Artist: モーニング娘 (Morning Musume)
Album: ファーストタイム (First Time)
Release Date: July 8, 1998

1. Good Morning
Amusingly, the first track off this album is as very bossa nova-esque jazzy piano-type song. It’s kind of cute, until some of the girls start singing. The group parts aren’t quite as bad as some of the solo bits in the chorus, which I find hilarious because a whole bunch of people drop out at the high note in the chorus, so we get to hear one or two people strain for their life on it. Yeah, the harmonies are positively terrible. On the bright side, the song is kind of cute, but the girls have close to no energy in their performance. I do like the jazzy feel of this track and the melody, but the girls aren’t particularly interesting on this track.

2. サマーナイトタウン
Hello more terrible duet bits. Abe and Ishiguro Aya’s voice clash pretty badly at the beginning and don’t really work that well together. I do like the daikirai/daisuki parts of the opening because of how much energy the girls put into that one part of the track and how they build up on the lines by adding more and more people with eah work. The solos for the “for you!”, “I want you!” parts are decently done. I don’t particularly find the song itself that interesting, but it’s an okay track with their usual vocal problems.

3. どうにかして土曜日
Hahaha. This song amuses me with the kind of Western (…as in cowboy Westerns) sound it has. The bass line is addictive and I love the brass and string arrangement for the track. どうにかして土曜日 marks the first song that I actually like as a whole on the album. The girls mostly sing in unison throughout the song, which apparently works for their advantage as their singing isn’t quite as annoying as it usually can be. Doesn’t this make you want to go ride a horse in a cowboy hat with a lasso in hand? I know I do. Hilarity aside, this song is pretty much run by its accompaniment as the girls are pretty much the same the whole way though and sing a bit monotone and slightly out of tune with each other at times. The arrangement is fabulously awesome though.

4. モーニングコーヒー
*facepalm* I totally had a HARD GAY flashback when the girls went with their high-pitched “FUUU!” at the begining. Obviously the guy didn’t become popular until a long time afterwards. XD In any case, this song turns into a softer, laid-back track from the girls. I quite like this acoustic track, despite the girls still performing subpar in terms of their vocals. The song is rather soothing, although I can’t say the same about their singing. However, the song itself is quite well arranged in terms of the vocal lines in the track and could quite nice with some good vocals. They do perform this song well stylistically as their voices are quite soothing at times. They still need to pay attention to their general pitch and tone.

5. 夢の中
Oh god, the duet at the beginning. The girl singing in upper line needs a lot of work. It’s not pleasant at all, especially as the song goes on like this. These duet lines really reveal the girls’ poor singing very well, and it’s not fun at all as they continue to strain and struggle with basic pitch on this track. Seriously, there’s a lot of flat notes on this track, to the point where the singing is just unbearable. The bossa nova backing is cute, though? The track is just painful from start to finish. That’s a lot of straining on notes in the mid-range, even. That’s kind of embarrassing.

6. 愛の種
Aw, the chimes at the beginning are cute. Again, their group work is much more listenable than their solo work, although some of the short solo lines are passable. Because of the constant passing of the melody in the verses, the flow is rather choppy all the way through. Each of the girls have their individual troubles in the solo, which I won’t really get to other than their need to support their voices without putting too much of their breathy sound into their singing. In any case, this song is rather simplistic with the accompaniment, so the song doesn’t stand out much there, but some of the harmonies are quite nice.

7. ワガママ
Eeep, we’re back to really bad singing. Again, this song has a lot more solos, mostly done by Ishiguro Aya, Yasuda Kei and Ichii Sayaka, and they’re not particularly any good as they continue to struggle with pitch. The singing is pretty much all over the place and all I can do is cringe at the singing throughout the track. The track itself is nothing interesting as well with the repeated, soft electric guitars in the background. This song is just lacking in so many ways: in the girls’ singing, in the instrumentalists’ performances, and in the composition of the song.

8. 未来の扉
Apparently the girls are amazed by something at the beginning. I have no words for this song other than terrible. It’s not even fun in any way and the melodic lines are done in some sort of speak and have no connection to the singing parts of the track. There’s basically no flow in this track from the really bad speaking bits to the singing parts. The girls sound has convincing as a rock singing and bore me to death. Is this supposed to be a song? All I hear is really poor composition with the girls’ subpar voices. The girls attempt some scatting here, and I’m utterly confused as to why.

9. ウソつきあんた
While the main melody singing isn’t particularly good, I must say that the harmonies on this track are quite an improvement for the girls. The stuff actually blend together much better. This is a much tighter performance of harmonies from the girls. The still struggle with their singing otherwise though, and constantly go off pitch and strain for their life on a lot of notes. However, this song is much more bearable than the last few tracks, but it’s still pretty bad in terms of their vocals. At least the harmonies keep me listening a bit longer this time around.

10. さみしい日
This final track is a much softer piano ballad. The opening few solo lines are actually quite nice, despite still be rather subpar singing. Some of the girls need to project a little bit more, because all I hear is mumbling from them. Either that, or Tsunku needs to get them closer to the mic and mix them in at the same volume as some of the other girls. Some of the drastic change in dynamics are really bad. This is one instance where some of the group singing is worse than the solo singing, due to the more delicate nature of the track. It is a fairly nice ending to the album, though.

Overall –
Favourite Track: モーニングコーヒー
Morning Musume’s debut album is mediocre and really poorly sung. Tsunku isn’t even particularly a good composer at this time, because none of the songs on this album are really that interesting (albeit, not all of it is composed by him). In addition, none of the girls particularly stood out to me as I listened to the album. I can only pull out two songs on the album that I actually enjoyed as a whole, but everything else was bland and mostly poorly written. Each of them have very notable weaknesses in their singing, whether it’s their general phrasing or pitch of their singing. In general, they’re just really bad singers. Hopefully they improve with time, since this was their first album. Otherwise, if you’re looking to get into Momusu, I would recommend to stay far away from their debut. It’s no wonder I’ve never heard of any of these song titles from Momusu fans, aside from “Morning Coffee”.

Artist: RYTHEM
Album: 夢現ファクトリー
Release Date: May 24, 2006

1. ピカソの休日
ピカソの休日 is a lovely jazzy piece from the girls, and I really love the general feel of this right from the beginning. The girls start off in the middle range for the first verse, and the high notes on the harmonies this song are quite well-controlled. I really love piano chords, along with the accordion on this track. As usual, RYTHEM’s harmonies are excellent, and I particularly like how much better they sound on this track in comparison to their first album. The girl singing the lower notes show a remarkable sound for most of the way through, although the very low notes lose a tiny bit of momentum. In any case, this is an addictive, charming opening track for this second album from the girls.

2. 三日月ラプソディー
This next track starts off a bit slowly with only the girls singing over the piano. Their voices are hushed, although their notes aren’t quite together. However, the harmony at the beginning is really quite beautiful. As the verse comes in, the song picks up the pace and becomes a much brighter track with brass and acoustic guitar. The girls switch lines in the verse every so often, rather than have one girl sing the whole thing. I like the pre-chorus as they slowly build up to the chorus, although the vocals could have been a bit cleaner on the softer parts and the crescendo could have been done better. In any case, Again,, the chorus of this track is rather catchy, and I quite like the exchanges for brass and guitar in the background. Eventually, we get a small chorus of people singing in the background of the track, which interferes a bit with the general tuning of the singing at times.

3. ホウキ雲
ホウキ雲 is the second track off RYTHEM’s discography that was used in an anime. This song has their signature laid-back folk sound from their first album. The song is mostly accompanied by guitar and the strings in the background of the song, while the electric guitar comes in and out of the song at times. Again, a very nice use of their duet skills here with the passing of the melody in the verse and chorus, then harmonizing at parts of it as well. Their harmonies are very well done as usual, and simply beautiful. The result is a rather beautiful mid-tempo track from the girls. Adorable, as usual.

4. ココロビーダマ
ココロビーダマ attempts to make a breezier, more soothing sound with the flowing acoustic guitar lines in the background and the long notes of the verse that open this track, and they suceed quite well on this track. Although the melody itself is rather repetitive, and the song is four minutes, something about it is just really soothing, from the harmonica to the general arrangement of the track. The girls pull this song off vocally as well with their airy singing and lovely harmonies. Despite being rather repetitive, I don’t find this song boring at all.

5. 名を持つ人へ
The flute duet at the beginning of this song is really rather gorgeous. Like the girls’ usual vocal lines, they have two different flute lines, and the harmonies are really pretty. It’s another softer, simplistic song, but the result isn’t quite as pleasant as the previous track. Some of the singing sounds a bit too tense for the feel of this song, and they don’t always hit the notes as well as they could. This is more of an ongoing problem on this particular track, and ruins the atmosphere of the song as their singing isn’t quite as well-supported as it could have been. It’s a nice song, especially with the use of flutes in the background, but the singing on the track leaves something to be desired.

