Joanna Wang - Start From here
01. Let's Start From Here
02. Lost in Paradise
03. As Love Begins to Mend
04. Bada Bada
05. Lost Taipei
06. The Best Mistake I've Ever Made
07. I Love You
08. For No Reason
09. Stages of Flying
10. Now
11. TRUE
12. New York State of Mind
I generally don't upload entire albums, but I recently discovered this amazing, eighteen-year-old jazz vocalist and thought that I should. This album does get quite tedious if you listen to it all at once. Although all the songs are unique, they're all done in a similar style. Let's Start From Here is probably my favorite track from this album. It starts with a piano melody in the higher ranges, then breaks into the lower range of Joanna's voice. I love the chorus and lyrics. Lost in Paradise has more of a swing feel to it and I love the bass, which sounds muted and soft. Bada Bada is more upbeat and features a nice trumpet accompaniment though its a bit sparse. There was also a very nice saxophone solo in one of these songs, but I can't for the life of me find which one it was. The Best Mistake I've Ever Made features some very nice lyrics. For No Reason starts out with a lovely trumpet solo that has that gorgeous brassy feel to it though I'm not really feeling the rest of the song as much. The only critique I have to offer about this album is that it could use some more upbeat jazz tracks to keep things lively and more interesting. As much as I love this album and Joanna Wang's voice, it's simply not enough to hold one's attention. I could also have done with a ballad that showcased a little more emotion in Joanna's voice.
Tohoshinki - T
As I'm sure most of you already have this album, I didn't choose to upload it all. Though I'm not a huge Tohoshinki fan, I actually quite liked this album. It featured a nice balance of new styles as well as the tried-and-true pop/ballads. I think there's a lot more hip-hop influenced tracks, which freshens up their sound a lot.
01. TRICK
Very catchy and energetic with a surprisingly melodic chorus, TRICK is definitely one of my favorites. Though the lyrics in English could still use some work, I love the beat of this song. And there's this nice little synthy, trumpet fill that comes in every once in a while, which I love. xP
02. NO?
Starting off with an evident R&B influence, NO? has a lovely chorus. Vocally I could have done with a little more, rather than the more subdued vocals used in R&B, but still, a nice song.
04. Forever Love
A very nice ballad, I would definitely say it's one of Tohoshinki's better ones. Their vocals are all very well showcased; the accompaniment doesn't overpower but is still strong. I didn't like the PV for this song much, but I do like the song itself. The chorus is just beautiful.
07. Darkness Eyes
Finally, Darkness Eyes. As soon as I heard the preview for this song I knew I'd like it. It explores a darker sound than most of Tohoshinki's songs. I love the bass drum, and the vocals are also very well done. The chorus is just wonderful. Highly recommended.
BoA - Be with you.
01. Be with you.
02. precious
I'm not a huge BoA fan either, but I thought I'd upload this anyways as it was a fairly highly anticipated release. I was, however, quite disappointed by it. BoA's voice in be with you. just sounds ... really weird to me. It falters and sounds like its been edited a lot. The chorus needs more of a punch, though I do like the way it's introduced. precious is another ballad, and failed to really capture my interest, though I liked it more than the title track.
My Picks
My picks for this rotation. ^^
OBLIVION DUST - Red Light Green Light
A great rock band. This isn't my favorite song by them, but it's off of their latest album, which I believe is mostly or all in English. Admittedly it's not that easy to figure out just what they're saying at times, but still, try this out. This song is surprisingly catchy.
L u L u - 9x13
Another great Japanese rock band, I don't listen to them often but I would recommend you try them out. A great song off their Daizero Schuchu Chiryo [第零集中治療室] album.
Labels: BoA, Joanna Wang, L u L u, Oblivion Dust, Tohoshinki
