Do you hear what I hear? was a digital single by melody. It was released on December 22, 2003. The title track is a cover of the infamous song made famous by Bing Crosby.

Tracks:
1. Do you hear what I hear?

Review:
Although this song was released on her Crystal Love single, I just want to review Do you hear what I hear? by itself. I’m sure that everyone, or mostly English speaking people, realize that this song is a very famous Christmas song that’s been around since 1962. The original is very simple and features an array of instruments that are just incredible. In this version there are some instrumentals but they don’t get too powerful until the final chorus. The beginning is filled with melody.’s gentle vocals that are incredible. The piano is also the main instrument at this point, with the drums joining and bells later. And during the second chorus the background vocals can be heard, very harmonious on melody.’s part. And it’s at this point where she begins to exhibit her talent for hitting high notes. As for the lyrics, well they allude to the birth of Christ. The rhyme scheme is very simple yet so memorable and so famous. The lyrics themselves mention a baby brining goodness and light among other things. And that infamous line is still known throughout the world today more than four decades later, “Do you hear what I hear?“

Overall Review: Do you hear what I hear? was such an amazing cover. melody. has done a few covers during her career as an artist but this one is so incredible. I guess the fact that it’s December now makes it sound better too, but melody. has done just a great job of this cover. She’s done it justice that’s for sure. I loved the fact that she kept the arrangement the same, no synth lines, the instrumentals are similar for the most part. She’s made this classic even better than though possible, any fan of melody. should give this song a shot.

Final Grade: 100A+

see you… was melody.’s 7th single. It was released on February 15, 2006 and reached number 19 on the charts and has sold over 13,070+ copies. The title track was produced by m-flo’s Taku. This was the third and final single in the Be as one Era.

Tracks:
1. see you…
2. Close Your Eyes
3. see you…(mel funk remix)
4. realize (Sugiurumn house mission mix)

Review:
Still on the light-hearted side is see you… Honestly it’s one in many mediocre songs. Don’t get me wrong the song’s nice and all, but that’s about it. I did love the strings in the song, very classical, but she’s done it all before. And the same goes for the acoustic guitar, although I’m not too sure about tambourine. The music wasn’t all that fast but it wasn’t all that slow, but a little more on the up-tempo side. On the bright side there are some great beats occasionally, somewhat R&B. Anyway, it’s no surprise when I say that the lyrics are bilingual, somewhat catchy at that. She did have some display some great vocals in this song though, so it wasn’t all bad. This song does sound better than some of her other songs, but it still lacks that wow factor.

Despite that lackluster title track, we come to a stronger, more refined ballad entitled Close Your Eyes. The solemn piano is the main instrumental, later joined by a few more instrumentals. This time melody.’s vocals are so much better, they definitely fit with the ballad theme. And although it’s not all that exciting, this song just sounds so beautiful. But the chorus does sound so magical and so inspiring. Not to mention that it does include some English, and the strings eventually. What I loved the most was how it got better as the song progressed. It kept building momentum and was magnificent at the end.

More rock oriented, in the beginning at least and annoying, is the (mel funk remix) of see you… This remix basically just makes the title track more annoying. The strings have been eliminated completely and replaced by some light rock instrumentals. Just stick to the original.

Yet another remix comes our way with realize (Sugiurumn house mission mix). The song has been lengthened to over six minutes, and not only that but it’s been transformed into a heavy dance/techo song. And actually it’s not all that bad, it kind of reminds me of her READY TO GO! material, which is very good. So despite me not liking the original version that much, I actually liked this remix, minus the long intro.

Overall Review: see you… was a hidden treasure. And when I say hidden treasure, I mean the B-Side and the second remix. I still think that this was one of melody.’s weakest single, and her weakest era really. But I’m just so used to her new material. That being said, I absolutely loved the ballad featured, and thankfully a version of it will be featured on her album. I actually liked the second remix, much better than the original version. I still really can’t say that I was thrilled by title track, or its remix, but it could have been much worse. Not exactly the most enchanting way to end the Be as one Era.