6. Song for you
Again with some subpar singing. The soloist at the beginning needs to learn how to phrase those low notes, because she seems to be struggling with supporting her voice, and presenting it in a flowing manner. The instrumentals in the background, however, are gorgeous. The piano is really quite pretty, and the singing gets a bit more bearable when the other girls comes in for the harmonies. They still tend to push their voices a bit in their delivery, but the song is much more enjoyable in the harmony parts of the song, and kind of makes up for the poor opening singing of the song. I do like the lack of accompaniment in this track. It’s simple, and the girls pull off the acoustic sound quite well with only the acoustic guitar and the piano as the accompaniment. The singing still needs a lot of work a times, though.

7. 月のウサギ
Again, more laid-back sounds. This particular track sounds more sorrowful with the slower tempo and the more expressive playing of the piano, and how the girls present their singing. Again, some of the singing from of the girls is rather flat, but otherwise, the singing is quite solid and well-controlled on this track. Aside from the pitch problems at times, their singing is quite enjoyable. I like the slight crescendo for the chorus as they make it more dramatic. The pitch problems is the only downside of this track as the presentation and emotion of these girls on both the vocals and the instrumentals are gorgeous.

8. キセキ
I adore the piano in this song right from the beginning. It creates such a gorgeous haunting feeling with the alternating note sequences at the beginning. The girls also present their voices in a slightly hushed manner, which works quite well in the track. They accent their notes appropriately to create a steady pulse in the track. The strings come in for the chorus as the girls go up to their higher range and the song suddenly becomes a lot brighter in tone. Their singing is still rather tense up there, but they pull out a nice enough sound here. I find the track a bit lengthy, but it’s quite a pretty track throughout.

9. 願い
願い is definitely one of the tracks I do remember beforehand from this album. It starts off with a slower section. I’m not too fond of how the girls are singing in the verse as the faster passages seem rather toneless, and a bit too whiney. The song doesn’t quite pick up for me until the chorus comes in with the strings. The song suddenly seems to soar a lot better with the lovely soothing strings in the background supporting it, and the girls singing out a lot more. The stronger piano accompaniment helps quite a bit here as well. The verses tend to fly over my head, but I really do enjoy the chorus quite a bit on this track.

10. 車輪の下
The girls bring in a peppier track by singing “Look out, beautiful day!” while clapping along with the opening. It’s quite adorable. In fact, this track is rather adorable as a whole. It has their lovely folk sound, while keeping a bit of a happy chorus to the smooth, laid-back verses of the song. I love the soothing feeling of the verses and the energy the girls bring in for their vocals for the chorus. The melody, in particular, is pretty addictive, and their singing pretty solid throughout. Again, fantastic harmonies.

11. フラミンゴ
We go back for a bit more laid-back, island-like for this track with the harmonies and the piano chords supporting the main melody. The opening singer puts a lot of energy into her singing, and she does the main melody quite well, while the other girl adds some nice harmonies in the upper range. I like the light accompaniment for this upbeat track, as the piano mostly keeps a basic beat in the background along with the drum beats in the background. There’s a slight use of wooden xylophone in the track as well to add a little tropical flavour with the little trills. Considering the title of the track is “Flamingo”, they surely pull off a nice tropical feeling with this upbeat track.

12. 気球が虹を越えた日
RYTHEM pulls in a little bit of a jazz piano sound with this track. It’s again another one of their adorable upbeat track with addictive musical lines throughout the track. Again, the girls sing with a lot of energy in the chorus, and their singing is quite solid throughout the track with strong use of harmonies throughout the song. I really quite like the keyboard line that repeats at the beginning of the track. The song is again, quite repetitive throughout the track and the length of the song is quite long for its content. In any case, it’s still rather cute and addictive throughout the track.

13. Dear Friend
“Dear Friend” is a ballad from the girls, and I have the same problem with their technical delivery of this song. They need to learn to hold their notes in a legato manner without adding too much accent here, because it disrupts the flow of the melody a little bit too much. Otherwise, emotionally, they have it down and the ballad is delivery nicely in general. Again with the strained high notes at times, where they don’t support their sound as much as they need to. The arrangement is also quite simplistic with the acoustic guitar strumming and the constant piano chords in the background. Quite a nice song, though.

14. 20粒のココロ
This next track is a simple piano ballad, but unlike the previous track, the singing is flat right from the beginning. I’m assuming it’s the other girl going solo here, because her chest voice is really, really poor. They should really consider writing in her usual voice range, because her lack of pitch and control here is really obvious. The song itself is quite pretty with the piano, but the singing is really quite painful, even when she tries for the higher notes. This girl should not be allowed to sing in this range until she gets a stronger chest voice. Seriously terrible.

Overall –
Favourite Track: ピカソの休日
RYTHEM continue to be positively adorable on this album, as well as continue some of their unfortunate lack of technique. I much enjoy the songwriting on this album, even more than I did on the first album. Their music continues to be really soothing and lovely from start to finish (except for that last track that features the girl who usually sings the high harmonies). I’m convinced she hardly ever sounds good on her solos where she tries to sing with her chest voice. Her head voice, however, is much nicer. Again, the girls continue with their really strong abilities to interpret the songs and their strong harmonies. However, their technical singing is still rather lacking at times. However, the girl with the lower voice (I still haven’t figured out who is who XD) has improved from the previous album a bit and seems to have a bit more confidence with her higher range. In any case, I quite like this album, especially compared to their debut album.

Artist: BONNIE PINK
Album: ONE
Release Date: May 13, 2009

1. Won’t Let You Go
Right from the keyboards at the beginning, we get a bit of a retro sound from this opening track. The song builds upon itself by slowing adding a few more instruments as the song goes on. I quite like the electric guitar support in the background and it adds to the overall sound of the track quite well. BONNIE sings the verses of this song quite well, and I find the overuse of the vibrato and trills in the verse works really well with this song in particular. I’m not too, too fond of the chorus in itself, and because it kind of feels not as exciting as it could have been in terms of how she presents the song. She basically sings this entire song at the same dynamic, and it doesn’t work well overall. She also need to keep her voice a bit more in control because she goes sharp a lot in this song. Otherwise, I quite like the overall vibe of this song, but BONNIE could have done so much better with the execution of her singing.

2. フューシャ フューシャ フューシャ
The second track of the album is quite cute with the typical reggae beat in the background. I can’t say her singing is at her best on this track either, but it’s nice. The song is a relaxing little track with an adorable little melody, especially when she gets to the chorus of the song. The track itself is rather simple in arrangement with the strings, the reggae beat and acoustic guitar in the background. It’s nice, but doesn’t tend to stand out much. Her singing is appropriate to the simple, laid-back atmosphere of the song as she keeps her singing simple, but engaging enough to keep the repetitive track interesting.

3. Princess Incognito
I adore this next track; it definitely stands out with its joyful guitar strumming and catchy, bouncy melody and accompaniment. The piano and guitar brings this song along very well, and the drum beat is rather addictive. BONNIE does a wonderful job with the bouncy quality of the melody as she accents the notes correctly throughout the track. I love some of the smooth piano lines that go through the track, and add a little contrast to the accented quality of the rest of the accompaniment. Adorable and addictive.

4. Joy
When this single first came out, I definitely preferred this track over “Happy Ending” in terms of its melody and general atmosphere of the track. It’s a soothing midtempo acoustic ballad. The opening is gorgeous with the light xylophone and the acoustic guitar. The beat eventually makes its way into the track as BONNIE starts to sing. I absolutely adore the general calming atmosphere of this song. I especially like how BONNIE used the background ad libbing in the chorus to support the main melody; it really does add to the overall track very well in this track. BONNIE does a fantastic job with the overall flow of this song from beginning to end. She does have a few bits in her singing which could be improved, especially in the vocal trills where they sound a bit undersupported, and sounds more like really uncontrolled vocal shaking, rather than trills in the original melody, which is certainly not what she was going for. Still, a lovely, calming track. Still a nice, soothing track with a pretty melody.

5. 妄想LOVER
The first thing I think when I listen to 妄想LOVER is just how much flavour BONNIE is putting into her vocals at the beginning. I love how she does her staccatos and accents at the beginning, and how consistent they are. The track here is has a lighter sound with the echoed vocals and drum beats in the backgorund. The guitar is mostly played in a light, but slight accented way to match the style of the melody, but it’s not done in a slightly subdued way. This track is pretty reserved considering the style of the melody, but I like it enough. BONNIE does a good job with the vocals on this track, although I find the arrangement a bit too reserved at times for me, but it is nevertheless a nice track, which is mixed quite well with the various instruments coming in and out of the track with staccato notes, but done in an equally subdued manner.

6. 鐘を鳴らして
Since BONNIE first released 鐘を鳴らして, I’ve finally gotten used to the Japanese version in terms of the timing/rhythm of the lyrics (I used to prefer the English version simply because I was more used to it). I’m a little disappointed that BONNIE sounds vaguely bored on this track, especially since the arrangement is rather loud with the ongoing drum beat, and generally heavy accompaniment, but BONNIE seems a bit underwhelming on this track, and I’m not quite sure why I’m suddenly hearing it. In any case, I still like the melody of this track, but this girl sounds a bit too bland for me.

