Jpop mp3s, lyrics, album reviews

Song update (July 2008)

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 06:14:10 GMT

Hi! Everybody remember me? I'm that Jpop lyrics webmistress who is currently slacking on her site and also this journal. I blame the addiction that is Japanese and Korean dramas.

Recently, I have been inspired to update my music journal, the reason I will get to in a bit and hopefully I'll keep this up for a while. I'm going to post only a few songs at a time and they will probably won't be the latest singles or albums because there are many places that already do that. Instead, I wanted to focus on songs that I like or ones that I feel are noteworthy in some way or another and wanted to share with people. I also have to mention that I won't be as snarky as I was in the past unless I find something on my iPod to bash.

As usual, no requests for uploads because I don't have time for that. Also, no requests at all, please. I've been too busy to do anything these days.

~ Instructions on downloading: Right click, save as
~ Sorry for the names of the files. I didn't feel like zipping them, but maybe I should have just to save everyone the hassle of renaming them. Oh well, maybe next week.
~ If there are any downloading problems, please let me know
~ As usual, comments are appreciated. ^_^

So without further ado, I give you the songs:

Hirose Kohmi - Groovy! (DL)

As I wrote in my personal LJ, this is the song that made me want to start up this song journal again. I was driving home the other night and this song just happened to play on my iPod and I just got hit with so many memories of mp3 download sites like the one I got the original mp3 from. Those type of sites had descriptions of the songs and rated them too, instead of all the random download sites that upload stuff in bulk. I'm not saying that that's a bad thing, but I remember treasuring songs when there were only a few to download and you had time to appreciate them.

"Groovy!" is from the Cardcaptor Sakura anime, which I have never seen, but I had to get this song because of the description of this song on that initial download site. This song is a happy pop song (hey, it's from an anime, what do you expect?), and just a great song overall. Kohmi's vocals are top-notch, and while it does get a little high in some areas, it's still wonderful. Only complaint I have about this song is the ending where she sings "Yasashiku~~~ narimashou~~~~...," it just loses the momentum of the rest of the song and it slightly drags and leaves me with an empty feeling. Still, I highly-recommend this one.

Rating: 10/10

PUSHIM - anything for you (DL) (lyrics)

Whenever I tell someone that I listen to Japanese music, they give me a weird look. Then I explain that there is rock, pop, R&B, rap, reggae, etc. and they go, "Reggae??!!??" To that response, I always play this song by PUSHIM. The song is just an awesome mellow reggae song that you can just relax to. I recommend listening to it loud so you can feel the essence of it. Plus PUSHIM's rich, soulful voice just sounds great in this one and everyone just drops their jaws upon hearing this.

Rating: 10/10

Kimura Yoshino - SPEED UP LOVE (DL)

I remember watching Pop Jam or Hey!3 back in the 90's and remembered some actress singing a song on the program. Her voice was off-key and it was very cringe-worthy. At first, I thought it was Matsuyuki Yasuko, but then I remembered that her "Ai no Sekai" song was pretty decent.

Skip to a few years ago when I was ebaying. I came across Kimura Yoshino's greatest hits CD and since I love her in Japanese dramas, I just got it for the hell of it. Plus it was cheap. When I popped it in the CD player, I was overcome with THE awful voice. It was her!! Awesomeness. Out of about 12 songs, I could only tolerate 2 of them. This was one of the songs.

"SPEED UP LOVE" is a very Tetsuya Komuro-esque song. The music was written by Cozy Kubo, who is a TK collaborator, which explains it. The song is upbeat and fun and Yoshino's awful voice actually sounds tolerable in it. Reminds me a lot of hitomi.

Rating: 8/10

indigo blue - Magnolia (DL) (lyrics)

Whenever I'm feeling like crap, I really love listening to this song. The song sounds country-ish and the lyrics are all in English, but don't let that deter you from downloading it because it's a really great feel-good song and I love it so. So much, in fact, I remember replaying it over and over at one point. In fact, this is THE #1 played song on my iPod. Hmmm...I'm not sure what that says about me.

Anyway, the singer reminds me of Fayray with her sultry voice, yet indigo blue's songs are more on the acoustic pop side.

