約束 (Yakusoku/Promise) - mihimaru GT
Kicking off with a music-box-esque tune, this is a cute song that lacks much variation. The overly-cutesy voices in the background occasionally yelling "whoa" and "yay" get a bit annoying, and don't really seem to add much to the song. I think this is one of mihimaru GT's older songs. Their vocalist has a nice voice, though it lacks much emotion or feeling, making singing seem like a bit of a chore - Yakusoku seems to call for a carefree lightness to the vocals that is obviously missing. Overall rating: 3/5
Love Letter (Winter Acoustic Mix) - BoA
Who hasn't heard of BoA? She's never been one of my favourites - though her dedication impresses me, I never found her voice or songs particularly good. This remix of Love Letter is bland, lacking much momentum. It's evident by the string accompaniment that it's supposed to sound sad, but fails to actually invoke any emotion. Overall rating: 2.5/5
会いたい (Aitai) - Younha
Younha has long been one of my favourite female vocalists, and one of the first I discovered. At first listen, her voice sounds quite bland, though it's really very unique once you listen to her more often. Her vocals really shine in this song - the accompaniment has been kept very light, which was a good choice. Younha is Korean, but sang only in Japanese until recently when she released her first Korean album. She was probably the first Korean or Japanese female artist I listened to. I'd definitely recommend this song and her as an artist, I don't think I've heard a song by her that I found I didn't like. Overall rating: 4/5
infection - Chihiro Onitsuka
If you don't download any other songs from this rotation, download this one. Chihiro Onitsuka is, without argument, amongst the best vocalists I've heard. She captures so much emotion in her songs and has a beautiful, distinctive voice. This ballad from her isn't catchy, but it will capture you all the same. When I first listened to her it was through this song, and it was because someone had recommended her to me. I had it playing in the background, but as soon as she started singing I stopped everything else I was doing to listen. She's a spectacular vocalist; this is my favourite song by her. Overall rating: 5/5
Story - AI
I never really liked AI's voice. It just seemed really harsh and grating and I found it annoying to listen to her sing. A lot of people actually like her voice, and this is one of the songs I can tolerate by her, so I thought I'd give people a chance to try her out. It gets boring after a while; there's nothing really to focus on. A very typical, generic ballad. Overall rating: 2.5/5
Gimme A Beat - Bonnie Pink
A break from the ballads, here's a slightly more upbeat, pop-rock song from Bonnie Pink. I've always liked her voice and the style of her songs. This is no exception - it might not make your most-played list, but I enjoy listening to this song occasionally. The part where she says "Gimme a beat" is catchy and probably my favourite part of the song. Worth a listen. Overall rating: 3.5/5
I LOVE YOU - Mika Nakashima
I nearly forgot to add this song to the rotation. Though I love Mika's voice, her songs usually fail to hold my attention for very long. This song begins with soft strains of classical instruments, building into a more solid introduction. Mika's voice seems very quiet against the accompaniment. I'm quite sure this is a cover of an English song, though I can't think of which one. I only know it's a cover because I've heard another cover of this song. It seems very ... flat. There's no build-ups or parts where it dies down, but in a way that make it more meek than calm. Overall rating: 2.5/5
Labels: AI, BoA, Bonnie Pink, Chihiro Onitsuka, mihimaru GT, Mika Nakashima, Younha
