheer about them is that they're finally coming to S'pore to perform for the 1st time on March 25th '08 , Tue which's taking place at the S'pore Indoor Stadium . Psyched !
21) Muse - Black Holes & Relevations
Stand out released tracks :
- Supermassive Black Hole - Starlight - Knights Of Cydonia - Invincible - Map Of The Problematique (Digital Single)
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Assassin - Glorious (Bonus Track) - City Of Delusion
With the exception of Hoodoo in which I find it really cheesy , the rest of Muse's 4th album's great ,
Black Holes & Relevations is their also the most critically acclaimed album to date , garnering the band a Mercury Prize nomination and coming third in the NME Albums of the Year list for 2006 .
22) ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES) - ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES)
Stand out released tracks :
- rose - LUCY - Kuromi Namida (Black Tears)
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Without You - zero - Take me out
ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES) is Japanese / Russian-American singer/songwriter/actress/model Anna Tsuchiya's 2nd album , which is a special NANA concept album released near the end run of the first series of the NANA anime .
Just in case you're wondering what's up with the whole ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES) name , it basically means that Anna sang a list of songs that're specially tailored for the hit manga turned anime series NANA for the band BLACK STONES while fellow labelmate OLIVIA did the same thing for rival band TRAPNEST .
Take me out has been described by Anna as being an Evanescence-style ballad & I couldn't agree more with that , it's a great song & I'm surprised that English's not Anna's 1st language & what's more Anna's only semi-proficient in English , having better command of an English accent than her peers (however is not a fluent speaker of English ) .
I think Anna's 1 person to look out for in the future & I also enjoyed her non-NANA works such as SLAP THAT NAUGHTHY BODY + MY FATE (the other B side on the double A side single BLUE MOON's fanastic too) & BUBBLE TRIP + sweet sweet song .
Her 7th single Cocoon's scheduled to drop in Japan on 30th Jan '08 , Wed .
- Winter Sleep - Recorded Butterflies -Studio Live-
As what I mentioned eariler regarding Anna , OLIVIA / Olivia Lufkin also contributed music to the NANA anime series & she sang material for the band TRAPNEST .
OLIVIA inspi' REIRA (TRAPNEST) is her 3rd album & it contains 2 of OLIVIA's highest charting singles to date in her career in the Oricon singles chart , a little pain (#8) & the double A side Wish + Starless Night (#7)
24) OLIVIA - The Cloudy Dreamer EP
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
Stand out released tracks :
- Wish - a little pain
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Stars Shining Out - Cut me free - If you only knew - Who's gonna stop it ?
The Cloudy Dreamer's the 5th mini album released by OLIVIA & this album's peak position was no.15 on the Oricon album chart , OLIVIA's highest debut position for an album to date .
25) The Great Spy Experiment - Flower Show Riots
Stand out released tracks :
- The Great Decay - Class 'A' Love Affair
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Dance With Me - A Kind Of Love - Siti In The City - Flow
A great solid debut effort from 1 of S'pore finest local acts at the moment . If you dig synth rock music ala The Killers & The Bravery , you will bounce to like their music . Pity that Captain Funkycurls has been cut from the album .
26) Jamie Michael - People Watching
Stand out tracks :
- Generations - Love Hotel - Walk Apart - Untitled - Paddington Days - Bonnie & Clyde - Same Folk - Stupid Love Song
This's also another record that I found & listened to in 2007 . Great stuff from a UK now currently based in S'pore musician . Not only that , Jamie also composed the music for all the songs in his debut album + he co-produced the album with 1 of the most respected sound engineer/producer in S'pore aka Leonard Soosay .
- COLORS - Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro (When Someone's Wish Comes True) - Keep Tryin'
Stand out non-released tracks :
- This Is Love - Making Love - Kairo (Sea Route) - Nichiyou no Asa (Sunday Morning)
ULTRA BLUE's Utada's 4th Japanese album . A highly recommended album from an artist who has been breaking records yearly in the Japanese music scene & she has come a long way .
28) Utada Hikaru - EXODUS
UK Cover :
Stand out released tracks :
- Easy Breezy - Devil Inside - Exodus '04
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Hotel Lobby - About Me - The Workout
EXODUS is the overall 2nd English album released by Utada Hikaru , the 1st was Precious under her stage name Cubic U .
Utada wrote all of the songs on EXODUS & cowrote 2 tracks with Timbaland in addition , she produced the whole record . I heard that she's going to be releasing a brand new English album as well as a new Japanese album somewhere next year & I can't wait for both .
29) Jesse McCartney - Right Where You Want Me
Stand out released tracks :
- Right Where You Want Me - Just So You Know
Stand out non-released tracks :
- Just Go - Daddy's Little Girl - Tell Her - Invincible - Blow Your Mind - Right Back In The Water - Anybody - We Can Go Everywhere
With the exception of Feelin' You which was the only track that Jesse did not cowrote on his 2nd album , the rest of the album Jesse has writing credits on every song .
It's a big pity that the album failed to match up to the same commerical success as his debut solo album Beautiful Soul & at the moment Jesse's back in the studio for a 3rd solo album follow up .
& a bit of f.y.i , he voiced my fave chipmunk Theodore (who wears green) in this year's movie Alvin And The Chipmunks & together with OneRepublic's frontman Ryan Tedder , Jesse cowrote the 2nd season of X Factor's Leona Lewis's hit song Bleeding Love in which it's UK's biggest selling single of 2007 .
I'm curious as to how Jesse will sound like should he decide to keep the song for himself hmmm ...
30) The Veronicas - The Secret Life Of ...
Stand out released tracks :
- 4ever - Everything I'm Not - When It All Falls Apart - Revolution - Leave Me Alone
Stand out non-released tracks :
Everything
The Secret Life Of ... is the award winning debut album by The Veronicas . The whole album's great & when you get top notch producers like Max Martin on board to produce your album , you know you can't go wrong with it .
If you love pop/rock music you will bound to love The Veronicas's debut album .
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