Rating: 10/10

G.RINA - Circus No Musume (Manaita No Koi Mix) (DL)

I couldn't decide between this song or "Your and my new watch," but since the latter is in English and I already have an English song on the post, I thought that I'd go with this one. This song is quite cute and playful and almost has an almost Hawaiian feel to it. With at least 2x the speed of a Hawaiian song. G.RINA's voice is really nice and complements the song well. I plan to add more of her songs in the future, so please check out my journal every week or so. :)

---------------

If I've added any of these songs in the past, please bear with me because I honestly can't remember what I had uploaded before.

I will only have these files up for a week or until my next update

Yay, song update! ^__^

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 21:44:19 GMT

I figured before the links get deleted and people get bored by the large gap between updates, I should just post what I already have. I am also planning to add some mini album reviews and downloads later on.

Comments are appreciated and actually are the incentive for me to update this journal, so please comment away! :)

I will not re-up the songs because I usually delete them from my computer as soon as I up them.

The songs:

Arashiro Beni - Surrender
BENNIE K - Joy Trip
BoA - Candle Lights
CHEMISTRY - Christmas Rose
Fayray - Hitori Yori Futari
Foxxi misQ - Tha F.Q's Style feat.JiN
Kamiki Aya - Nemutte ita Kimochi Nemutte ita Kokoro
m-flo loves Bonnie Pink - Love Song
melody. - Our Journey
misono - TOMORROW
My Little Lover - Inspiration
Salyu - Ikitai Tokoro
Salyu - Soukyokusen
Takahashi Hitomi - Ko.Mo.Re.Bi
Uemura Kana - Kami Hikouki
YA-KYIM - I'm proud I'm me
Yaida Hitomi - Tea-time

Artist: Arashiro Beni
Title: Surrender (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, pop
Comment: Many of you know that I absolutely ~~*love*~~ Beni's music</sarcasm>. And as a scarily, fanatical Beni fan (or is this Beni, herself?) has pointed this out, maybe this so-called love I have for her isn't justifiable, especially when I like a handful of songs by her. "Surrender" is one of these songs. Although it still is somewhat generic-sounding, I found it quite catchier than the title track of the single that it was from. And yes, I proclaim this iPod worthy. Then again, I have a 60gb so I can spare the space.
Click to buy

Artist: BENNIE K
Title: Joy Trip (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, country rap
Comment: Ok. BENNIE K is officially awful. This crappy country-sounding rap/weirdness just throws me off. It sounds like a screwed up western movie with the banjos and the piano playing. Hark, do I hear a harmonica too? And wtf @ the breakdown in the middle of the song. The only good thing I can say about this song is that it sounds like they're having fun.. God, please go back to the songs from your first 2 albums. Please. ;_;
Click to buy

Artist: BoA
Title: Candle Lights (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, ballad
Comment: I know that there are times when I can't stand BoA, but this song, although boring, isn't half bad. Not iPod worthy, but decent enough. Her voice is ok too.
Click to buy

Artist: CHEMISTRY
Title: Christmas Rose (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: R&B ballad
Comment: This song is a light-hearted, medium-paced song and it's pretty good because the Xmas aspect (some chiming bells) isn't as obvious as with other songs. This makes me enjoy the song better because they don't throw that holiday in my face.
Click to buy

Artist: Fayray
Title: Hitori Yori Futari (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, ballad
Comment: Fayray's still churning out the ballads and this one is pretty.
Click to buy

Artist: Foxxi misQ
Title: Tha F.Q's Style feat.JiN (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: female trio, pop R&B
Comment: This is a pretty catchy song even though it's on the poppy/generic disguised as R&B side. One of the girls sound a lot like Kouda Kumi and even though that sort of voice usually irritates me, I rather like it here. The JiN in this song is the Korean rapper, if I'm not mistaken. Click here to check out the PV for the song
Click to buy

Artist: Kamiki Aya
Title: Nemutte ita Kimochi Nemutte ita Kokoro (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, pop rock
Comment: While this song is medium-paced, it picks up during the chorus and has a kick to it, which I like. A nice change of pace from some of the other fluff I've added in this entry.
Click to buy

