Music: *Spotlight* – Hikaru Utada

Hikaru "Hikki" Utada

You should’ve known it was coming.

Considering my broad tastes in music, my first love of Japanese Rock/Pop was actually NOT Miss Hikaru. It was Camui Gackt (But that’s another entry…)

However, after hearing one song from her off her Deep River album, “Uso Mitai Na I Love You,” I fell in love with her. Unique music styles and distinctive voice, along with an ability to sing in 3 (Yes, THREE) languages, Hikaru Utada is deserving of all the spotlight.

First Love

Distance

Deep River

Ultra Blue

Heart Station

2 Single Collections, over 9 DVDs, 2 Photobooks, and 5 studio albums (8 if you count her 3 American releases), she is ranked as one of the top-selling female artists in Japan. Her first album, First Love, is the best-selling album in Oricon history. She even took the bold step into breaking American charts with two American albums, Exodus and This is the One. She is also known for creating and singing the opening  and ending songs to the Kingdom Hearts Series.

She was born in New York City to parents with musical backgrounds, her father a producer and her mother a famous enka singer. Considering the life around her, she eventually picked up an interest and love for music. Her first album was actually in English, under the name Cubic U. However, after such small success, Emi Japan noticed her talent and asked if she could sing in Japanese and her career was born.

Her first single, “Automatic”, broke records and every album since her debut, First Love, would go on to continue that tradition. She has fans all over the world and she adores them just as much as they do her. However, as of September of 2010, she announced that she will be going on a hiatus from music to focus on her personal life. Having known music most of her live and dedicating herself to it, it would only be inevitable she would need a break.

She married movie director Kazuaki Kiriya, who wrote and directed the movie Casshern. He was also the man who directed her music video from the Deep River and Ultra Blue eras. They divorced due to conflicting of interests, jobs and distance. She leaves her fans with a 2nd Singles Collection, two live concerts and a documentary that will be airing today, January 15th, in Japan.

5 Songs that I recommend (Although I could easily do 10):

- Automatic

-Final Distance

-Deep River

-Be My Last

- Prisoner of Love

Others that are just as good: Stay Gold, Show Me Love (Not a Dream), Wait & See, Flavor of Life.

Depressed that she is gone for the time being,  but I will patiently wait for her return to the music scene. Such a great and talented artist and she will always be ranked #1 in my list.

[MV] BoA featuring Daichi Miura – Possibility

I will be honest. I’ve never given BoA the time of day, because she is an artist that never really stood out to me. When I heard that Eat You Up single that she debuted with for the US, I said I would never pay her any attention because I didn’t think she put enough effort into her work. Shallow, yes, but I’m picky when it comes to music.

Now, I was surfing around on some other blogs and Asian sites, and this video appeared. Have no idea who this Daichi Miura person is, but dude has a nice voice and can dance a bit, if only he did a bit more in this video. I’ve seen BoA dance, so I don’t really need to comment on her dance skills.

This duet is good! Beat is damn nice and their voices are very great together. Not too much from each one and the video is very simple and expresses the gist of the whole song. I’m impressed.

I just may… MAY give her a listen. Don’t count on it, though.

EDIT: In case anyone wanted to know the translation for this song, here’s a link where someone translated it themselves: Possibility English Lyrics

Music: *REVIEW* ALWAYS – Mika Nakashima

Ah, Mika, I just can’t ignore you. Every single you release, I have to talk about it, even the crappy ones.

However, this one is a great single. When she makes another album, this better be on it.

ALWAYS

This single was released on January 20, 2010, and is Mika Nakashima’s 31st single. The song is the theme to the film “Sayonara Itsuka” starring Miho Nakayama (And if I can find some way to see this movie, I swear I will review it as soon as possible).

Track Listing:

1 Always
2 BABY BABY BABY
3 SPIRAL
4 Always (Instrumental)
5 BABY BABY BABY (Instrumental)
6 SPIRAL (Instrumental)

Always – This song started off with the sign that it was going to be a decent ballad, but the more I listened to this song, the more I fell in love with it. Nagareboshi was a single that I was not that pleased with honestly, because it reminded me too much of Sunao na Mama or her weaker ballads, so I was waiting for her to follow up with something great.