7. One Last time
BONNIE needs more tracks in her lower range. Her voice isn’t quite as irritatingly nasal here, and I enjoy her control in the lower range of this track. The song itself has a bit of a melancholic sound with the piano chords and the guitar lines going in the background. BONNIE starts to belt a bit more in the chorus, and I surprised at the amount of control she has at points of this track. Her voice is strong, despite some of her high notes going thin when she switches to her head voice. I find the arrangement a bit bland in its attempt to create a dreamy, echoed backing for the track. It’s just sort of there, and the really loud electric guitar bridge is just overly distracting. If anything, I like this track simply for BONNIE really solid interpretation of the song, her excellent use of dynamics and the lovely melody.

8. Rock You Till The Dawn
BONNIE is back with her addictive upbeat songs. Seriously. This song focuses mostly on the repetitive antics of the guitars, which grab me right from the beginning. I love some of the progressions of the melody here, because they really work with the overall sound of the track. BONNIE sings this track with a lot of energy, but she has to watch some of her singing on this track; her singing gets a bit toneless at times and some notes end up being really flat, especially in her upper range. One work: support. Her basic technique is lazy on this track at times, but thankfully she puts a lot of energy in the general performance of the track.

9. Fed Up feat. Craig David
I find it hilarious that a lot of BONNIE fans abhor this track. I much preferred “All the way” over this Craig David collaboration, but I do like lower sounds in this track as they actually do drive the track forward quite well. I can’t really say the same about the rest of the track because the singing and most of the arrangement is performed without much energy. Both BONNIE and Craig David are guilty of this, and the best parts of the singing are definitely their individual verses, because the rest of it sounds really lifeless. No, ad libbing in a monotone manner does not make the song more interesting. Stop it. Could have been a catchy track, but all I hear is everyone being really bored.

10. PLAY & PAUSE
“PLAY & PAUSE” is actually the one song I cringed at during my first listen to, and I didn’t recall at first why I didn’t like it. Then BONNIE started singing, and it all came back to me. Girl, you were never this bad in your head voice. Guess what this track features? Her head voice. And all I hear is poorly supported singing throughout the high parts of the song. She sounds like a man trying to sing high at times. I kid you not; it’s kind of frightening. Oh, and it doesn’t help that the accompaniment is bland as ever. The guitars are just playing along lifelessly while BONNIE struggles along with her singing. I can hear the style that BONNIE tried to do on this track (which could have sounded quite cool if done properly), but the result is rather disastrous.

11. 秘密
More guitar and bass focused upbeat tracks. We’re back in a range BONNIE sounds a lot more comfortable in, and again, she does well with the staccato melody on this track. The song ends up being quite fun to listen to and quite enjoyable as a while. I quite like how the bass and guitar come together as the beat for the verses to create a “stronger” beat. BONNIE still struggles with the high notes in the chorus and her singing comes off as really thin and quite flat up there, but otherwise, her singing is quite solid in her middle range. Fun track.

12. Try Me Out
“Try Me Out” is another stand-out track on the album. I love the use of the synthesizers at the beginning, and her “umm umm!” sound rather cute at the beginning. The acoustic guitar create a rather laid-back arrangement with the keyboards in the background. I particularly love the melody of this track, especially the two stressed notes in the verse and the rhythm of the chorus. The ascending “ah”’s halfway through are quite adorable as well. I really like her use of her background vocals throughout the track, especially some of the really nice harmonies throughout the track. Oh, and her high notes are quite pretty here on the harmonies. Thank you BONNIE for not being lazy on this track, because this track is excellent.

13. Happy Ending
“Happy Ending” is the more dramatic counterpart of “Joy”, and features electric guitars in a similar midtempo manner. I actually prefer BONNIE’s singing on this track as it’s much more supported. I also like how she presents this track in a smooth, sweet manner. The interpretation on this track is beautiful, and I really like the small crescendos and decrescendos she does through her phrases in the verses. I’m not too fond of that little echo sound she has on this track, though. However, that’s the only thing I don’t particularly like on this track. BONNIE’s singing is quite nice on this track. I don’t find the track itself stands out as much as “Joy” does, but BONNIE’s singing is surely a lot better on this track.

14. Get On the Bus
The title always makes me think of Raven-Symone, unfortunately, which makes me giggle a bit. I digress. This song is nothing like “Double-Dutch Bus”. This is what I call an excellent laid-back sound that is very “acoustic” in sound, despite there being electric guitar and bass in this track. The guitar lines are beautiful, and I really like how soothing they are. BONNIE’s voice is beautiful in this range, and she definitely emotes very well on this song. This is a fantastic, soothing song. I love the overall flow of this song from the beginning to end, and BONNIE’s vocals are perfect on this track.

15. Ring a Bell (Bonus Track)
Of course, we end off with the first single of this era (errr I think? XD). Same arrangement as the Japanese version with guitars and strings hidden somewhere underneath all the guitar. Again, she still sounds a bit bland at times in this track, but understanding the lyrics makes the song a bit more enjoyable. BONNIE needs to let it loose in this track, because the electric guitars call for it. The melody is still vaguely catchy, though.

Overall –
Favourite Track: Try Me Out, Get On the Bus, Princess Incognito
BONNIE PINK’s ONE focuses more on simpler arrangements and a more laid-back sound the majority of this album, and despite what a lot of people have thought of this album, I actually like this album. The album is a bit more melody-centered this time around for the most part, and it works well enough. I’m a bit concerned about BONNIE’s sudden amount of strain in her higher notes for a lot of the songs on this album and some of her singing getting a bit lazy for a lot of the tracks on this album. On the brighter side, her singing is a lot more lively on this album than it was on Thinking Out Loud, so despite being simpler in terms of the music, for me, the tracks are a lot more enjoyable. A lot of the tracks don’t really push BONNIE’s songwriting skills to new limits. However, the album is still a solid collection of pleasant tracks.

Artist: RYTHEM
Album: ウタタネ (Utatane)
Release Date: June 23, 2004

1. 風船雲
風船雲 introduces the listener to RYTHEM signature laid-back style with this midtempo track. It opens with the usual acoustic guitar strumming. There is also a rather nice flute solo at the beginning, which is one of the instruments that continue their way into the background of the song as well. The girls don’t have amazing voices and technique, but their singing is rather soothing and their harmonies are gorgeous. I’ve always really loved two-way harmonies, and they pull off their separate parts perfectly. They generally sing this song very well, and I like the little brass additions of this song, especially the trumpet and flute duets in the background. The instrumentals have a very nice jazzy sound, which I love. The girls sound strained now and then, but otherwise, the song is really pretty, soothing, and I love the jazzy instruments in the background.

2. ハルモニア
Most people who know of RYTHEM heard about them through this song. I must say the opening a capella passage isn’t very good, despite the harmonies being quite pretty. The girl singing the louer part is noticeably flat, and it’s pretty bad. Otherwise, she pulls it together by the time the main melody comes in. Her singing is much stronger in the middle range. I really love the girl singing the higher note harmonies in this song. The song has a lovely little traditional sound with some of the instruments, but the song also has a bit of a tropical, hawaiian feel to it in the general mood of the song. The harmonies really make this song for me, though. They’re just really gorgeous. We also get a touch of a jazzy keyboard near the end. The strings pull the song together perfectly. As previously said, the girls aren’t the greatest technical singers, which is evident with a lot of the poor control of some of the notes they have in this song, but otherwise, their delivery is quite good, and very soothing.

3. 一人旅シャラルラン
This is probably the most dramatic song so far. The opening features their excellent harmonies, and I quite like their voices in this range. Again, when the verse comes in, the girl singing the main melody performs with excellence and applies the right accents to make the melody sound a bit more aggressive, despite their very light voices. The chorus, in contrast, has a slighly brighter sound, but they keep the rather bouncy feeling of the song. The thing that keeps a little out of place is the dull instrumentation. Couldn’t they have applied the same emphasis on their notes too? They sound really lifeless in comparison. This song doesn’t require as much note holding, so their pitch seems a lot more stable throughout, and the range mostly stays the same throughout. I can’t help feel a bit underwhelmed by this track, though.

4. 万華鏡キラキラ
The vocal solos at the beginning definitely show a bit of problem with the control in their singing. The first girl has a slight problem holding her voice confidently as her singing ends up sounding rather hesistant and as a result, it falls in pitch quite a few times. The second girl, with the lighter voice, has a bit more control despite her high notes sounding thin and forced. The girls definitely sound a lot more confident once they get into the song and start accompanying each other. This particular sog has a bit of a darker, dramatic sound to it in terms of the background string accompaniment. However, the singing retains the bright, light tones of their voices. The song ends up being rather pretty past the poor introduction. The chorus is really, really gorgeous. The vocals and the accompaniment seem to have a slight disconnect as their light voices don’t really display some of the drama that the strings have in the background. It’s still a really nice song though.

