Beautiful was Mai Kuraki’s 32nd single. It was released on June 10, 2009 and reached no. 1 on the Oricon Daily Charts. The title track was used in Kose Cosmeport’s Salon Style CM.

Tracks:
1. Beautiful
2. wana
3. Beautiful (Instrumental)

Review:
I’m gonna come out and just say it, Beautiful is well in one word beautiful. It’s essentially a piano ballad accompanied by a symphony of stings, along with soft R&B beats. The mid-tempo verses somehow sound incredible with the beats and the background vocals and Mai’s own vocals. And the chorus, well it’s impressive. It truly is beautiful, even with the background vocals, most of which are in English. The music is far more elegant sounding and regal than the verses and Mai’s vocals are lovely. They just go so well with the music. The one downside however is that I don’t think this is her most memorable song. I’ll go into more details in the overall review section.

I love ballads but wana lit. Trap is true to Mai’s R&B roots. Despite its use of the strings and piano the hip-hop music and R&B beats distinguish it as a prominent R&B song. Overall it’s pretty mid-tempo and pretty modern, annoying background vocals and all. Honestly it could’ve been better, there’s nothing that pops out at me.

Overall Review: Beautiful was astounding, yet a letdown. Honestly I love ballads but this one is just lackluster. It does sound great but it’s not all that memorable. The melody just isn’t all that powerful, and the melody pretty much makes the song, along with the actual music which in this case was good. But the point is she needs a solid melody that sticks with you. And as for wana, well I love the R&B but that’s about it. It’s not all that memorable either. It needs some work and a better melody too perhaps. As a whole it sounds classical and amazing but it lacks that essential “wow” factor that it so desperately needs. It’s a step down from PUZZLE / Revive.

Final Grade

PUZZLE / Revive was Mai Kuraki’s 31st single. It was released on April 1, 2009 and reached no. 1 on the Oricon Daily Charts yet charted at no. 3 on the Oricon Weekly Charts with 29,445 copies sold. PUZZLE is the theme song for the anime movie Meitantei Conan Shikkoku no Chaser, while Revive was used as the 25th Opening theme song for the anime Meitantei Conan, better known as Case Closed in the USA.

Tracks:
1. PUZZLE
2. Revive
3. The ROSE~melody in the sky~ “Live Rehearsal Session”
4. PUZZLE -Instrumental-
5. Revive -Instrumental-

Review:
I’ve never really been a big fan of Mai but after hearing PUZZLE I’m ready to give her another shot. Her original style was R&B I believe for the most part and that’s what this song is basically. It’s somewhat of a throwback, with a lot of synth. The door cracking open and the sirens gave me a lot of ideas as to what kind of song this would be. The guy rapping in English did nothing really for the most part, extra and pointless. Anyway the music is mostly R&B beats, strings, and a lot of synth. The fast paced music and incredible vocals were just a few of the highlights of this song. Seriously the vocals during the verses were just astounding. And the fact that the chorus featured higher pitched vocals were just amazing. Speaking of the chorus, it was infectious and the rapid vocals really worked in favor of Mai. And the part right after the chorus was where things really got fast, I especially loved the “TAWAA no hikari” line!

While R&B was the style of the first song Revive takes on more of a Latin flavor. The castanets, acoustic, guitar, and maracas were some of the many latin instruments. The music was somewhat fast paced, not all that exciting except for maybe the piano chords. This time around her vocals were a little more enjoyable. During the chorus the layering of vocals and the pitch change was impressive. There was a little more variety too, more emotion and power. However I can honestly say that it wasn’t all that catchy, but it sure does sound good.

And now to The ROSE~melody in the sky~ “Live Rehearsal Session”. Apparently it was released on her Perfect Crime album, which was released all the way back in 2001. All of this song is in English and from what I’ve been hearing she’s gotten a lot better. She still has an accent but she’s improved a lot. The acoustics were great, but honestly with the soft vocals I really couldn’t enjoy this song all that much. That and it’s too short.

Overall Review: PUZZLE / Revive was synth R&B & Latin beauty. I can’t stress enough how amazing PUZZLE is, it’s seriously one of the best songs of 09 so far. It sounds so refreshing and more edgy R&B, making it unique and memorable. And I loved the strings, classy R&B that’s sure to stir up some buzz about Mai. I can’t say that I loved Revive but it was unique and somewhat memorable. The B-Side was a nice acoustic version but honestly it’s a bit too bland for my taste. I do have to say that this is one of her best singles that I’ve heard. And the fact that the covers looked stunning didn’t hurt either.

Final Grade

It’s been a while since I’ve featured a new artist and made a new banner. So without further a due I give you Mai Kuraki!!! She will be the newest artist featured on GoldHikari. I wasn’t a big fan until recently with her newest single PUZZLE / Revive. As such I will begin by reviewing PUZZLE / Revive followed by her older works such as the ONE LIFE Era, etc. And I also plan to update and eventually finish the Artist Index, eventually.