CD
CD + DVD
2 different CD + DVD versions with different DVD footages
- 1st option -- 25th Anniversary Live DVD Edition , DVD includes 25th anniversary live video digest footages
- 2nd option -- DVD only includes the Seiiki music video
CD only & CD + DVD 25th Anniversary Live DVD Edition versions tracklist
1) Seiiki
2) jazz to Hepburn to kun to
3) Humbucker vs. Single-Coil
4) Seiiki (Instrumental)
5) jazz to Hepburn to kun to (Instrumental)
CD + DVD with Seiiki music video tracklist
1) Seiiki
2) jazz to Hepburn to kun to
3) Humbucker vs. Single-Coil
4) Seiiki (Hikigatari)
5) jazz to Hepburn to kun to (Hikigatari)
6) 「Seiiki 」 Liner Notes Talk
7) Seiiki (Instrumental)
8) jazz to Hepburn to kun to (Instrumental)
Fukuyama's last physical single release was 2015's I am a HERO .
The A-side was used as the theme song to promote TV Asahi's Kurokawa no Techo drama .
2 B-sides are available in Seiiki . jazz to Hepburn to kun to was used as the theme song for Fuji TV's Tsukai TV Sukatto Japan - Mune Kyun Sukatto .
Prior to the physical release of Seiiki , jazz to Hepburn to kun to was 1st released digitally on 4th Sept .
The 2nd B-side Humbucker vs. Single-Coil was used in the ads of Asahi Super Dry that starred Fukuyama himself . And unlike jazz to Hepburn to kun to , Humbucker vs. Single-Coil is an instrumental no. , ie. no vocals are present .
It's so great to have Fukuyama Masaharu back especially since a lot of things have gone on in his personal life during the last 2 years .
I was real surprised when I 1st heard Seiiki as it's a great comeback single song with a very catchy swinging Jazz melody , it's impossible not to like the song on 1st listen and it's quite different from what I expected too .
Likewise the B-sides are not bad too . Despite the title , there's actually no traces of Jazz in jazz to Hepburn to kun to . Instead a rather simple banjo inspired melody is utilised .
I was hoping Humbucker vs. Single-Coil had vocals but similarly I was surprised it's merely an instrumental piece .
All in all I enjoyed what Seiiki had to offer & hopefully I wouldn't need to wait so long for yet another Fukuyama Masaharu single release .
CD
CD + DVD
BENI's last English covers album was 2013's COVERS 3 . In COVERS THE CITY , the album includes 12 Japanese to English cover songs & each Japanese to English cover track has "CITY POP" arrangements .
This time round , some of the songs BENI chose to cover include :
- Mahoutte Itte Ii Kana? (Ken Hirai's 40th single) ; track #7
- Kazoku ni Narou yo (1st A-side of Fukuyama Masaharu's 27th single Kazoku ni Narou yo / fighting pose) ; track #9
- Zutto Suki Datta (Saito Kazuyoshi's 38th single) ; track #10
- Mou Ichido ... (Dohzi-T's 12th single) ; bonus track / track #12 . BENI was featured in Mou Ichido ... . BENI subsequently released Mou Nido to ... as an answer song / her debut single under her now current stage name
In addition , 2 original songs Got A Feeling & CANDY are only available digitally via iTunes Japan .
4 years since the release of COVERS 3 , BENI brings the latest instalment of her Covers series , COVERS THE CITY . This time , she offers remakes of post-2010 hit songs by male artists & gives them a new spin with a "city pop" arrangement .
The songs BENI chose to cover in COVERS THE CITY are pretty recent releases from male artistes/groups and also they have a more modern sound .
I like BENI's unique take on Ken Hirai's Mahoutte Itte Ii Kana & this's the 3rd time that BENI covered Ken's material while her rendition on Saito Kazuyoshi's Zutto Suki Datta was quite good too .