Final Grade: 86B+

realize / Take a Chance was melody.’s 6th single. It was released on August 17, 2005 and reached number 6 on the charts. In all this single has sold over 127,869+ copies, making it be most successful single to date. realize was used as the theme song for the TBS drama Dragon Zakura while Take a Chance was the BIGLOBE Net Spice CM song. This was the second single in the Be as One Era.

Tracks:
1. realize
2. Take a Chance
3. Next to You (FREDISCO remix)
4. realize (instrumental)
5. Take a Chance (instrumental)

Review:
realize is one of melody.’s lighter songs, even though most are light. Anyway, this lovely little tune is up-beat and somewhat up-tempo. I loved the music, nice acoustics, pop, and maybe some dance. There was some display of vocals in this song, not much variety though. On the bright side though, the song was somewhat catchy. I liked the chorus, it was again bilingual, a nice mixture of Japanese and English. But it wasn’t all that catchy, nice melody though. It’s just very lighthearted, and sadly not so memorable. However, it was still a nice song.

Up next is the more laid-back Take a Chance. It’s more gentle than the previous song, and features the keyboard I believe along with acoustic guitar, drums and some other instrumentals. Here in this song there’s a wider range of vocals, and they’re pretty good. I wasn’t all that fascinated by this song that much. I mean it had a nice chorus and some nice verses but that’s all they were, nice. It was all that impressive.

If you liked Next to You and dance, you’ll probably like Next to You (FREDISCO remix). They’ve basically synthed it up with some dance beats. Her vocals are softer than the music itself so it seems like they’re being overpowered more. I still don’t like this song all that much.

Overall Review: realize / Take a Chance was pure mediocrity. I really loved melody.’s works from all of her newer material, but each time I listen to her old material, I begin to understand why she’s not all that popular. I mean she’s popular, but nowhere near the level of BoA, Hikki, Ayu, or Namie. I still find it hard to believe that this is her best selling single, but that’s the power of tie-ins. I feel that she’s just not being aggressive enough in this few songs from this era. I definitely prefer her synth-uped songs from her later material. Just too mediocre for the Be as One Era.

Final Grade: 85C+

Next to You was melody.’s 5th single. It was released on January 12, 2005 and reached number 14 on the charts and has sold more than 21,876+ copies. The title track was used in an Arupen CM. This was the first single in the Be as one Era.

Tracks:
1. Next to You
2. Summer Memory
3. So into You (only one remix)
4. Next to You (Instrumental)

Review:
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Next to You, but it was actually good. The beginning made me a bit skeptical to listen to it, but I was glad I listened further. The piano sounds nice and everything, but it sounds more like a nursery rhyme, but suddenly it bursts into an up-beat fun dance-like tune! melody.’s vocals were amazing as usual and I loved her bilingual verses and choruses. The drum beats sounded great, even though they were rather light. The chorus here was pretty good. Her vocals were amazing during it, and it was pretty catchy. That being said, I still thought the song was a little mediocre, it could use a little work to it.

Summer Memory is more of a light ballad. It’s sweeter and more beautiful than the title track. It’s more of a mid-tempo ballad that features the lovely piano and some slow beats. And it actually makes it more memorable. I must admit that I loved melody.’s vocals, especially when she hit those high notes. The acoustic guitar was an excellent instrument too, made the song more acoustic and more light-hearted. The chorus’s lyrics were so beautiful and romantic really. And no surprise it was bilingual.

The final song is So into You (only one remix). The original was featured on her Believe me single, more specifically the Japanese version. It’s a nice remix, pretty fast I guess, well not all that fast but faster than the previous songs. The lyrics were mostly Japanese with some occasional English as usual, and it was amazing. I guess you could say the music is pop, but it seems to feature some synth I guess, not heavily though. The chorus was very catchy too, it’s actually easy to get it stuck in your head, and it’s not so bad. I didn’t think it’d be all that good, but it was. I guess I’ll have to review Believe me, both versions now.