Artist: m-flo loves Bonnie Pink
Title: Love Song (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: male/female, boring R&B-ish
Comment: This song honestly puts me to sleep. It's lazy and although I like mellow songs, this just sounds tedious. I think that m-flo should just disband and stop this "loves" project of theirs. Verbal just annoys and their music doesn't really do anything other than rehash stuff that has already been done better.
Click to buy

Artist: melody.
Title: Our Journey (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, ballad
Comment: I don't like the title track of this single, but the coupling song "Our Journey," which is sung in English, is soothing and sweet. It's a nice song to listen to when you want to relax and drift off to sleep.
Click to buy

Artist: misono
Title: TOMORROW (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, pop rock
Comment: misono was the lead singer of day after tomorrow and I have to keep on emphasizing that I love her solo work a LOT better than the generic-sounding dat stuff. After all the synthesized crap that dat did, misono's solo effort took a turn for the pop-rock side. "TOMORROW" is a remake of Okamoto Mayo's famous song.
Click to buy

Artist: My Little Lover
Title: Inspiration (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: pop
Comment: MLL's one of the first artists that I was introduced to when I first started listening to Jpop. Over the years, their music started getting moody, which made me lose interest. "Inspiration," the coupling track of their latest single has a light-hearted feel, which I enjoy.
Click to buy

Artist: Salyu
Title: Ikitai Tokoro (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female,
Comment: Salyu's voice sounds a lot like UA and her music is sometimes similar as well. Though Salyu is mostly known for her ballady types, I like the occasional quirky song that she does.
Click to buy

Artist: Salyu
Title: Soukyokusen (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, acoustic
Comment: This song is on the acoustic pop side. It's a happier song, which is a nice change from her usual type of music.
Click to buy

Artist: Takahashi Hitomi
Title: Ko.Mo.Re.Bi (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, ballad
Comment: Hitomi's music is usually upbeat, pop rock stuff, but her new single is a ballad, however, it gains a slight momentum during the chorus part.
Click to buy

Artist: Uemura Kana
Title: Kami Hikouki (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, pop
Comment: This is definitely one of my favorite singles of the year. This song is really uplifting and pretty. Everyone has to listen to it! And I'm so thrilled that Kana's releasing a new single this month and her 2nd album in January. Yay! ^__^
Click to buy

Artist: YA-KYIM
Title: I'm proud I'm me (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, pop R&B/rap
Comment: I like YA-KYIM even though they do a lot of cheesy-sounding R&B stuff. I can't put my finger on what's different from them and some artists that I hate, but I actually enjoy their music.
Click to buy

Artist: Yaida Hitomi
Title: Tea-time (Lyrics)
Singer, Genre: Female, ballad
Comment: Ok, Yaiko's music is just getting too acoustic for my taste. I liked her pop rock the best, but her mellowish songs are boring to me. I guess getting older makes a lot of artists change their music style from fun to boring.
Click to buy

Sifow - Clarity album up

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 08:16:37 GMT

Sorry for the lack of updates. I ripped Sifow's Clarity album for a friend, so I thought that I'd share it here as well. For those of you who enjoy Tamaki Nami's anime-ish/technoish crap, you'll probably enjoy this. For those who dislike that type of music (like me), stay far away. Defo one of the few albums that I regret buying. Blah.

Sifow - Clarity album (128 kbps)
Clarity album lyrics

And is it me or does this LJ layout suck. I really need to take the time to look for a better one.

Arashiro Beni luv! ....not.

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 10:09:24 GMT

Omg, I can not express enough how much I can't stand Arashiro Beni. Lastest Beni bitch? Her new PV "How Are U?" While it's described as "R&B," it is anything but that. More like a diabetic's nightmare of a pop tune, candy-coated as R&B. Sure, to an idiot, the beat could be thought of as "R&B," but this song is way too cheerful and very grade-school. ...OMG, did she just say "my homie" at 1:51??? Woo, you ghetto, girl!