That said , I'm not so keen on BENI's version of Fukuyama Masaharu's Kazoku ni Narou yo as the original was a ballad and for her to give it an upbeat spin , it's a bit strange .
Also , I'm surprised BENI chose to cover Dohzi-T's Mou Ichido ... & let alone BENI can be heard rapping in the song which's quite cool as this's the 1st time she has done rapping .
The 2 original songs Got A Feeling & CANDY are not bad either and I'm not surprised they're included as part of COVERS THE CITY as they have the same music style , it's a bit annoying that they're not included as part of the original tracklist & you have to purchase the songs via iTunes Japan .
I was really hoping BENI would release another concept album as last June's Shiki Uta summer was an interesting unique release , it reminds to be seen what will be her next move music wise but hopefully BENI can release something new before 2017 concludes ?
CD
1) never
2) Setsuna-teki Night
3) SOUZO
4) Beautiful World
5) Cloudy sky
6) DOMINO
7) Round & Round
8) Remember your love
9) Atte Hanashi o (20th Century) [Bonus Track]
10) Answer
11) Can't Get Enough
12) Get Naked (Coming Century) [Bonus Track]
13) Boku ・ Sora ・ Kimi
14) COLORS
15) Let's Go 6 Roku
16) The One
Limited A - CD + DVD & CD + Blu-ray
Limited B - CD + DVD
1) never
2) Setsuna-teki Night
3) SOUZO
4) Beautiful World
5) Cloudy sky
6) DOMINO
7) Round & Round
8) Remember your love
9) Answer
10) Can't Get Enough
11) Boku ・ Sora ・ Kimi
12) COLORS
13) Let's Go 6 Roku
14) The One
V6's last studio album release was 2013's Oh ! My ! Goodness ! . 3 single songs are included in The ONES but for their 47th & 48th singles only the 1st A-side in each single are included in the album .
14 songs are found in The ONES , 11 album tracks and 3 single songs . All songs in The ONES have videos made inclusive of the only album interlude DOMINO .
The CD only has 2 bonus tracks by 20th Century & Coming Century which're the 2 sub groups within V6 .
For The ONES , this's an album that was completed by combining many individual parts . In 2017 , The ONES represent V6 as they're 'now' & the theme for the new album's material is 'the things that we , V6 want to do' .
On the new songs in The ONES , the members completely oversaw the production of 6 tracks in which they have a say in the choice of songs , the contents of the lyrics , who would be in charge of the solo parts of a song & the footage .
I will review The ONES based on the CD only tracklist .
Kicking things off in the new album is never followed by Setsuna-teki Night .
Setsuna-teki Night was produced by Okada Junichi . The video was created by Team Lab who was also responsible for creating Kobukuro's Kokoro video .
never & Setsuna-teki Night were performed considerably on various music shows and it's easy to understand why because both tracks are really good & strong . I love just how never sets the tone and it's a great opening no. for an album .
As for Setsuna-teki Night , it's a very cool edgy aggressive track which sounds different from never and Okada did a great job in producing this song as I enjoy it a lot .
SOUZO is track #3 & for this song , comedian Watanabe Naomi made an appearance in the video . SOUZO is quite amusing + funny and it's meant not to be taken seriously .
Beautiful World is V6's 46th single & it was used as the theme song for TV Asahi's Keishicho Sousa Ikea 9 Gakari drama starring member Inohara Yoshihiko .
Written & composed by Hata Motohiro , Beautiful World is still 1 of my favourite single songs & I'm still not bored by it .
Cloudy sky is the next song and the video was shot in Okinawa . I like how uplifting and empowering it sounds . Also this track has been performed as the last song in the current V6 LIVE TOUR 2017 The ONES .
DOMINO is the shortest track in THE ONES which's less than 2 mins . It's also the only interlude in the album . Despite this , I'm surprised a video was made for it . I wished DOMINO was longer as I like just how intriguing it sounds .