5. Circulate
“Circulate” has an interesting kind of ballroom dance feel to it, especially in the plucked bass in the background of the song. The track sounds rather elegant with the lovely, flowing strings in the background. I really like the bass in the background, especially how the bassist accents the first beat of the bars. I’m not too, too fond of the melody in this song, especially wheen the pre-chorus comes in. The flow feels a bit interrupted, and doesn’t seem to fit into the song very well. I can’t say that the melody does much for the song, but I enjoy the concept of the accompaniment in the background of the song.

6. 小麦色のラブソング
RYTHEM goes back to a more laid-back sound for this softer song. Unfortunately, whomever starts off the verse isn’t particularly in tune at first. She really has to start supporting her voice more instead of letting her voice strain up to those notes because it’s not particularly pleasant to listen to. As usual, though, their harmonies are gorgeous, and I really enjoy their vocal arrangement of this song. Unfortunately, the poor singing in this track really distracts me throughout. It could have been quite a pretty track if their singing was up to par, but it really isn’t. All I hear is a lot of straining and poor delivery overall. I’m already bored by this track after the first chorus. The harmonica bridge is mechanical, and the song gets worse when the key change comes in.

7. EVERY
The singing on this next track is definitely a lot better. This is a mid-tempo track with their usual laid-back sound. The singing has more control, and is in a much better range for the two girls. This isn’t without saying that their singing is still rather mediocre at times. In any case, much, much better sung than the previous track. Their pull out a bit or energetic in this track, especially in the chorus. It’s a cute song with okay singing, though. I particularly love the brass in this track.

8. てんきゅっ
てんきゅっ is an adorable upbeat song full of brass and jazzy piano. The girls bring out a lot more energy in this track than I’ve heard them on most of these tracks. Their harmonies and singing is again, much better in this case. The range is perfect for the girls, although some of their higher notes are still a bit strained. Their harmonization skills are excellently shown on this upbeat track and the song is just really fun to listen to. I like the little handclaps throughout the track as well. Cute, fun and well-performed.

9. ブルースカイ・ブルー
Out of a lot of the RYTHEM songs that I’ve listened to, ブルースカイ・ブルー was definitely one of the track that really stood out to me because of its sound. It’s has a nice mix of a march (with the tuba playing the supporting beats), the jazzy trumpets, and the ukulele-sounding thing going on in the background. The opening vocals aren’t very good, but the rest of the song is much better. The harmonies are absolutely adorable, as is the arrangement of the song. The track repeats a bit too much, especially since the end ends up being a bit tedious after awhile. Still cute, though.

10. 青春時代
I’ve always found the opening for this track really cute. I love the bass line for this track that opens the track; it’s rather catchy. The introduction singing is a bit too nasally and a bit too forced at times. The verse has well-controlled singing, aside from a few of the high notes which end up sounding really bad because she strains to it. The song is definitely still very cute with the little percussion instruments (xylophone and whatnot) in the background to add a little tropical feel to the track. The melody is definitely memorable, but some of the singing disappoints me a bit. Otherwise, still an enjoyable track.

11. 女友達
We get more mid-tempo tracks with 女友達. It features a bit of accordion and some sort of handdrum as well as RYTHEM’s usual acoustic guitar. The melody is quite pretty, but I can’t say the same about some of their high notes on this track though. The particular high note is rather strained, but doesn’t sound passable until the other girl comes in with the harmony. The song itself is quite soothing and pretty, but that mood is ruined a bit by some of the girls’ singing. The straining is unbearable at times.

12. ラプンツェル
We open this next track with some organ, and some choir-like harmonies to accompany it. The piano eventually comes into the track before both girls come into the verse lines. Their harmonies are gorgeous as usual, and the lower range of this melody again works to RYTHEM’s advantage as they’re no longer straining. Still, some of the notes aren’t exactly in tune either. The song itself is a bit more of a dramatic piano ballad with organ in the background. Like many of RYTHEM’s songs, the melodies are pleasant and flow well throughout the song, and the harmonies are beautiful. I don’t like this track as much as some of their songs on this album so far, but it’s nice. If anything, this song only stands out because of the organ usage in the background.

13. 自由詩
We get an a Capella opening for this final track of this song, and they pull it off quite nicely. They’re in tune with each other and sound quite solid. I love the instrumental afterwards. The piano playing is really beautifully and delicately played. It’s really quite gorgeous and sounds rather sorrowful. The track also features a little bit of oboe in the background and some plucked string. This is a beautiful track for the final song of the album, even if their singing isn’t the best. What gets me is the gorgeous piano playing. Yui can seriously play that piano. The song, after passing a bit more background noise, becomes much more upbeat with the added drum beats in the background. The girls are a bit out of tune with each other on this track though, especially in the “lalala” sequence.

Overall –
Favourite Track: てんきゅっ
RYTHEM’s debut album is a decent display of their musical abilities. As a group, they have a beautiful hold on their harmonies, which is one of my favourite things about them vocally. Their technique is definitely a subpar at times, but they pull off their individual vocals decently throughout the album. They still need a lot of work in this department, especially when it comes to the overall control of their voices, whether it’s their pitch or variety of dynamics. Their harmonies are definitely excellent for the most part, though, and they complement each other perfectly. The album also has a nice variety of music, most of which I enjoyed. If anything, they’re much better songwriters and instrumentalists than they are singers. While this debut album is mostly of average to good quality, I’m definitely looking forward to how these girls evolve on their second album.

Artist: 天上智喜 The Grace (Chun Sang Ji Hee / Tenjochiki / Tian Shang Zhi Xi)
Album: 한번 더, OK? (Hanbeon deo, OK? / One more time, OK?)
Release Date: May 4, 2007

1. 한번 더, OK?
CSJH start off with the title track of this album, which is an upbeat full of low electronic sounds on this upbeat song. The group has a very strong sound as a group, but the song itself doesn’t really work as well as it could have been. While the girls sing with a lot of power and emphasis, as a group with the accompaniment, the track tends to feel a bit tame in presentation, especially considering how fierce this song could have been. Nevertheless, it’s still a good track, with a few awkward transitions between sections of the song, but the chorus is rather catchy. The girls as a group and as individual sings are rather strong, and I really have no complaints about their singing. Their harmonies are tight and they sound fantastic as a group.

2. 女友 (그녀들의 수다)
女友 (그녀들의 수다) goes into a more bubblegum pop realm with a R&B feel to the track. Right from the beginning, we’re treated with a fantastic pop track with excellent sound from the girls. Their singing is very good from the soloist in the first verse with a well-supported tone. Even when they sing a bit lighter in the pre-chorus, the two voices are still well-tuned and very energetic. The track relies primarily on the basic accents of the song and the flowing, which is executed with excellence from the beginning. This is a very good pop track with a catchy beat and melody, an appropriate accompaniment and good singing.

3. 女友 Interlude
A lot of Korean speaking. Pretty much you skip unless you want to listen to them talk and giggle in Korean.

4. Sweet Emotion
“Sweet Emotion” is the first ballad of the track. It’s a soothing string ballad with nice vocals from the group. The song tends to be a bit typical of Korean ballads, but the girls perform well throughout the track. The melody isn’t particularly memorable. In any case, if only for some of the piano lines and the vocals, I would listen to this track. It’s a nice track with solid singing from the girls in general (I heard maybe one poorly sung note, but it’s… one note). Unfortunately the track doesn’t stand out that much and tends to feel like it drags on after awhile.

5. 그 사람… 욕하지 마요
그 사람… 욕하지 마요, compared to Sweet Emotion, is a darker ballad with a moodier melody and a little bit of jazz piano influence in the background. Their singing reflect the sadder sound of this acoustic guitar track. However, like Sweet Emotion, there’s very little progression from the beginning of the track, and it ends up sounding a bit too familiar and mechanical as the song repeats itself throughout the track. Even the bridge sounds a bit bland as it really doesn’t add any intensity to the track at all. I’m not as fond of this melody as I was with the previous song, and I’m not too fond of it after the first minute or so of the song. This song is a bit shorter than “Sweet Emotion” but it still feels like a really long song.

6. RENEW
We continue the trend of softer songs with this mid-tempo acoustic guitar track. One thing that does make this song sound a bit different from the typical acoustic pop song is the strong bass beat line on top of the drum set percussion in the background. Their singing fit this song a bit more since this song doesn’t really require as much progression in the track. It’s a simple, soothing pop track with a beautiful melody and excellent delivery from the girls. They sound a lot more lively in this track, and I must say I enjoy this song much more. This is a slight change in dynamics with the soft verse and the more dramatic chorus/bridge, where they sing out a bit more. The girls have a beautiful tone, and a I really love the string. The “Ba da da…” part makes me think of McDonald’s. Seriously.