And don't get me started on her clothes. She looks like a ghetto cowgirl in one scene and in the fur vest scene, her hair is absolutely awful. I swear that thing looks like a wig! Not to mention this girl makes me want to smack her in the face whenever I see her dopey grin or that stupid smirk. Oh no. I have never mentioned this fact before at all! ^_~ As for the dancing, it can be best described as ass-swaying, junior-high moves. Yes, obviously an 8th grader choreographed this video.

All in all, I'd watch this video for a good laugh. Poor Beni. Will she ever get a break? Will she ever grow out of this cheesy image that she seems to have? At this rate, I have high doubts.

(Other Beni references: my review on her Girl 2 Lady album.)

And don't worry, I haven't abandoned this LJ. A song update will be updated within the week if time permits.

July 31st song update!

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 09:04:30 GMT

Hello minna,

I added another bunch of songs and mini reviews. Please be sure to get the songs asap because the links will probably last only about a week or so after no activity.

Please note that I will not re-upload the songs because as soon as I upload them, I delete them from my computer to make room for other songs.

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Singles:

ayaka - Peace Loving People (lyrics)
From the single: Real Voice
Buy this single
"Peace Loving People" is a cute sounding song even though the message isn't really that cheerful. I don't like this single as much as her previous ones, but it's still decent.

Hirahara Ayaka - Kokoro (lyrics)
From the single: Voyagers / Kokoro
Buy this single
This is just another typical Hirahara Ayaka song--slowish and boring.

Katou Miliyah - for so long PART II (lyrics)
From the single: Last Summer
Buy this single
Miliyah has done it again. Ripping tracks from other artists. This time it's m-flo's awesome "been so long," but Miliyah changed it to "for so long." When will this girl ever stop trying to build success from other artists' hit songs?

Kishimoto Hayami - PEACH:LIME//SHAKE (lyrics)
From the single: PEACH:LIME//SHAKE
Buy this single
Hayami's latest single is quite decent. "PEACH:LIME//SHAKE" is a cute song, but it doesn't overdo it like some other Jpop artists.

Kouda Kumi - I'll be there, Ningyo Hime
(Ningyo Hime lyrics), (I'll be there lyrics)
From the single: 4 Hot Wave
Buy this single
4 hot wave is Kumi's newest single and it has 4 new songs on it. The first 2 songs are (imo) the best on this single because it breaks the mold of songs that she ususally has. "Ningyo Hime" is a loud guitar driven song and "I'll be there" is more of an acoustic guitar type. The other two songs are the typical poppy R&B (Juicy) and cutesy (With your smile) stuff that Kumi's known for.

Minmi - I Love You Baby (lyrics)
From the single: I Love You Baby
Buy this single
This is the 3rd Minmi song that I've really liked, the first one being her debut single "The Perfect Vision,." 2nd being "Independant Woman," a song she did with Pushim. This song is definitely one of my favorite songs that was released this year. It's a reggae track that's perfect for summer.

Mr.Children - my sweet heart (lyrics)
From the single: Houkiboshi
Buy this single
While I'm not a huge fan of Mr.Children's, I do kind of like "my sweet heart." The song and lyrics are a bit amusing.

Nakashima Mika - Koishikute (lyrics)
From the single: MY SUGAR CAT
Buy this single
Mika's music is usually too boring for my taste, but every once in a while, she surprises me. Her latest single "My Sugar Cat" is on the reggae side and the coupling "Koishikute" has the same reggae-ish vibe as well. I thought this was a pretty good single.

Rie fu - Until I say (lyrics)
From the single: Until I say
Buy this single
Rie fu's slowish music reminds me a lot of Onitsuka Chihiro's, but her lyrics aren't as depressing. This song falls into the same mold as her others.

Ryohei - Like This (ADDED LINK) (lyrics)
From the single: the LIGHT
Buy this single
Because Ryouhei (or Ryohei) hasn't released anything since his debut album since 2004, I was anticipating his new singles that were released this year. While "onelove" wasn't that special, I had higher hopes for his latest "the LIGHT." This single is sorta catchy at first, but I have a feeling that this won't be on repeat too long for me. There's just nothing special about this entire single. I only added "Like This" because it's a summery song.

Spitz - Shalala (lyrics)
From the single: Mahou no Kotoba
Buy this single
"Shalala" is a pretty good upbeat Spitz song.