This song is fantastic. You can hear the pain and longing in her voice when she sings this song. And the PV is great (Youtube is taking the video down, so you may have to search around for it on the Internets). Kinda slow starting out, but when she cries…. goodness. It gets you. The instrumentals are very well composed and her voice is just perfect in this song. I looked up the lyrics and they are true to the theme of the movie.

Rating: 4.5/5 (I just can’t give it a perfect rating because that would seriously be pushing it. Girl could’ve done a bit more in the PV, but song is great!)

Baby Baby Baby – When I saw the title of this song, I frowned on impact because I was thinking “What the hell kind of title is that?” But when I listened to it, I realized it was another jazzy ballad. When she did Fake, I fell in love with her jazzy tunes. She has the voice for it and I just love it to death. That guitar solo towards the end was bangin’ and the flow of the song was just wonderful. Great instruments, and her voice was at a nice pitch. However, I think she could’ve been a bit more creative with the tempo and her voice. It was a bit boring after a while, but towards the end, it made up for it.

Rating: 3.5/5

Spiral - I’ve been waiting to review this song. Definitely gives me a Focus feel, before the album cut, but its fantastic. Nice dance beat, considering the theme of the song. She states in an interview that “When you’re in a bad spiral, waiting is the worst. I also have my own bad spiral sometimes. The one you could even fight with a fork, like those old-time couples could.” It gives off the impression of a relationship going towards a huge downward spiral, or someone being dragged along for a time on some wild and confusing ride. Voice is good and she hits those notes well. The falsetto during the chorus just gives me the shivers. Its awesome. The use of the piano throughout the song is very good as well. A very good B-side. I honestly wouldn’t mind this being on an album.

Rating: 4/5

Single Overall: 4/5

It was finally good to hear something very creative and enjoyable from Mika again. After Candy Girl and Nagareboshi, I was starting to lose hope in the girl recovering from whatever phase she was in. But this gives me something to look forward to. I hope she keeps coming strong with these great singles.

(interview quote taken from  - http://www.kumonoito.net/index.php )

Music: *REVIEW* This is the One – Utada Hikaru

*A post I made on last.fm when the album came out. Figured I’d post it on here*

Alright, now I’ve read a couple of reviews for this album, listened to the album for the past day straight through a couple of times, and I think I might as well throw in my two cents.

First, let me state that I am a huge Utada fan. Have been for many years. First song I heard from her was “Uso Mitai Na I Love You” off of Deep River and I went on from there. She’s had some disappointments and great achievements in the music industry and I admire her for being able to bounce back and continue. So, after giving that little side note, I will go on to give my review of her new English album “This is the One.”

Going tell you now, I was not expecting much from her this time around when it came to making another album for the US. Her very first English album “Precious” under the name Cubic U was a nice stepping stone into the music industry and isn’t that bad of an album for how old she was at the time. “Exodus” is another story. Experimental, yes. Interesting to listen to, maybe, but that was not one of her best works. The argument was that it was another side of Utada and that she was trying out a new style is valid. However, the vocals were not her best, the ranges were to high, and the lyrics were a little out of place for American listeners (Don’t get me started on “Japan-easy” or whatever crap..).