7. 4월 첫 날 (April Fools’ Day)
This next track is another ballad on the album and it’s a good track. The accompaniment at the beginning leaves a bit to be desired and sounds a bit bland, but the singing definitely makes up for it. The melody repeats a lot of the same melodic sequences, but the girls treat the repeated melody with a lot of musicality, so that it doesn’t quite sound so mechanical (which tends to happen a lot with singers who don’t know how to add emotion to their singing). The accompaniment eventually adds some strings and other instruments to add a bit more of substance to the track. I expected a bit more of a stronger crescendo and more intensity a little past the mid-point where they sing the chorus, so I’m a bit disappointed with how mechanical the percussion can make this track sound. Again, the girls complement each other very well, but they tend to lack a bit of intensity as a group at times in this track.

8. Dancer In the Rain
We finally get another upbeat track on this album. The opening is a bit unremarkable with a bit of string and electric guitar and a lot of silence. It’s not until the verse starts that we get the catchy, accented melody, which is rather catchy. I’m not too fond of the pre-chorus either, but otherwise, the song is rather catchy, and the soloist on this song sings with a lot of power as she belts through the chorus as the rest of the group either adds harmonies or sings ad libbing in the background. The melody doesn’t flow as well as I would like either and some of the progression sound a bit awkward. Otherwise, the girls still continue their streak of excellent singing.

9. 아니기를 (Not to be)
We get another ballad here. Some of these ballads are seriously starting to sound a bit similar. In any case, this is still another solid ballad by itself. It has another string-centered accompaniment with some guitar lines. The strings are beautiful, as is the singing and the legato melody of the song. The song is sung with a bit more of a lighter feeling from the girls, but they still vary their dynamics enough that it sounds a bit interesting as the song goes on. The transition into key change at the end is done well and flawlessly, and it adds a bit of variety to the sound of the song as well. I’m not too fond of some of the high notes in the bridge as they’re not as well-supported as I know these girls can do, even when singing in that airy head voice.

10. 하루만 (Just For One Day)_Feat.Super Junior_규현
Another ballad. Seriously. At the very least, we get to hear something a bit different as we get Kyuhyun from Super Junior in the song. He starts off the first verse, and we get one of the girls after him. The melody, again is quite nice, and we get the typical string and piano accompaniment. What gets me in this song? The harmonies in the chorus. Seriously, Kyuhyun adds a beautiful tone to the overall sound of CSJH. The four girls and Kyuhyun’s voices blend together very nicely, and the harmonies are excellent throughout the song. Kyuhyun is definitely an excellent voice for a featured vocalist on this track as he’s definitely a solid vocalist from listening to this track. In addition to the excellent vocal skills of the group in general, they perform this track with a lot of conviction, both as a group and as soloists.

11. Tonight is on me
“Tonight is on me” is some kind of strange attempt at a sexy, lounge-like feel of a song with the ongoing bass line as the main accompaniment of the song. Unfortunately, I personally find it a bit annoying from the beginning, and it just doesn’t work at first. The song continues with the guitar-centered riffs (and the light drum set beats), so the song definitely sounds different from what was on the album so far. The verse melody seems to get a bit lost in the song, but the chorus comes together a bit better as it flows a lot better and is much more memorable. I don’t think the feel of this song is as well done as the song comes off as a little bland and a bit half-assed in terms of its composition. The girls still sound good, albeit a bit bored throughout the song.

12. Dancing Queen
Yup, Dancing Queen is an a Capella cover of the ABBA song of the same name, although only two minutes of it. It’s actually really good. They have someone kind of beatbox the beat of the background, and other percussion-like sounds. While one of the girls sings the main melody, the other girls would imitate the sounds of other instruments in the background or add harmonies to the main melody. I have to say, this cover is really impressive as the girls work together perfectly in this track.

Bonus Tracks:
13. 열정 (My everything)
열정 (My everything) takes the role of a R&B ballad full of finger-snapping sounds and a pretty melody. Again, a bit typical sounding, but still well executed. The singing has a bit of a delicate feel in terms of how the girls deliver this track vocally. I also quite like the melody of the song. Again, the track is mostly accompanied by the strings in the background, which support the track with long notes. The song has a bit of a dramatic mood to it, especially when the track comes close to the latter half of the song. The girls, as usual, have a strong group sound, and unlike some of the earlier songs, they work well together here emotionally. I also quite like the short almost-a capella portion of the track.

14. Boomerang
“Boomerang” definitely kicks 한번 더, OK? in the butt when it comes to execution of an upbeat song. The track has a bit of an electronic edge at the beginning with some synthesizer sounds. The soloists in the first track sound fierce, and they definitely deliver this track well. The accompaniment sounds a bit empty at times, especially when the chorus comes in and they start singing in harmonies. The girls in the higher notes don’t sound as good as they have been, as their notes sound a bit forced, but otherwise, the melody of this track is rather catchy, and the vocals are very energetic throughout the song. The only that is a bit lacking is the accompaniment.

15. The Club_Feat.비
“The Club” is a more aggressive R&B track that features Rain in some sort of embarrassing chanting in the background and lackluster rap section of the song. The accompaniment ends up being a bit tame at times of the song, but the string lines add a nice drama to the track. The girls sing with energy and aggression, which makes the song a bit more enjoyable, and really is the only reason why other than the strings, that this song is rather catchy. The girls sound fabulous as usual, but I can’t say the same for the song and Rain. The accompaniment ends up sounding rather bland in comparison to their singing.

Overall –
Favourite Track: 女友 (그녀들의 수다), 하루만 (Just For One Day)
CSJH’s debut Korean album display their excellent vocal abilities in all of the songs. It’s no surprise why CSJH was constantly praised for their vocal skills, because their singing is some of the best I’ve heard for awhile in a girl group. All of the members are excellent vocalists in their solos (although I haven’t figured out who is who in the tracks, I haven’t really had any complaints about any of the solo lines in the album) as well as their vocal abilities as a group. They have a really strong group sound, and their harmonies are consistently excellent throughout the album. As vocalists, these girls have really impressed me, especially in their a capella cover of “Dancing Queen”. The thing about their debut album is that their music is rather generic, and sometimes sound a bit uninspired. Some of the ballads sound a bit similar and a bit forgettable. However, their music is generally composed well with catchy hooks and melodies. I found a lot of their upbeat tracks a bit average, especially in terms of the arrangements of the tracks as well. In any case, despite some of the more generic and average sound of these songs, CSJH performs the tracks with excellence. As a result, many of the tracks on the album are enjoyable due to their above average singing abilities.

Artist: Buono!
Album: Buono!2
Release Date: February 11, 2009

1. Early Bird
We open Buono!’s second album with kind of a typical Buono! pop sound with an ongoing bass line. I do like the nice use of brass and piano throughout the track. Like a lot of Buono! songs, it’s a bright, cheerful track and the girls sing well on it. They complement each other quite lovely and still have a strong group sound overall. I think the bass is my favourite part of the track, but the melody is cute, and the sudden bursts of speaking from the girls are rather cute. The girls don’t sound quite as nasally as they were in the past album as well, and the solos are more pleasant to listen to. I quite like the slight flavour of jazz throughout the track from the syncopated trumpet lines to the jazz piano.

2. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!
Out of all the singles that I’ve heard from Buono! beforehand, this was the first one that immediately got my attention. It kind of has the typical poppy rock sound to it, but the girls pull it off nicely with their usual cute charm (the opening “chu chu chu!” part, the addictive chorus). The song has a strong focus on various guitar, bass and drum lines. Their singing is a bit too nasal at times, but the pitches at hit consistently. I’m just not too fond the girls’ voices here. However, the song is rather addictive and the girls bring a lot of energy to the vocals. The vocals could have been much better though. I do like the opening of the second verse with the disappearance of the guitars, and more of a focus on hand drums and acoustic guitars. I think the only thing that annoys me a bit is the constant repetition of some parts of the songs, especially since their voices are especially nasal on this track.

3. キラキラ
キラキラ puts a focus on the stronger electric guitar riffs at the beginning, while the verse is a poppier sound. I’m not too fond of how it all comes together, especially from the introduction into the first verse. As usual, the chorus is kind of cute, but the whole song sounds awkward in terms of how the song is composed. It doesn’t have much of a flow and switches between different melodic sounds. Quite frankly, this song bores me quite a bit despite the use of electric guitars in the song.

4. 消失点 -Vanishing Point-
Piano and chimes! It starts off with a nice opening before one of the girls comes into the song. She isn’t particularly in tune for some of the notes, but at the very least she isn’t nasally. The song kind of reminds me of old 90’s pop that were used in anime. It’s a smooth pop track with quite a pretty melody. The girls sound decent on this track, and I like the electric guitar solo halfway through. The song is quite pleasant sounding, and the singing is okay for most of them. It has a lovely mix of piano and the xylophone sounds in the background to make a slightly “magical” sound to the song.

5. ロッタラ ロッタラ
At first I didn’t really like this song much because of the really nasal singing in the title song, but I’ve come to like this song. their singing is quite good throughout, the song is quite adorable. The track is an energetic pop-rock song with yet another addictive bass line. The slightly surf music-sounding lines in the track (see a little after the first chorus), and the slight changes of sound in the accompaniment changes the sound of the song a little every time. Again, the girls have a lot of energy when performing this track. This is a ridiculously fun track.