Overall Review: Next to You was honestly quite mediocre. I mean I liked it and all, but it didn’t blow me away like her other singles. It was all rather dull, and bland. I think that I actually liked the remix more, but maybe I’m more used to her later material like READY TO GO! and Lei Aloha. If the song was tweaked a little more I think it would’ve been more enjoyable. One thing I noticed is that this single began a new era and a new style of covers. It seems like each single features a different style for each album. Like how READY TO GO! featured rather new and flashy covers. These covers are more color oriented and more dirty looking, that’s the only word I can think of even though they’re not really dirty. Still not a bad way to begin the Be as One Era.

Final Grade: 93B+

READY TO GO! was melody.’s 3rd album. It was released on July 4, 2007 and reached no. 6 on the Oricon charts with 22,076 copies sold. In all this album has sold over 45,184+ copies. The album was released in a CD only and a limited edition CD+DVD edition. Only A-Sides from the singles were used, giving the album a total of 10 new tracks.

Tracks:
1. Finding My Road
2. with you
3. Love Story
4. All For Love
5. HOPE
6. Glory of Love
7. READY TO GO!
8. ONE DAY
9. Lovin’ U
10. REAL ME
11. ALL I DO
12. Shine
13. Dangerous

Review:
The album gets off to a very strong and fun start with Finding My Road. It was originally released as the second single in this album’s era, and it was one of her strongest too. It’s a very flashy song to say least, and features some amazing dance beats with some techno flare. It’s no shock that it features a great amount of English and Japanese. And it has to be one of her most memorable songs to date, mostly because it’s pretty fast and the incredible about of synth music that was used. That and that it’s so infectious and easy to remember; the melody is just so riveting. Such a spectacular opening song.

Slowing down a bit is the pop track with you. It’s not nearly as fast as the previous track but it’s just as good. The synth beats are enjoyable and all the claps don’t hurt. I loved the acoustic guitar during the bridge, along with how epic the climax was. Her vocals were pretty good too. The song wasn’t all super catchy, but it was nice and up-beat.

The next song is such a beautiful song, and one of her best ballads during this period. Love Story is just such a phenomenal ballad, that really allows melody. to show just how talented she is. Her vocals were incredible when she hit those high notes. And although it takes a while for the song to reach its best point, it’s certainly worth the weight. I couldn’t get enough of the instrumentals either. The piano, the acoustic guitar, and finally the strings were all so dramatic and epic together. It’s one of her most memorable songs in my opinion, and such an incredible one.

Picking up the pace is All For Love. I personally think that the song is very different from all of her previous songs so far. It features some rather unique strings that make the song sound fast. The vocals were great along with the lyrics, a combination of English and Japanese as usual. I did love the chorus of this song though, might have sounded a little odd, but with the English I really didn’t care. It was catchy in it’s own way, especially with the fast playing strings. I do think that the song could have overall been better, but it’s not the worse song out there. It just needs a little push in the right direction.

Electronica is the best way to describe HOPE. The slow moving beats caught my attention first, then the distorted vocals in English. And the mid-tempo music was pretty bland sadly, still very techno oriented. However the song did pick up a little in the tempo department, but it remained the same for the most part. But I just really didn’t like the song that much. There was hardly any change in the tone, well there was but it was minimal. When it did however, it was great. This song just needs a little more variety and needs to be a little more up-beat if possible.

Glory of Love is a cover of Peter Cetera’s 1986 hit song. Now because it’s from Peter Cetera I was expecting a great cover, much like Over The Rainbow. I haven’t heard the original, but I know that this cover changes the song completely, to go with the album naturally. Anyway the song features a rather catchy beat along with some nice acoustics and strings. That being said, the song has a distinct dance feel to it, especially since the song is faster paced than the original. The vocals were great, no shock there. But I really loved the chorus, it was so beautiful lyric wise. And it sounded so catchy, it’s amazing what some dance music can do. It’s not as good as the original, that’s for sure, but it’s a worthy cover no doubt.