The next 3 album tracks were produced by the members themselves . Round & Round was produced by Nagano Hiroshi while Remember your love was produced by Miyake Ken .
And Answer was produced by leader Sakamoto Masayuki & it was used as the image song to promote Spanish football .
All 3 tracks back to back are equally good and unique sounding from each other . Round & Round is a mid tempo song , Remember your love is a rather sad sounding no. & Answer is just a great angsty emotional driven track .
Can't Get Enough is the 1st A-side of V6's 47th single Can't Get Enough / Hanahirake . The song was used as 7net's Spring promotional song & it's described as a cool dance track .
Hanahirake is not included in The ONES .
The next album track Boku ・ Sora ・ Kimi was produced by Morita Go . Out of the new album material in The ONES , Boku ・ Sora ・ Kimi is my least favourite as I don't quite like how slow paced the song's but I give props to Morita for working on it .
COLORS is the 1st A-side of V6's 48th single COLORS / Taiyou to Tsuki no Kodomotachi , The song was used to promote TV Asahi's Keishicho Sousa Ikea 9 Gakari drama starring Inohara & also in the ads of Prince Hotels & Resorts Natsu Puri 2017 .
Oddly even though Taiyou to Tsuki no Kodomotachi is not included in the CD , the video is included in the DVD/Blu-ray and for once , I wished the song made the cut in The ONES as I like the song .
Let's Go 6 Roku & The One are the last 2 album tracks and Let's Go 6 Roku was produced by Inohara Yoshihiko .
Unlike the other new songs , Let's Go 6 Roku has a fun jovial sound & The One is a nice heartwarming fitting track in concluding THE ONES .
V6's 13th album The ONES to signify that the album was created by combining many different individual elements together . The album's composers include Hata Motohiro , Ishino Takkyu , Ohashi Trio , Rekishi , Hamano Kenta & Akimoto Yasushi .
It's hard to believe it has been 4 years since V6 last released a studio album but to say the long wait has been worth it is an understatement as I'm pleasantly surprised how unexpectedly good The ONES is .
V6's last album Oh ! My ! Goodness ! saw them going quite excessively over the top crazy which I didn't quite liked . In The ONES , it showcases a considerable different number of music styles which V6 tackled them surprisingly relatively at ease , making their new album a very musically diverse , slick & well polished record .
Prior to The ONES , I was concerned if there will be enough new material in the album & I'm glad V6 decided not to include Kimi ga Omoidasu Boku wa Kimi wo Aishiteiru Darou ka , Namida no Ato ga Kieru Koro , Sky's The Limit & Timeless as these 4 single songs are already in SUPER Very best so it makes no sense for them to get re-included in The ONES .
Unlike what happened with ARASHI when they tried to incorporate their own personal input which backfired with regards to last year's Are You Happy? album (which gave rise to 1 of their most boring album to date unfortunately) , it's a relief to know that V6 didn't suffer the same fate as their juniors .
All in all , I really enjoy The ONES tremendously & this release is proof on why V6 still got it after 22 years & counting in the business & it's no doubt The ONES is hands down 1 of my favourite albums of 2017 .
ayumi performed WORDS for the 1st time during the encore segment of the 1st date of ayumi hamasaki Just the beginning 2nd chapter ~sacrifice~ which took place on 6th Sept at Pacifico Yokohama .
It felt a bit strange that ayumi didn't released any new music for 2017 prior to WORDS so it's better than having no material at all .
That said , I feel that WORDS is a nice heartfelt song . There's a somewhat old school vibe that reminds me of some of ayumi's past mid tempo ballads and lyrically it's touching too .
Seeing that the Just the beginning tour is currently ongoing until Feb 2018 , I frankly didn't expect any new songs coming from ayumi so for her to release WORDS was a bit of a nice surprise .
1) MIDNIGHT
2) The Way of My Life
3) MIDNIGHT (inst.)
4) The Way of My Life (inst.)