6. co・no・mi・chi
I quite like the unison part of the introduction of the song. The high notes are better supported here as well, although that last one is a little iffy. Otherwise, this is another poppy song with a focus on the usual guitar/bass/drum combo while keeping it rather light. The song is actually quite nice, especially since I do enjoy the chorus of the song. I particularly like the solos in the song as well. The singing is quite solid all the way through. the song gets a bit tiring at parts of the song, but it’s a nice song to listen to, and I enjoy hearing the girls improve vocally. It’s not as exciting as some of their past songs, but they still sing with a nice amount of energy.

7. みんなだいすき
Thanks for taking a huge step back vocally, girls. Overally nasal, and poor tuning. A few of the solos are okay (although some of them are just really, really bad). Then the chorus comes in with the “Hop, Step, Jump!” then everything just falls apart. Girls, are you even listening to yourselves? This is worse than most of the stuff on the first album, even. Seriously, this song is just really, really painful. I’m sure the song is okay, but all I hear is terrible singing.

8. I Need You
I love, love, love the bass line that opens up this track. The song basically focuses on the first verse of song, and it has a rather groovy feeling to it. The verse then goes into that reggae beat in the background with the plucked string on the off-beat. I also like the little flutter of strings in the verse as well. The verse and the chorus connect together really poorly through, as the song suddenly goes into a slightly aggressive guitar strumming and drum accompaniment. Then I roll my eyes and wonder who on earth thought of this. The verses are rather cute, then the chorus is just really alienating after the laid-back, island vibes of the verses. The individual parts are cute by themselves, by together, it just sounds like a mess.

9. ガチンコでいこう!
Are we done with the mediocre tracks? For now, anyways, because we’re back to fun, addictive Buono! for this next track. It’s a pop-rock track, that has stronger guitars than most of the tracks on the album so far, which means less forced cuteness. It works to their advantage, as their singing is rather solid through most of the song (with a few of the girls having a few weak solos at times). I really like the accompaniment of this song, although most of it sounds rather typical of the pop-rock genre. It’s played with a LOT of energy and accents in the track. The girls, in comparison, are a little less energetic than the accompaniment, but they bring up the energy a bit in the chorus. The bridge is the most unique part of the track as it starts to bring in electronic elements into the pop-rock song.

10. You’re My Friend
“You’re My Friend” contrast immensely from the heavy guitars of the past song. It relies mostly on the acoustic guitar to create a soothing mid-tempo pop track, and they pull it off nicely, despite quite a few vocal problems throughout the song. I like use of the background vocals and harmonies in this song, and again, the girls has a strong group sound in the chorus. The harmonies are quite nicely done throughout the song, and is another thing I like about the chorus of the song.

11. Over the Rainbow
We continue the midtempo tracks with this next track, which is actually quite a nice ballad track. I love the orchestrated opening of the song. The opening soloist has some nice points of her singing, although some notes end up sounding a bit held back, and we get a really muffled tone from her. It’s a nice song, with some questionable singing at times, but also some nice singing from the girls at other times. It also feels a bit lengthy after awhile with the repeated melodies. Some of these girls really have to support their voices more because I can hear some of their singing go really flat on this track.

12. ゴール
The girls continue with streak of questionable singing with this next track. Seriously, they need to work on their lower range, because it isn’t pretty and aren’t particularly in tune at all through the solos of the beginning. At the very least, I like the kind of ominous sound of the strumming guitars at the beginning, and the syncopated, echoed “string” in the chorus. I can’t say the same about the girls in the chorus though. They so out of tune that it hurts. The arrangement is vaguely interesting, especially with the ghostlike sounds. I can’t say the same about the girls’ vocal performances here. It hurts through most of it.

Overall -
Favourite Track: ロッタラ ロッタラ
Buono!’s second album is definitely a step back from their debut album, and is nowhere as well-rounded of a product. The quality of the music was mostly mediocre, with a few good tracks, but most of the songs failed to really interest me in its basic composition. The songs on the first album were much more interesting. Vocally, it’s most a step back and a step forward. Some of the tracks show some improved singing from the girls, but there were also a lot of tracks where the girls were worst than their first album, especially when it came to some of the unison singing at parts of this album, where they just went out of tune with each other. Not even the girls’ pure energ could save this album. It was just unimpressive.

Happy 4th, Lost Wing!

It has been four years since Tsuki first posted her review on Tamaki Nami’s “Reason” single, and what a long journey it has been! Thanks for all the support for the past few years (although we were relatively unknown for the first two years~).

I’m too lazy to show stats, and they aren’t nearly as impressive as most of my fellow bloggers =P (I already told you guys the approximate number on MSN nearly in the month anyways XD).

Thanks to my fellow MSN reviewer boys (Brett, Selryam, Ethan, Lex, Jin, Noah), who constantly amuse me with their craziness and prompted Tsuki to review more the past few months (the latter applies to Brett, Selly, and Efanz only~) XD.

Posts: 513 (Less than Blett and his 700+ posts in a year, obviously… you crazy person xD)

Comments: 1,070 (No comments from the first two years; Amount of crazies: less than 5, thank god)

And most of all, thanks to Tsuki for putting up with my craziness. XDDD For those wondering, she didn’t finish her list for today, but she got most of it done~ Y’all can see her new list up now, which includes Gackt and ℃-ute (XDDD).

Tsuki’s Corner:

First, I want to thank Megumi for making this accessible to me as well, so that I don’t have to make my own post. We’re all aware of my laziness. I want to thank Megumi for putting up with my terrible work habits, doing all the admin work, keeping Lost Wing alive for all this time, and allowing me to be a part of it. Without her, there would be no Lost Wing. My own blog would never last that long, ever. I could not have asked for a better partner or sister. <3 As for my unfinished list, I did try very hard, but it was not meant to be. ^_^;

Artist: BONNIE PINK
Single: LOVE IS BUBBLE
Release Date: May 10, 2006

1. LOVE IS BUBBLE
At first, it took me awhile to adapt to the style of this song after being a bit too used to the style of “Even So”, which was the only full BONNIE album I always compared everything to at that point in time (It kind of went along the lines of “What? Bonnie’s not doing acoustic pop? Psh!” Yeah, I don’t know why either.). Eventually, I actually sat down and listened to it, and realized just how addictive this song really is. The track goes into full big band mode with an excellent percussion opening before the showy brass comes into the track. BONNIE tends to be extremely nasally on this track, which can be a bit of a turn off. However, I love the pure energy she puts in her singing throughout this song. This song is really fun, and I absolutely adore he bass line that pushes the song forward the whole way. Other than her slightly irritating tone at times, the song is absolutely fantastic.

2. オレンジ (2005.9.27 Live at Shinsaibashi Club Quattro)
オレンジ was one of my better-liked tracked off of Blue Jam. Her voice is a bit softer than the bass in the background. The arrangement seems to be more or less similar to the original studio version, and she does a good job at the song. She maintains the same vocal trills that kind of characterize her first album, and it’s nice to hear her sing this with a bit more control. The lower notes aren’t as well-supported, but I like her control of the small dynamics throughout the track. The adlibbing near the end leaves a bit to be desired, as does the last note in the phrase she repeats at the end (before the “Orange” part). Otherwise, it’s a nice performance. I personally like the accompaniment more than BONNIE’s singing, though.

3. Do You Crash? (2005.9.21 Live at Shibuya-Ax)
I’m not as fond of this song as オレンジ, and BONNIE doesn’t particularly sing this song well live. Her pitch isn’t particularly good at all throughout the song, and the low notes aren’t very well controlled, nor are her notes in the “I do” part. She seems to be lacking a lot of basic air support on both ends of the spectrum, and it’s not a very good singing performance at all. The guitar and bass are fantastic though, and really bring out the dark rock sound of this song well, even if BONNIE’s singing is pretty much all over the place on this live recording. The accompaniment can only make up for so much, though.

4. LOVE IS BUBBLE (Instrumental)

Overall -
Favourite Track: LOVE IS BUBBLE
LOVE IS BUBBLE is one of BONNIE’s songs that really do amuse me a lot because of the lyrics. However, it’s not just the lyrics that make me like the track; the accompaniment is excellent and the pure energy of the song in both the accompaniment and BONNIE’s vocals make the track a “pleasure” to listen to. Unfortunately, this single’s live recordings aren’t quite as good as the A-side of the single in terms of her technical singing, and really do pull down the quality of this single quite a bit. However, the accompaniment for both of the tracks are excellent. However, I can’t help feeling a bit disappointed in BONNIE’s live singing skills, because they’re really what make this single a little less enjoyable than it could have been.