Suzuki Ami - Squall ni Nurete (lyrics)
From the single: Like a Love?
Buy this single
I don't know why but Ami's voice isn't as irritating as how it was when she first started out. I guess puberty kicked in. Or she's just singing lower, which is a good thing. "Squall ni Nurete" is a more emotional song that's a nice break from the hyper pop stuff she usuall sings.

Takahashi Hitomi - Subarashiki Kono Sekai (lyrics)
From the single: Communication
Buy this single
This song starts off slow and a little boring, but it quickens the pace during the middle part. It kind of surprised and woke me up a bit.

U-ka Saegusa IN db - Walking in the wind with you (lyrics)
From the single: Everybody Jump
Buy this single
This song is an average Jpop song and I don't feel like reviewing it. Just check it out for yourself.

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Album reviews

Eliana - E Party (lyrics)
Full album sample (96kbps)
Singer: female
Genre: cheesy fun pop R&B
cori's rating: 7.5 out of 10
Buy this album

Tracks:
01. FEEL GOOD TIME
02. What a girl wants
03. オシエテ今スグニ (oshiete imasugu ni)
04. Let’s Stay Together(remix) (feat.DJ KAORI with Rap)
05. so into you
06. SHOW ME LOVE
07. Sunset
08. rush~その先の何か~ (rush ~sono saki no nanika~)
09. Party up
10. 明るい未来(remix) (feat. YOU THE ROCK★)(akarui mirai)
11. THE ROSE

I remember when I first heard this album. I thought it was one of the cheesiest things I've heard and there's no way this could be labeled as "R&B." As I listened to it more, I realized that it was a pretty decent album. While it's not deep or innovative in any way, it's quite catchy and would be great to throw on at a party.

May J. - ALL MY GIRLS (lyrics)
Full album sample (96kbps)
Singer: female
Genre: cheesy fun pop R&B
cori's rating: 7.5 out of 10
Buy this album

Tracks:
01. MY GIRLS
02. MILLION WAYZ
03. Baby Close Your Eyes
04. Good Tymez
05. DESTINATION
06. Thanx
07. Baby Eyes (MA$AMATIXXX Dancehall Mix) feat.KEN-U

May J.'s mini album is pretty decent, although it has the same cheesy-like quality as Eliana's album. Still, it's pretty good if you like pop R&B and May has a really great voice.

Sakura - SOUL ESSENCE (lyrics)
Full album sample (96kbps)
Singer: female
Genre: R&B
cori's rating: 7 out of 10
Buy this album

Tracks:
01. Oh we Oh
02. Bye Bye Baby
03. smile for me
04. Best Of My Love
05. 広がるリズム
06. Buddy to Boo
07. again
08. why

Sakura is one of the better singers but her songs kind of leave much to be desired. This mini album of hers is pretty good though. All the songs except for tracks 4 and 7 are original songs. I think this album is a welcome change from the previous 2 poppier albums, but not by much. Regardless, the only reason why I'm giving this a 7 is because of the remakes. If it weren't for that, this would probably be an 8.

New song reviews ^__^

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 06:55:15 GMT

Hey minna,

As I promised, I added some songs and reviews. To save time, I decided not to make very long reviews as I have in the past. I'll probably only do the individual song reviews for albums if I really, really hate or love an album. Or if I'm in the mood to do so.

Enjoy the songs and please comment if you download. I like getting feedback on the songs and my little reviews. ^_^

~cori

Hamasaki Ayumi - BLUE BIRD "Original mix" (lyrics)
Hamasaki Ayumi - Beautiful Fighters "Original mix" (lyrics)
Buy this single

While I'm not really an Ayu fan, I'm in love with her latest single. "Beautiful Fighters" was on repeat for a while and I even have it in my head for a couple of weeks after it debuted. That song is definitely one of the catchiest I've heard in a while. It's more of an upbeat, almost with cheerleader aspect. "BLUE BIRD" has a more carefree sound to it and the video seems to have a fun, summery feeling to it.