Yet another song features all English lyrics and dance music, this time it’s the title track READY TO GO! That being said, it’s quite the title track. It has some amazing dance music that’s so infectious and amazingly good. Not only that, I loved how positive message was, along with the lyrics since no translation was needed. Initially the chorus might not sound all that exciting but after a few seconds it gets progressively better. But what I loved most were her impressive vocals, they were a highlight of the song. The music was pretty synth oriented, but there was some percussion along with the strings, the acoustic guitar, and electric guitar.

Another one of the all English tracks next, this one entitled ONE DAY. Although I haven’t heard all of her old material, the material that I have heard sounds familiar to this. It’s slower paced than the previous track and it’s abandoned that up-beat dance sound and has take on an R&B sound. The bridge was amazing, a nice slow playing guitar that wasn’t too overpowering. I even liked the beats, that were clapping I guess. Lyric wise this song was great, no problems.

Her first single in the READY TO GO! Era was Lovin’ U. I actually felt that it was one of the weakest of the singles, but it’s still good. It has that same R&B feel as the previous track, but this track is by far the superior. The lyrics are mostly Japanese with the occasional English, and they make for one great duo. And like Love Story, the song gets progressively better as it goes on. Although I have to admit that as far as how catchy it is, it’s not all that catchy. But I even began to love it, after a lot of listens though; just give this song a shot, it’s worth your time.

Now REAL ME is one of melody.’s oddest songs that I’ve heard before. It’s very fast paced, but I think the real root of this odd song is from the strings. Don’t get me wrong, I love them as much as the next person but they sound just plain weird. Despite that it gives the song a distinct unique feel to it. It sticks out as one of her newest tracks, that’s for sure. And the strings remind me a little of All For Love. Again I think this song needs some work, but I don’t think it’s the worst song. I just wish that it was a little catchier like some of her previous tracks.

I’m so glad to finally hear another ballad from melody., and ALL I DO doesn’t disappoint. The opening piano chords instantly caught my attention. It does follow some of the same steps as Love Story with slow placed music and quiet instrumentals. And thankfully melody. exhibits some strong and emotional vocals that really push the song in the right direction. No surprise that the chorus is so beautiful and epic. And the instrumentals were flawless, they sounded gorgeous and absolutely divine.

And we now come to yet another up-beat track, this time it’s Shine! I wasn’t too sure what to think of the beats initially, but i began to love it after they added some more instrumentals. It was very up-beat and just so sugary. It’s your basic average bubblegum pop song, that’s quite energetic and fun. The occasional synth beats weren’t bad either.

The final track on this album is the thumping Dangerous. The music and overall feel is very different from most of previous tracks on this album, but it still has a dance vibe thankfully. This song is also the final song to feature all English lyrics. The music is more aggressive being backed by techno and synth. As for the vocals, well they were great as ever. I especially loved the sporadic vocal distortions. What was even better was the chorus luckily, and it was catchy too. What an aggressive yet impressive way to end READY TO GO!

Overall Review: READY TO GO! was a infectious album. I really loved this album for the most part, there were no major flaws. The album’s theme was very dance oriented, and it was a great change from her previous album. One thing I wish was that the arrangement was better, I mean sometimes it just didn’t flow. And I also wished that she had some more ballads, especially since her ballads are phenomenal. I did love her English songs though, rather entertaining. Some of her new material was fantastic, and so fun. Another thing I loved about this album were the scans. Now her 4th album’s scans were very majestic and beautiful, but these scans are so flashy, futuristic, and shiny. All I can say is that this is one heck of an album.