Artist: 中島美嘉 (Nakashima Mika)
Album/Single: VOICE
Release Date: November 26, 2008

1. LIFE
“LIFE” is Nakashima’s more recent major hit, and not so hard to believe. At first, I was really put off by how dry it sounded, but actually that’s not the case (it may seem that way in comparison to her other works though). For the most part, the chord progression is stated at the beginning of each bar by one solid chord (or repeated solid chords as heard in the chorus), occassionally highlighting the chords in a broken chord manner. For me, “LIFE” became very addicting, and the repetition of the chords and emaphasis of each major beat creates a droning, hypnotic sound. Nakashima sounds pretty good in the verses, but it’s not until the choruses when she starts to sound more alive, something highlighted by the harmonies taking place as well.

2. SAKURA~花霞~ (DAISHI DANCE) -Album mix- (Hanagasumi)
I don’t think I was necessarily disappointed that the original ballad version was pushed aside to make room for the “DAISHI DANCE” remix. This version keeps to the style of “LIFE”, a light pop track with a dance beat. The two versions are pretty close for me, as I like them for two very different reasons, but I think the melody works a bit better faster. I think it has something to do with the way Nakashima is singing the song, so it’s more suitable in this form. Anyway, don’t be thrown off by the “dance” part of the name. It honestly just sounds like an upbeat version of the ballad. The piano part is very lovely with it’s circular lines, giving the song a real accompaniment. The addition of the strings is also very nice as they outline the chord progression or play the melody where appropriate.

On another note, I’m not sure what the difference is between the album mix and the DAISHI DANCE version off of her single of the same name. They sound about the same to me. It could be some mastering or final cut type of thing, or be identical, I can’t tell.

3. FOCUS (Album Ver.)
Next down the line is the album version of FOCUS. If you’ve heard the single cut, then you’ll probably realize the opening is the most obvious change. It doesn’t use the fade in technique but starts off with the synthesizer immediately. Asides from that, there is more emphasis on the bass line and the deeper tones to the rest of the song, so it doesn’t sound as synthesized. Nakashima goes back to her “TRUE” days with this song, and it’s something that would fit right in with the material on her debut album. “FOCUS” is highly entertaining musically with its 80’s influence (and sort of reminds me of something like her “CRESCENT MOON”). What I didn’t like so much was how the multiple effects and filters over her voice made her sound less energetic and stripped away any power in her voice, despite her evidently singing out as much as she can.

4. 永遠の詩 (Eien no uta)
Where “MY SUGAR CAT” was the cute, mellow summery track, “Eien no uta” was a showing a more serious side though very much in the same musical style. Personally, this does seem more suited as a summer release for Nakashima, but in any case, I thought it was a wonderful release regardless. I adore the way Nakashima phrases and draws beautiful lines in this song. Unlike “FOCUS”, this song is perfect for Nakashima’s smoother vocals and she really brings the song to life. Nakashima does hit some harsher notes towards the end of the chorus, but they’re brief and she quickly returns to the pretty tone she uses throughout.

5. ORION
Moving onto the other side of “FOCUS” (the A-side), ORION was the ballad that brought this album into the spotlight. I’m going to get this out in the open, I really like this song, however, it is solely based on the fact that it’s a nice song, but that’s all. After listening to so many of Nakashima’s ballads, all which always have a certain spark and character to them (which is why she is rightfully known for her big-time ballads), ORION seems to leave a lot on the table. I couldn’t help but feel that she was a bit mechanical in her presentation here, singing almost on autopilot. The quiet sections were quiet, and the loud ones were loud, but where’s that musicality that I’ve grown so accustomed to? It’s a nice piece but if you try to look beyond simply “nice”, you won’t find anything.

6. あなたがいるから (Anata ga iru kara)
“Anata ga iru kara” was easily my favourite song from this album. This shouldn’t come as a surprised considering I love almost all the simple love ballads she records (e.g “Sakurairo maukoro”, “I LOVE YOU”, “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD”, etc). This song is very gentle, and Nakashima perfectly adapts to the image of the song. I love the way she interpreted it as something more innocent and conservative, rather than making it a full blown power ballad. However, I wish she didn’t sing with such an airy tone. I think she could have kept the innocent nature of the song without compromising the tone (like she did later on in the song). Musically, it has one of the most pleasing melodies and I can (and already have) put this on repeat endlessly.

7. MY GENTLEMAN
Next we have a beautiful acoustic pop ballad. Nakashima’s musicality here is impeccable. She sounds very at ease with the acoustic guitar backing her up. This song really speaks for itself. I don’t recall Nakashima ever being this comfortable with something like this before. It seems that she’s learned to relax and open up. It’s nice to hear her really get into a song like this without being so reserved. This guitar accompaniment is also quite beautiful. Both the guitarist and Nakashima do their part very well. “MY GENTLEMAN” is the perfect song for open mic night at a little coffee shop. All this and still maintaining the elegant demeanor that Nakashima often carries.

8. TRUST YOUR VOICE
This song has always felt like a modernized version of the music she used to do. I honestly don’t like the incorporation of the dance beat with the funky bass line, the jazzy piano part and the gospel-like chorus in the background. It just sounds like she was going for way too much at once. Combining all these elements isn’t always a bad thing, and it isn’t as if they can’t be mixed. It was just the way they were used for this particular song. Nothing really compliments the other well. The melody is also incredibly dull, and Nakashima is sitting halfway between a belting chest voice and her high head voice. She can’t seem to make up her mind. As a result, she sounds terrible strained in the higher parts.

9. IT’S TOO LATE
Nakashima is definitely doing some strange stuff with her voice lately, and it’s evident by how shaky the opening line turned out. I can’t help but feel that on any other given day, she would have done this song justice. Lori Fine gave her an amazing vehicle to work with, but she sounds so restrained in her performance here. Fine’s composition was as good as it gets here – exciting, funky and full of life. It wasn’t too long ago that Nakashima was releasing similar songs with much more musicality. Granted, she isn’t doing horribly, but I would love it more if she had went above and beyond, as she has so often proved herself capable of.

10. I DON’T KNOW
I was never sure why Nakashima decided to throw this in her album. Like many others, I thought it disrupted the flow of the album. As part of a 4-member group, Nakashima acts as the vocalist to “MICA 3 CHU”, a group opting for a more rock style. Seeing as it’s a collaboration with a comedy trio, it almost seems like a joke. Even if it was truly more for laughs than anything else, I think that’s more of a reason to not have it on this album specifically, and maybe she should have kept it exclusively as a single (or at most, include it in her next singles collection). This song is performed completely in English, and though Nakashima isn’t exactly great with the language, I have heard her capable of giving a somewhat discernible performance in other English songs. I don’t know what happened here, but I honestly have no idea what she’s singing. Nakashima being allowed to get a bit wild with this song resulted in something more energetic and refreshing (oddly enough). I will admit to occasionally tuning into this for amusement, and I wouldn’t recommend for anybody to take the song too seriously.

11. SHUT UP
The B-side to the former song also makes an appearance on this album, also sung entirely in English. I’ve always found this one much more enjoyable than “I DON’T KNOW” (even though I’m still not sure what Nakashima is singing). The melody is more creative, and the song overall is better put together. There is a very catchy riff throughout the song, and I love the deeper tones used for this song. If it’s possible, Nakashima sounds like she’s even more into this song than the former. The downside to this track unfortunately, are the out of tune lines littered across the song (and not by the other band members either). I wouldn’t even defend her in saying it was intentional, considering she sings quite well in all other parts of the song.

12. conFusiOn
Of all the rock tunes off of this album, this is the best one yet. The other two take on a more alternative sound, and this one is more grungy (or pick whatever you like other than alternative). The light emphasis on the offbeat throughout makes the song incredibly addicting, and also allows tolerance of the high synthesized part which could have easily been a nuisance. The style of this song is better suited to Nakashima’s voice as well, and she performs it quite well and tastefully. Plus, the opening of this song is just icing on cake.

13. FLOWER OF TIME
“FLOWER OF TIME” has always been hit-or-miss for me, depending on the time and mood I listen to it. The midtempo track is rather pleasant to sit back to, but it also tiptoes on boredom for me. The background chorus doesn’t really do much to excite my interest. Luckily, the melody really steals the show, and Nakashima does perform it quite well. I think she can use a bit more flow and support for some of those lines, while others she’s sounding very strong. The accompaniment and arrangement also border on generic, which doesn’t help steer the song away from boring either. As I’ve mentioned, it’s very relaxing but it doesn’t truly stand out.

14. 声 (Koe)
“Koe” is the perfect ending for this album. It is your basic ballad with all the dramatic and majestic qualities, but in a not-so-typical way. The first verse is accompanied by muted plucked strings, and it’s quite pretty. I love how the song plays around briefly with tones and harmonies that aren’t normally used in mainstream pop music. The occassional dissonant chords give the song tension which works out nicely. The piano and string mix really give the song a different character, especially the way they’re played. I’m going to go ahead and be picky though, the verses contain a range that is much too low for Nakashima and you can definitely hear it. The choruses then feature vocals that sound rather strained. I am a bit disappointed that Nakashima’s vocal performance wasn’t very impressive, because it sounds like a great song for her.