Bi Rain - Slowly (lyrics)
Buy this single

Bi or Rain, or whatever the hell he's called is a Korean R&B artist who's doing the Japan thing. When I first heard "Slowly," I thought it was absolutely awful, so of course I needed to share it with you guys so you can bitch along with me. :P The song is a bad attempt at R&B. In fact, I don't really like any of his other songs either. The cheese factor is just too high for my liking.

Bonnie Pink - Free (lyrics)
Buy this single

"Free" is on the tropical side. Quite a nice Bonnie Pink track and makes me want to lie on a beach and drink a cocktail.

Every Little Thing - HI-FI MESSAGE (lyrics)
Buy this single

I'm glad that ELT's latest single isn't the snoozefest that their previous ones were. "HI-FI MESSAGE" is cute and playful sounding. It almost sounds like something that Love Psychedelico would do.

Fukumimi - Hoshi Timer (lyrics)
Buy this single

Fukumimi is a collaboration of a bunch of artists including: Yamazaki Masayoshi, KYOKO, Suga Shikao,
COIL, Araki Yuko, Hajime Chitose. The main vocals are done by Yamazaki Masayoshi and Kyoko. The rest pretty much do the background vocals, with the occasional single line or play instruments. This song is a slower song, but it's a really nice song. This is the theme song from a TBS drama called "Dare Yori mo MAMA wo Aisu" (I love mom more than anyone). My favorite part has to be Suga's line about 3:34 in the song. ^_^ In this single is a live version of SMAP's "Celery" (amusing rap part) and one of KYOKO's "Hoshi no Kakera wo Sagashi ni Yukou."

Garnet Crow - Ring Ring a ding (lyrics)
Buy this single

"Ring Ring a ding" is a typical GC song, but I added it because the title amuses me. XD

LOVE PSYCHEDELICO - Together (lyrics)
Buy this single

LP's latest single doesn't break the mold that they've always used, which is a good thing, I guess. Still the retro sounding rock thing with a Sheryl Crow sounding vocalist.

Misia - Taiyou ga Kureta Present (lyrics)
Buy this single

This is the first single that Misia has released since her Singer for Singer album way back in 2004, and it's a decent one. With 4 new songs, it's quite a bargain. I like "Taiyou ga Kureta Present" the best because of it's light-hearted reggae sound.

Suga Shikao - Mayonaka no Kamotsu Ressha (lyrics)
Buy this single

"Mayonaka.." is a slow song by Suga and it suits his voice well. I <3 his raspy voice. For more Suga info, do check out Kay's awesome site.

Tommy heavenly6 - ABOUT U (lyrics)
Buy this single

When I first heard "ABOUT U," it totally reminded me of The Brilliant Green! Those of you who miss them terribly, must check this song out! It has the melodic almost retro style that Buriguri has; not any of that sugary stuff that Tommy feb does or the Advil Lavigne stuff that Tommy heavenly does. Well, no matter what identity Tommy takes on, I love it regardless.

Van Tomiko - Brave (lyrics)
Buy this single

Van Tomiko, of Do As Infinity fame, has released a new single "Brave," since the release of her debut album "Farewell." The song starts off slow, but the chorus gets a bit more upbeat, though not by much. Quite a change from Farewell's slowish pace.

Amano Tsukiko - Uraraka (lyrics)
Buy this single
Amano Tsukiko - Karasu (lyrics)
Buy this single
Amano Tsukiko - Fuusen (lyrics)
Buy this single
Amano Tsukiko - Fukurou (lyrics)
Buy this single
Download Amano Tsukiko singles sampler

Tsukko's 5 singles released on the same day was a very ambitious move, and the songs (for the most part) are great. Too bad this wasn't released on one album, but I guess doing the 5 single thing would be more profitable and sneaky, almost like an Avex strategy. I love how she still does the rhyming thing with the title track and coupling song. I've added 4 different sounding songs (a couple of fast tracks, a beautiful one, and a medium paced one) to give you a taste of her music. Tsukko's style is mostly rock, but her ballads are really beautiful, as is her powerful voice. Another noteable thing about these singles (and many of her other singles) is that she rhymes the title track and coupling song, which I find fascinating.

