CD Review :: KAT-TUN - cartoon KAT-TUN II You
Regular Edition Cover :
First Press Edition Cover :
2 CDs Limited Edition Cover :
Disc 1 Tracklist :
1) SIGNAL
2) Peak
3) Splash ...
4) Bokura no Machi de (In Our Town)
5) Make U Wet (Tanaka Koki's Solo)
6) key of life (Nakamaru Yuichi's Solo)
7) LOST (Ueda Tatsuya's Solo)
8) Jumpin' up
9) SAMURAI☆LOVE☆ATTACK (Taguchi Junnosuke's Solo)
10) FREEDOM
11) someday for somebody (Kamenashi Kazuya's Solo)
12) Movin' on
13) Utai Tsuzukeru Toki (When I Wanna Keep on Singing)
14) YOU (First Press and Regular Edition Track)
Disc 2 Tracklist (Limited Edition) :
1) Freeze
2) LOVE or LIKE
3) FIGHT ALL NIGHT
4) HEARTBREAK CLUB
5) MY ANGEL , YOU ARE ANGEL
6) NO MATTER ・ MATTER
7) Peacefuldays
cartoon KAT-TUN II You is KAT-TUN's 2nd & their overall 1st original album . This was released on 18th April last year in Japan & it's probably the only album that they released as a 5 piece group since their 2nd lead vocalist Akanishi Jin took a level of absence from the band for 6 months during the time when the album was put out .
The album shares the same name as their own variety television show that began around the time of the album's release (Cartoon KAT-TUN) . It was released in 3 different formats , a regular edition , a 1st press edition which included a 40 page booklet & a 2 CDs limited edition .
Both the regular & 1st press editions contain an extra track called YOU in which a music video was shot for it which included Akanishi in the video & it marked his return to the group .
2 singles are included in the album & with the exception of the singles , YOU , all 7 songs on the 2nd disc & 5 solo songs done by each respective KAT-TUN member , the rest of the album does not feature the vocals of Akanishi .
1st of all before I go on any further , let me just say that during the inital period when I 1st started to get myself familiar with KAT-TUN's music , I did gave this album a listen & at that time I didn't like it so much so that I didn't even gave the 2nd disc a try as I personally find at that time the album was so messy & that it was all over the place .
But in recent times after I enjoyed both their 1st & 3rd albums , I thought it's only fair that I give cartoon KAT-TUN II You another listen again & this time I also listened to the 2nd disc as well .
Because the 1st disc contains 5 solo songs , I will review them much later on & because of the fact that the non singles on this album consist of the reminding guys's vocals , as such I find it quite a challenge to listen to from time to time since it's not easy to pull off an album without the vocals of their other lead vocalist Akanishi .
The album kick things off with the band's 2nd single SIGNAL . I remembered when it was 1st released , I didn't like how it sounded as I was very used to their hard rock thumping no.s but I must say this's 1 song that I really love now & I like that it sounds different from their subsquent singles that they put out after that as it incorporates a much poppy sound than their usual works .
The next 2 songs are non singles . I start with Peak which's a very nice energetic rock no. & KAT-TUN does best in such no.s although I find track 3 Splash ... a bit un-memorable for my liking . It took me a while to actually remember how Splash ... sounds like though .
The final single available in the album's up next which's their 3rd single Bokura no Machi de (In Our Town) . I love this song simply because it's a ballad & this's so far the only ballad the guys have released . I do wish that they will release more ballads in the near future as I feel that they shine in ballads as well as in hard rock thumping no.s .
I jump all the way to track no.8 , a song called Jumpin' up & like the title suggest , this's 1 catchy song that will make you well want to jump up from your chair & just dance away .
Track 10's called FREEDOM & I find this song very charming as I really like the melody going on in here & this's 1 pretty cool midtempo no. .
Track 12 Movin' on is also another mid tempo no. & I find this to be another weak link just like Splash ... because it took me forever to remember how Movin' on sounds like but right now I'm digging this slow no. & the guys's vocals harmonise real well with the melody .
The next song's the only non single ballad on the album which I absolutely adore . Titled Utai Tsuzukeru Toki (When I Wanna Keep on Singing) , I just love how sincere the guys come across in this song & it reminded me of their other non singles ballads like I LIKE IT , BLUE TUESDAY , PRECIOUS ONE among others .
YOU is only available in the regular & 1st press editions of the album & this's the only non single to feature Akanishi on vocals in the 1st disc (assuming if you don't have the 2 CDs Limited Edition) . YOU kinda reminded me of a distinct cousin of SIGNAL because both songs are on the poppy side & they're real catchy . Nakamaru's beat boxing on the song adds a nice touch to YOU which's great .
Now it's time to review the 5 solo songs that each respective member did in the 1st disc of cartoon KAT-TUN II You .
Make U Wet (Tanaka Koki's Solo) - This's 1 hot solo song coming from the rapper of KAT-TUN . I wasn't feeling that much love for PARASITE which's found in their 7th single DON'T U EVER STOP as he overloaded on the scream & rap factor .
In Make U Wet , Tanaka actually sings & didn't do much rapping which's a relief as I'm always curious to hear how he sounds like singing as I'm always hearing him rapping in the group's songs & his vocals are not bad really .