SPYAIR's new single was released 5 months + since their previous single Be with . The A-side was used to promote Fuji TV's Utsubokazura no Yume drama .
MIDNIGHT is described as having Jazz influences & the A-side was released digitally on 30th July prior to the physical release of the single .
Who would have thought SPYAIR sounded pretty good in handling a Jazz driven no. & to say MIDNIGHT is very catchy it's an understatement as I really like it the moment I 1st heard it .
The Way of My Life serves as the B-side in the single & this's quite an upbeat song . There's no Jazz influence in here but it shouldn't stop you from enjoying this fun perky no. that has rapping done by guitarist UZ .
MIDNIGHT showcases a different music side of SPYAIR but I enjoy their latest single very much . MIDNIGHT is unlike Be with as they don't sound the same but despite this both single songs are equally good .
SPYAIR's 5th album KINGDOM will be released next month on 11th Oct & MIDNIGHT will be included in KINGDOM as track #3 .
Cover for both CD & CD + DVD versions
1) Sorry Not Sorry
2) FLY
3) My Boo
4) Drippin' Feat IO & YOUNG JUJU
5) Yume ga Samenai You ni
6) Interlude -Yume no Tsudzuki-
7) Because of you
8) milk tea
9) ItsumoBlue
10) FIRE
11) speechless
12) Tokyo
Shota's last album release was last March's PROUD . FLY includes 2 single songs & a B-side track .
All songs in FLY were written & composed by Shota himself .
Kicking things off in FLY is Sorry Not Sorry which was 1st released digitally on 7th June . The 1st new album track is followed by the song that shares the same title as the album .
My Boo is Shota's 21st single & it's described as a message song to loved ones & for that important person in life .
Drippin' is the 3rd album track & it's also the only song in FLY that featured a collaboration . For this , Drippin' featured the vocal rap contributions of IO & YOUNG JUJU .
After a considerable amount of auto tune driven tracks , things are slowed down in Yume ga Samenai You ni prior to Interlude -Yume no Tsudzuki- .
The next album track Because of you was 1st released digitally on 21st June followed by milk tea which was originally included as a B-side in My Boo .
After milk tea , the next album track ItsumoBlue is 1 of the more heavily auto tune driven tracks in FLY as compared to FLY (the song) .
FIRE is Shota's 22nd single . The song compares one's feelings with fire using lyrics , such as "burn anything & everything" and "I want to see you even if I lose everything ."
speechless is the last 2nd album track & it's also my favourite song in FLY as it's a very simple piano driven ballad which showcases what Shota does best without the reliance of auto tune . It's a shame that speechless is also the shortest no. in the album .
Concluding FLY is Tokyo & just like Sorry Not Sorry , it was also released digitally on 7th June and unlike the other album tracks , Tokyo is the only 1 that has a video made .
Over a year since his last , Shota Shimizu returns with his new album FLY . Continuing his musical roots of soul & hip-hop , the album comes with 12 tracks including the singles FIRE & My Boo .
I did not quite like Shota's previous album PROUD as he went overboard with the usage of auto tune . FLY overall is a bit better but the fact that Shota still relied on autotune considerably in the album tracks , that's something I can do without .
While I like the use of autotune , sometimes too much of it can backfire which's evident on Shota . Shota himself is a good vocalist & some of my favourite songs from him have little if not no autotune involved . I'm not sure why in recent times Shota wants to market himself as a vocaloid driven artiste as that doesn't suit him , likewise with the whole hip hop sunglasses image he undertook recently which made himself look like a hip hop reject artiste .
End of the day , FLY felt underwhelming for me . If I want to listen to Shota's best works , I rather go back to listen to COLOURS & ENCORE which're still 2 of my favourite Shota's albums . I do hope that Shota would consider to go back to his older music roots in his future releases (ideally toning down if not eliminating the use of autotune) as that's what Shota does best as right now , his current image doesn't sit well with me .