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Album reviews

Cocco - Zansaian (lyrics)
Sample includes: Onsoku Punch, Swinging night, Ai Urara, Happy Ending
Singer: female
Genre: rock, ballad
cori's rating: 8 out of 10
Buy this album

Cocco's return to the music scene was very much anticipated by her fans. So did her music change after the long break? No, not at all. Still the rocker chick with the occasional oddball song. "Onsoku Punch" is a great opener, a catchy rock song. "Swinging night" is an amusing song with even more amusing lyrics: "Why are you staring at me so bad? / I'm sorry if you want jiggy-jiggy so bad." XD "Ai Urara" reminds me of her old song "Raining." It's a power ballad type. "Happy Ending" is a light hearted song that I had to add because it's really nice. There's also a couple of slow songs that are nice, but I felt like just adding my favorites from this album.

globe - maniac (lyrics)
Sample includes: Soldier, Please don't give up, Judgement (Band Version), 海との友情(DEMO VERSION)
Singer: female & male (rapper)
Genre: pop, electronic
cori's rating: 7 out of 10
Buy this album

globe's new album is a 2 disk one. The 2nd disk has mostly older songs, but there were different versions, so it's not like they're trying to rip you off. "Soldier" is a medium-paced song with an almost urgent vibe to it. "Please don't give up" is a slower one, almost sleepy at times. "Judgement (Band Version)" is just as it says--there's a band performing a song instead of the synthesized beats of the original. And finally we come to "Umi to no Yuujou (DEMO VERSION)." I've never heard the "finished version" of this song, so I decided to throw this in for the hell of it. It's not that special, but whatever. This album was pretty good, but I still enjoyed some of their previous albums more. Kudos for the 2 disks though.

Kamiki Aya - Secret Code (lyrics)
Sample includes: Communication Break; Bounce, Bounce, Bounce; Natsu no Aru Hi; Friends
Singer: female
Genre: pop rock, pop
cori's rating: 7 out of 10
Buy this album

After liking her "Communication Break" single, I was looking forward to this album. Well, I was a bit disappointed by it. Not all of the songs were great and it just seemed like they were lacking a certain something. I didn't even like the title track, although it's been playing in my head for a while now. :/ "Communication Break" is an acoustic guitar song with a slight attitude. Very catchy, plus Aya's voice is great. "Bounce, Bounce, Bounce" is an fun upbeat pop rock song and it's probably my favorite from this album. "Natsu no Aru Hi" is a poppier song than the previous 2 I mentioned. Another great one. "Friends" is a slower song, yet it's not a ballad type, which is a good thing. This song is another nice pop song. The rest of the songs are still good, but I wanted to add some different sounding songs. Don't get me wrong, as I mentioned before, there was something I felt that was missing from some of the songs. This is not necessarily a bad album, but I feel that there are some other albums which I felt were better.

Miss Monday - &I (lyrics)
Sample includes: Yakusoku, Love Is Blind Feat. Jamosa, Bimi, Share Feat. Rickie-g
Singer: female
Genre: rap, R&B, reggae
cori's rating: 8 out of 10
Buy this album

Miss Monday's music is great, as long as you can get past her somewhat annoying voice. "Yakusoku" was the coupling song from her last single and it's a slower track, perfect to groove to. "Love Is Blind Feat. Jamosa" is kind of a fun track. Jamosa adds her smooth voice to the track. This is the 2nd Miss Monday song that she was featured on. "Bimi" was a headache to romanize because of all the alternative pronunciations and whatnot. It's all about food and the music is cute as it's a tropical, Caribbean-ish sounding song. "Share Feat. Rickie-g" is a reggae song.

Sowelu - 24 Twenty Four (lyrics)
Sample includes: Dear My Friend, Crazy for you, Flyer, Kimi no Kehai, Let's Go Far Away
Singer: female
Genre: acoustic pop, ballad, pop
cori's rating: 8 out of 10
Buy this album

Those of you who read my older reviews will know that I'm not much of a Sowelu fan because of her nasally voice and the fact that she's labelled as R&B, when she's just a pop artist with a few R&B-influenced tracks. Well, with her latest album, there are only a couple of tracks that even remotely sound like R&B. The majority of the songs are surprisingly on the acoustic guitar side. Very laid back and very different from her past songs.