The melody's real seductive for that matter to keep up with the title of the song & this's 1 pretty hot no.
key of life (Nakamaru Yuichi's Solo) - A nice mid tempo solo no. from the beatboxer of the group . I was real impressed with SMACK which's found in the DON'T U EVER STOP single & in here he didn't disappoint me & not to mention he wrote key of life too which's great .
Nakamaru's vocals are in fine form in key of life & hopefully in future he will get more singing parts in the group's songs as he's pretty under-rated , vocals wise , not that I wish that he stop beatboxing for that matter .
LOST (Ueda Tatsuya's Solo) - Even though this's not my fave Ueda solo but still I have to give him credit for writing LOST . I'm frankly impressed as to how talented this guy's seriously is . I mean he cowrote BUTTERFLY with Akanishi on Best of KAT-TUN & also wrote/composed Ai no Hana which's available in the limited edition type C of their 7th single DON'T U EVER STOP .
SAMURAI☆LOVE☆ATTACK (Taguchi Junnosuke's Solo) - 1 word = cute . I already find the title of Taguchi's solo song cute & so's the song . In fact I got a shock when I 1st listened to it as it sounded so different from Natsu no Basho but still this's a cute song especially the melody where kids's voices are going L.O.V.E among other things LOL
someday for somebody (Kamenashi Kazuya's Solo) - This's a nice slow jam no. of the de facto leader Kamenashi . This reminded me of SPECIAL HAPPINESS which he had a hand in cowriting in Best of KAT-TUN & at least it's not as cheesy as w/o notice ?? .
It still can't match up to the greatness that's of Kizuna but I still enjoy listening to someday for somebody .
Conclusion - The 1st disc of cartoon KAT-TUN II You was a bit of a challenge for me to listen to especially since I find the sound consistency very shaky from the start to the end .
Some of the non singles are a case of hit or miss but the weak links tend to sound better as time goes by whereas for those non singles that're great , they sound even better than before as each listen goes by .
The 2 singles are solid & so were the 5 solo songs .2 CDs Limited Edition Cover :
Disc 2 Tracklist (Limited Edition) :
1) Freeze
2) LOVE or LIKE
3) FIGHT ALL NIGHT
4) HEARTBREAK CLUB
5) MY ANGEL , YOU ARE ANGEL
6) NO MATTER ・ MATTER
7) Peacefuldays
All the songs in the 2nd disc / limited edition of cartoon KAT-TUN II You consists of no.s that they did when they were juniors in Johnny & Associates & this's the only disc in the album where all the songs contain Akanishi's vocals , non singles wise .
I find the 1st song Freeze quite interesting because of the melody although somewhat I find the vocals of the guys a bit un-synth with the melody which's weird . I think this song's a grower for that matter .
Likewise for the mid tempo no. LOVE or LIKE , I find that to be quite weak despite numerous listens . I do hope in time to come , Freeze & LOVE or LIKE will grow on me .
Track 3 FIGHT ALL NIGHT is the shortest track on disc 2 / the whole album at 2:29 mins . This's 1 song that's feeling as it's quite a good charged up rock no. . Too bad it's short as I think it has quite the potential to sound better .
I should add that for the rapping portion , Tanaka & NEWS's Yamashita Tomohisa (or better known as Yamapi) cowrote it together which's cool .
HEARTBREAK CLUB is up next & this's 1 of my fave songs on disc 2 simply because I love the way how it started initally . The song opened up with some fancy swinging jazz no.s & then subsequently the melody transformed to a rock no. which I think it's very cool & unique .
The only ballad on disc 2 , MY ANGEL , YOU ARE ANGEL , this's 1 sweet ballad coming from the guys & this's definitely a keeper since I feel that the guys's vocals harmonise real well with the melody of MY ANGEL , YOU ARE ANGEL .
MY ANGEL , YOU ARE ANGEl's melody was composed by KAT-TUN's senior in Johnny's & Associates talent agency Takizawa Hideaki (or better known as Tackey) who's 1 1/2 of the duo Tackey & Tsubasa & I feel Tackey did a great job in doing so .
The melody of track 6 NO MATTER ・ MATTER reminded me of One On One because both songs opened up with great beatboxing beats coming from Nakamaru & then subsequently a rather dated 80's sounding melody comes in at full swing which surprised me as NO MATTER ・ MATTER sounds like nothing on what the guys will do .
The combination of such music & the guys's vocals is strange but somehow it works in their favor .
The final track on the album Peacefuldays closed things off pretty nicely with a very peppy melody which the guys keep saying the group's name on repeat mode . I actually like this song as it's a very charged up energetic no. .
Conclusion - disc 2 was quite an interesting mix of songs for me to listen to as some of the styles of the songs feature a different side of KAT-TUN that I thought they never will do . Some of the songs were hit & miss for me but aside from that , this's a pretty decent mix bag of songs to listen to .
Overall thoughts on both discs - In general , I find the 2 discs of cartoon KAT-TUN II You quite an interesting task for me to listen to because it's not easy to carry off an album without the appearance of their 2nd vocalist Akanishi & for that I have to give the guys due credit for pulling off such a daunting task .
To me this's not their best album since I have problems with the sound consistency in both discs but still this's a pretty good listen . The singles & solos are pretty solid & for that , it's more than good enough for you to pick up a copy & to give cartoon KAT-TUN II You a listen .