Final Grade: 97A

Love Story was melody.’s 10th single. It was released on May 30, 2007 and reached number 21 on the charts. In all this single has sold 10,992+ over copies, making it her lowest selling single to date. This was the last single in the READY TO GO! Era.

Tracks:
1. Love Story
2. BoRn 2 luv U / melody. ♥ m-flo
3. Lovin’ U -Deckstream Remix-
4. Love Story (Instrumental)

Review:
I’ve haven’t heard many of melody.’s ballads, except for those featured on Lei Aloha, but I decided to give Love Story a chance. At first her vocals caught my attention, they impressed me from the start. The piano was playing so lovely was it sounded beautiful. And I loved how the music built up to the chorus. And the chorus was magnificent. Her vocals were amazing, and the music was perfect. I also loved the strings, they were classical yet so amazing. After while the ballad started to bore me, but towards the middle it exploded into an exhilarating ballad, the instrumentals were so amazing from there on. This is such a wonderful ballad from melody. hopefully a sign of what to come in the future.

The next track is sort of a cover, sort of. It’s basically a solo version of the song m-flo’s “STUCK IN YOUR LOVE” from there COSMICOLOR album, but it’s entitled BoRn 2 luv U. And as for the melody. ♥ m-flo, it’s just the opposite of m-flo ♥’s. Anyway I actually liked this song, there were some great opening beats and some great vocals. I didn’t really like verbal’s vocals but they weren’t too annoying. I loved the overall music of this song, and the hip/hop / R&B feel of it. The chorus was pretty good, no complains. I also loved how it featured a good amount of English. Not a bad B-Side at all.

Even though I liked Lovin’ U, I wasn’t a huge fan of it. And I wasn’t sure just how Lovin’ U -Deckstream Remix- would sound. This version however was actually an improvement from the original. The instrumentals sounded more mature and I loved the addition of the piano and brass. I didn’t like the additional vocals that much, but it’s tolerable. And I just loved this song!

Overall Review: Love Story was a delightful single. I loved how the title track was such a high-quality song! And the fact that it was a ballad didn’t hurt either. It just goes to show you just how talented melody. really is. As for the B-Sides, well even they were delightful. The first was a great one, featuring some signature R&B vibes; and latter was an amazing remix that was just so impressive. This is one single from melody. that I will love forever, especially since I loved every track on the single. And the cover was amazing too, I loved the water at the bottom, and how she looked above it, so Hawaiian! A spectacular way to end the READY TO GO! Era.

Final Grade: 100A+

Finding My Road was melody.’s 9th single. It was released on February 14, 2007 and reached number 13 on the charts. In all this single has sold over 17,594+ copies. It was also the second single in the READY TO GO! Era.

Tracks:
1. Finding My Road
2. fragile
3. My Dear
4. Finding My Road -SiZK “Water Drop Mix”-

Review:
I really fell in love with this song from the cover, and Finding My Road was surprisingly catchy. I was actually shocked to hear how good it was compared to her previous single. The first I noticed about this song was the electronic/dance/synth music it featured, but it was very light and the song still retained most of its pop genre. The song was very up-beat and quick paced, and that’s why I loved it. Not to mention the great vocals, and the English lyrics, especially the ” I WILL TRY TRY TRY YEAH” it was so catchy and so happy!!! And to top it all off the PV was very flashy, bright lights, incredible music, great dancing, and such great special effects.

The sadder of the featured songs on this single is definitely fragile. The thumping beats give it a nice sound, but it still sounds so sad and depressing. I did like the vocals however, now matter just how sad they sounded. Another thing was how the mood seemed to change during the chorus, it became a little lighter, and the vocals got better. But this song was just a little to slow for me.

I was hoping for another track like Finding My Road with My Dear, but I was disappointed. It has some nice pop elements but it’s a little too mature for your bubblegum pop. The mid-tempo aspect of it kind of confused me too. It just didn’t go to well with the music overall. And the vocals could’ve been better. But the chorus did sound nice, once the music picked up!