Judging from the first song "Dear Friend," you would not think that. This song is really a cute, upbeat number and I like it a lot. This music suits Sowelu's vocals, rather than that crap that people mistakenly label as "R&B."

"Crazy for you" is the first hint of the direction this album is wanting to go in. It's a medium-paced, but catchy acoustic guitar song. This is another song that I like.

"Mamoru Beki Mono" is a piano ballad. I'm not a fan of Sowelu's voice in slower songs, but the song is quite nice, I guess.

"Tomorrow" is another acoustic guitar-driven song. It's a really nice song. Oh my. 4 songs in a row that I don't mind? Let's see how the rest fare...

"Smile Again" is a slowish song. Acoustic guitar again. I don't find anything special about this song. Oh wait, the chorus part is a bit catchy. Add this to the "good" list.

I like the next song too! "Dance" is a bit on the upbeat side, and it's still going with the same elements as the other songs, but a bit more kick than the previous songs.

"Flyer" brings back the slower pace. I think Sowelu's voice is a bit cute here. You know what? I'm liking this album so far...

"Cry" is another slow song, but it's more of a ballad than the previous song. It's just a typical type of ballad.

"Let's Go Far Away" is a poppy number that sounds like old-school Sowelu. It's ok, but I prefer the previous songs on this album a lot more.

"Kimi no Kehai" was written by Yano Maki and I can totally imagine Maki singing this song. It's a somber ballad type and I have to say that it's average because of Sowelu's voice. If Maki were singing this song, I'd like a lot more. Speaking of Maki, she better have an album or at least a single out soon!

"Without you" is another ballad type, but with a little poppish R&B-ish vibe. Nothing special, but still tolerable.

With "Pride," we're going back to the Sowelu that I like. Acoustic pop Sowelu.

The final song "To You" is a nice close to this pretty good album even if it is a bit cheesy. It's a pop ballad that would probably be good as an ending theme from some drama.

I said that I wouldn't do full album reviews unless I was moved by an album or if I hated one. Well, with Sowelu, I usually can't stand her music, but her latest effort has slightly changed my mind. While her older fans may not welcome this direction that her music is taking, I'm liking it a lot. I think her voice suits this type of music. I wonder if the reason why I didn't like her before is because she was trying to sing some poppish R&B-sounding songs when her voice isn't suited to that type of music. Maybe that's it. Well, I think I'll give this album an 8 out of 10.

Sowelu - 24 Twenty Four album lyrics

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 08:47:04 GMT

Back to Sowelu Lyrics Page
Back to Album Lyrics Page</b>
24 - Twenty Four album lyrics
released on 2006.07.12
Click to purchase Japan version

(Please DO NOT post the romaji lyrics or translations
on your site OR messageboard without a link and credit
or you will go on my plagiarism list)

<td width="450" valign="top">
ALL ROMAJI BY: Cori 01. Dear friend 02. Crazy for you 03. 守るべきもの (Mamoru Beki Mono) 04. tomorrow 05. smile again 06. DANCE 07. Flyer 08. cry 09. Let's go far away 10. 君の気配 (Kimi no Kehai) 11. without you 12. Pride 13. to YOU

2006 Sowelu Official Site

01. Dear friend
作詞: Yoshihiko Nishio・Sowelu
作曲: Yoshihiko Nishio


愛情で大丈夫　揺がない彼となら
I jobな現状　全部手に入れたい

でも気付けば　いつの間にやら
メールも来ない毎日
あたし　Help! Help!!!

最後に行き着くのは　いつも友達
仕事や恋にやぶれ落ち込んでたら
「泣いた数だけ幸せはくるよ」とキラリ
こんなあたしを強く抱いてくれたのは
あなただけ　それがアイボリー

愛想が無いほう　これからは少しずつ
感情の誕生　育ててゆきたい

ねえ　たまには　ウチに泊まって
朝まで語り明かそうよ
二人で　tell! tell!!!

* 最後に　行き着くのは　いつも友達
意味も無く悩んだりでふさぎ込んでたら
「明日には明日の風が吹くはずだ」と
set me free
こんなあたしを勇気づけてくれたのは
あなただけ　それもアイボリー

* repeat

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