First track: On and On – The song starts the album off nicely. Something upbeat and interesting. Sure, typical R&B beat you’ll find with anyone else. But her voice is very good on this song. The lyrics are quirky and different. Very good sound. I will admit, that man’s voice is kinda annoying in the back, but that’s a normal thing to hear in club songs. Its fun and different. Honestly, it will be a good single to have on the radio. Will get her a lot of attention. Rating: 4/5

Second track: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence – FYI – First off, too long of a damn title. She should’ve just named it FYI. However, I understand that she sampled from the movie, so I guess its a good argument. This song is very good. Instrumentally, vocally, and the lyrics are very nice and simple, and smooth (Who else puts freakin’ Captain Picard in a song? That gains some points!). Honestly, this should’ve been her first single. If not, then On and On. A very good song. Shows her talent. Rating: 4.5/5

Third track: Apple and Cinnamon – Another song with a piano, yes, but its not a bad song musically. The beat is pretty good and her voice is fantastic. But the lyrics really disappoint me. She could’ve done so much more with lyrics to this melody, but instead we get nothing but repeats of the same words. Maybe she’s trying to express the pain of breaking up. I’m not sure, but she could’ve worked with this a little more. Could’ve grown into a better song. Rating: 3.5/5

Fourth track: Taking My Money Back – Ok, um… reminds me of something Beyonce (Whom I can’t stand) would sing or some other R&B chick. Interesting lyrics. Maybe she was trying to appeal to women who have had trouble with deadbeat men. I’m not sure, but its not really a good song lyrically. Her voice is good in this song though, and the beat is ok, but I would’ve expected something better. Rating: 3/5

Fifth track: This One (Crying Like a Child) – This song will grow on you after the “Aye Aye Aye” crap. The lyrics are very good and creative in this song and her voice is wonderful and shows her talent perfectly. The beat and melody are very good. Actually, this is a very good song for a potential single. Didn’t like it at first, but it does really catch your attention after a few listens. Rating: 4/5

Sixth track: Automatic Part II – This song is a hot mess. I’m sorry, but Automatic is a classic song off of the First Love album. One of the songs that made her so famous in Japan, actually. She should’ve left it alone. Don’t get me wrong, the rhyming is creative, and the beat is neat, but the lyrics are not that great and it just… doesn’t sit well with me (Hello my name is Utada like la da di da di da… what the hell?). Rating: 2/5

Seventh track: Dirty Desire – I will admit this song had to grow on me heavily because once I heard that “Love you long time” crap, I wanted to skip pass the song. But I gave it a full listen. Her voice is really great in this song. Definitely shows that she’s trying to seduce a man with her words and the beat is really damn good. Reminds me of Janet a bit, honestly, but its freakin’ sexy (and I’m a woman). The ending is surprising, but makes the song even better. Rating: 4/5

Eighth track: Poppin‘ – What the hell, Utada? You watched Mission Impossible or Bond before you made this song? Or did you listen to Christina Aguilera before recording? I mean, seriously.. this song is really odd compared to the other songs on the album that actually flow well. The lyrics are even odd. What the heck are you poppin’? Bottles? Men? Wolves? Stars? Sorry, the song just doesn’t fit with the rest of the album, but I guess she was looking for an interesting track to put on the list. Her voice is not good on this song, either. Too damn high. When she talks… its neat, but that’s it. Rating: 2/5

Ninth track: Come Back to Me – The song that started it all. I didn’t care for the song at first, but this song really grew on me over a long period of time. Her voice is very good. The beat is generic and typical, but the lyrics go rather well with it. I still do not think this should’ve been her first single, but I was starting to think that this was her way of getting her fans back after Exodus, secretly. Rating: 4/5

Tenth track: Me Muero – Honestly, I like this song more than most people. The beat is very different from the other tracks on the album. Her voice is strained a little, but still good and the lyrics are very interesting. Throwing in a little bit of Spanish is kinda neat, not too creative but its good. Its different, I’ll tell you that. Probably a favorite track of mine on the album. Rating: 3.5/5

Not gonna bother with the remixes. They’re… remixes.

Album overall: 7/10

A step up from Exodus, no doubt, but there are still a few things that could’ve not been so cliche. However, she showed a lot of her talent in this album like she does with all of her Japanese albums. Her voice was much better on this album and even I can tell that she was enjoying the songs as she was singing them. She put a lot of effort into this album to try and get noticed in the US and I think it will do a good job of doing so (If Def Jam doesn’t screw her over again). If she does well, she’ll be on her way to being world renowned. This may, indeed, be the one.