Overall -
Favourite Track: MY GENTLEMAN, conFusi0n, Eien no uta
“VOICE” was undoubtedly a disappointment, but also a nice surprise (the good kind). A lot of the songs from this album still retained the quality, so you can count on her to release some fantastic music. It is disappointing in the sense that Nakashima’s vocal quality has gone down considerably. Actually, it’s been something I’ve noticed since she finished her little stint doing the NANA stuff, but there are times when she surprises me with great technique, while other times she makes me wonder where she picked up such bad habits. What’s stranger is that the poor technique is highly emphasized in one song, and then she’ll turn around and wow me all over again with something amazing. Her musicality was also on and off for this album. At times, she sounded so monotone and bored, while others she sounded free and energetic. What was missing mostly was that little bit of inspiration she usually has in all her songs. I spoke a lot about Nakashima being capable of this and that, and while she is, she just didn’t do it this time around. Hopefully that will change for next time.

Artist: Buono!
Album: Café Buono!
Release Date: February 20, 2008

1. Café Buono!
The first time I listened to Buono!, the first thing I remarked, other than the catchiness of the percussion in the background, is just how together these three girls are in terms of their group work. The have a very strong unison sound, even if they’re not quite as good on their solos. Their voice blend together very nicely and are very together in the unison parts of the song. The solos are a bit weak in general, but are decent despite their typical H!P squeaky voices. The song itself is absolutely infectious, and is mostly due to the highly rhythmic electric guitar and percussion lines that add a nice bounce to the overall sound. There’s also a slight use of electronic sounds at times. The girls are a bit bland in presentation at select points of the song, but they bring enough energy to the song that those moments aren’t too noticeable.

2. 泣き虫少年
泣き虫少年 brings a stronger strumming electric guitar backing behind this rather poppy track. It opens with slightly mediocre singing where the girls struggle to hit quite a few of the notes, and one can tell the slight strain those notes have on their voices. The first singer in the first verse sings the line with a lot more consistency, which is a nice improvement. I’m not too fond of the chorus, because not only is it poorly sung, it doesn’t quite fit smoothly melodically with the rest of the song. However, the girls still bring a lot of energy to the song despite their lackluster singing on this track. I do like the heavy drumming in the chorus as it emphasizes the basic beats well, as the girls do the same thing with the way they hit the notes on the chorus.

3. 恋愛♥ライダー
This track is adorable and full of so much energy, despite the wailing going on in the verses and some of the bum notes littered around the track. I love how the girls put their all into the vocals of this track, and it really shows in this recording. This song is just really fun to listen to with the upbeat guitars and the song coming in and out of various sounds. The verse itself starts off with the a smooth melody for a few bars before their start wailing their heads off over heavy guitars and percussion. Granted, I’m still kind of iffy on the second section because the girls sound irritatingly whiny, but I do enjoy the structure of the composition. The second verse changes a bit with the sudden bossa nova accompaniment with the filter over one of the girls’ voice before the usual wailing starts over again. Then we get a little Hawaiian arrangement of the same thing. The bridge even has a bit of surf music happening in it.

4. ホントのじぶん
For some reason, I’m picturing Pretty Guardian Sailormoon or something equally as cheesy. It was used in an anime, so that might explain the atmosphere of overenthusiastic, smiling actresses singing along to the song on a bright, sunny day. Yup, it’s one of those happy-happy pop songs with Buono!’s usual electric guitar backing. I really like the opening with the chanting along with the background music. Again, the girls have fantastic unison singing right from the beginning, and are completely in tune with each other. The same can be said about their strong solos (although one of them is really singing from her nose and really need to improve on her sound and general support to her voice). The song is a much more straightforward pop track, and it’s a lot of fun to listen to.

5. バケツの水
This next track brings the cuteness to a whole new level. Out of all the songs that I’ve already heard on this album, I have to say that バケツの水 is probably the most memorable for me, simply because it’s so cheerful-sounding, and yet so bittersweet at the same time. The singing isn’t quite as good for one of them, who sounds like she’s half-awake, but the other two girls make up for it. The track is both upbeat, but really quite soothing at the same time. The girls sound nice in the chorus as usual, and I mostly like how they deliver this bubbly pop track.

6. ガラクタノユメ
All I hear at the beginning is a flurry of noises that have nothing to do whatsoever with the rest of the song. In any case, this is a more serious pop song that still features a rather catchy bass line that opens the track and goes on in the background of the song. The girls bring a slightly more subdued vocal presentation, but it seems a bit too underwhelming at times and other than the bass line, I really don’t care much for the song. The song tends to fly over my head despite a nice melody and a catchy bass line. It’s not a bad song by any means, but the presentation is bland.

7. Internet Cupid
“Internet Cupid” is Buono!’s one jtek song. While it’s cute, especially with the “twinkle twinkle” tune in the background (it’s not the same, but it definitely reminds me of the song). The girls are given the vocoder treatment, and the result is another uninspired, dull jtek song sung dully and quite frankly bores me. Some of the arrangements themselves are kind of cute, like the cute line I mentioned before, and some of the space sounds, but otherwise, boring. Yeah, no.

8. Last Forever
I really like how they incorporated the stepping at the beginning of the song and kept that kind of walking beat through the song. The song itself is more pop, but unfortunately, the singing isn’t quite as strong. The opening solo is really flat and made me cringe the moment she started to sing. Unfortunately, the singing doesn’t get much better from there with some poor singing, although some of them sound more in tune than the other girls. However, the chorus is again much better done with nice harmonies and strong unison singing. The high notes could use some work in the end of the chorus, as they all suddenly stop supporting their voice to reach it. It’s a nice song, though, but they could use a lot of work on their basic singing.

9. こころのたまご
D’awwwwww. We’re back to more cute pop. I think I almost went “Squee!” when they began with the “Hop, Step, Jump!” lines. Those are really well delivered with the marcato notes along with the background accompaniment that is doing the same rhythm as their vocal lines. They deliver the lines with a lot of conviction and clarity of tone. Some of these girls need to really work on their tone. Anyways, cute song, but the opening and ending parts are the best parts of the song for me. Otherwise, it’s still a cute, happy track with okay singing.

10. 星の羊たち
I really like the traditional feel of this next laid-back song. The melody is quite pretty, and I enjoy the arrangement in the background of the track. The solo singing that great on this song either, but I do enjoy the singing in the chorus, and the little lines that are echoed in the background. At this point, I’m assuming the girl who sings through her nose is Momoko, who has most of the lines in the middle of each part of the song (Before the “chorus” of the song). Seriously, girl, work on your singing. The girls do deliver this song nicely as they don’t really bore me on this track despite the song being repetitive. The song is rather calming, and I do love the traditional instruments and influences in the melody.

11. ロックの神様
Brb, laughing at the title. The first line of the track is sung (poorly) over some synths before the guitars come rushing in for some more pop-rock goodness. The melody is same old, same old stuff, with Miyabi singing well and the other two girls struggling to hold a tune, and them magically sounding significantly better as they start the unison singing. Despite the song sounding like… everything else so far on the album, the song is fun enough and the girls bring a lot of energy to their singing as usual. The song itself isn’t really interesting, which is one of the reasons why it just doesn’t stand out for me.

12. 君がいれば
君がいれば, the final track of the album is a ballad. It’s a nice melody and all, but right from the beginning, the girls just loose a lot of energy and musicality. They’re particularly dull on this track and really don’t deliver this song well either emotionally or technically. The girls deliver the track mechanically and I’m pretty much bored within the first minute of the song. It’s really not that good of a track. The only thing I do like about this track is the unison singing once again. I do like how they have one of the girls sing the last line, and the rest of the girls join whomever is singing for the last few notes or so of the line. Otherwise, quite dull. The arrangement, which is well performed, can only make up for so much of my boredom.

Overall -
Favourite Track: Café Buono!, 恋愛♥ライダー
Buono!’s debut album is a strong debut album. The music brings in a decent variety of sounds, mostly going around the pop-rock sound, but also bringing in a bit of traditional sounds and bubblegum pop. Some of the material isn’t as interesting in terms of its composition, but as a whole, most of the songs are enjoyable, while 恋愛♥ライダー does a bit of genre leaping within parts of the song. The quality of the music for the last few tracks sizzled off a bit, but otherwise, solid pop music. The individual singers aren’t too, too strong as a whole, especially when they tend to overdo the cute-speaking, and end up sounding terrible when they sing… because they either sing through their nose or they restrict the airflow in the throat (by trying to sound “too cute”). Miyabi’s the most consistent of the group and produces a nice sound that balaces the cuteness that H!P music usually calls for, and producing good support for her voice at the same time. What does impress me vocally is the sound of the group as a whole. They blend really well with each other in both sound and tuning, which is superior to many girl groups out there, and is one of the qualities I like about them the most. Overall, this is a pretty good debut album with some nice songs. Their technical singing needs work, but the girls generally deliver their music with a lot of heart and energy, which makes this album quite fun.