One of the worst remixes I’ve heard in a long time has got to be Finding My Road -SiZK “Water Drop Mix”-. This remix is so horrible, it makes me want to cry. From the distorted vocals that sound scary to the techno music it’s all so annoying.

Overall Review: Finding My Road was some superb flashy fantasy! I just loved how amazing this single was, well the title track. It was so amazing, and it sounded fantastic, and so up-beat! It was such a step-up from her previous single. I loved the cover and all the flashy, shiny lights, so sparkly, but in all seriousness this single was impressive. What a magnificent single for the READY TO GO! Era!!!

Final Grade: 91B

Lovin’ U was melody.’s 8h single. It was released on November 8, 2006 and reached number 16 on the charts and has sold over 15,434+ copies. This was also the first single in the READY TO GO! Era.

Tracks:
1. Lovin’ U
2. Our Journey
3. FEEL THE RUSH
4. FEEL THE RUSH (Junkie XL remix)

Review:
I honestly had no idea what to expect from Lovin’ U. But I found it to be a very calm song. It’s laid-back but it features some very nice yet slow dance beats. I just found this song to be so unique, no distinct genre. I did however love the lyrics, almost 50/50 between the Japanese and English. Another thing I loved were her vocals, they sounded so lovely, and so beautiful.

Our Journey is an English ballad, which shocked me. I was wondering why she sung it in all English rather than Japanese but that’s besides the point. It’s so beautiful, featuring the piano and an excellent use of the strings. But I LOVED the lyrics, they were incredible and so fantastic. Not a bad ballad at all.

If aggression and heavy techno beats are your thing you might like FEEL THE RUSH. I honestly didn’t like the music, it sounded a little too trashy for me, kinda of like a biker chick music, and some other bad stuff, point is it was bad. The English lyrics might have been good but I just didn’t like this song. The only good part was when the piano and strings were playing, and that was only for a while. I didn’t even like the distorted vocals.

I didn’t think they could have found a worse song, but with FEEL THE RUSH (Junkie XL remix) they’ve done it. I don’t care if it was featured on Need For Speed: Carbon, it was still bad. It was completely techno-ized, and there was a more trance feel to it, including the electronic beats. It’s just way to long and too annoying.

Overall Review: Lovin’ U started out great, but finished dead last. I did enjoy the title track, but I don’t think it was that strong overall. I loved the ballad though, very serene an beautiful. But I couldn’t stand that last two tracks. They were just too annoying and horrible. One nice thing about this single though was the cover. It was visually more appealing than her previous covers along with being more modern and futuristic, so that was plus. And interesting way to begin READY TO GO!

Final Grade: 94A-

Lei Aloha was melody.’s 4th studio album. It was released on April 9, 2008 and reached number 15 on the charts with 11,771 copies sold. In all this album has sold over 20,609+ copies. Now despite these low sales total one could say that it was expected. There was only one single released before the album, and virtually no promotions were done to my knowledge. Unlike her previous albums, there is only a CD version of this album, no CD+DVD version. This is also her lowest charting album to date.

Tracks:
1. Daybreak
2. Say Hello
3. Haruka (Eternal Version)
4. Peace Song
5. Never Goodbye
6. Memories in Time
7. HORIZON
8. Kiss away
9. Anata no Soba ni
10. No Return
11. Sunset Love
12. Beneath My Skin
13. DOOR
14. Paradise

Review:
Daybreak, the island introduction. This wonderful short, yet beautiful intro opens up this album. It begins with some silence, followed by a harp and ocean waves. Shortly afterwards, background vocals can be heard ad-libbing, then singing in some lovely voices, well they say a few words. Then it ends, and it’s very transitional for an intro. Keeps the whole island theme, so it’s quite nice.

Say Hello, the violin, island tune. After a thirty second instrumental, the chorus can be heard, which is surprisingly in features English. During the chorus an acoustic guitar can be heard and it gives the song that island feel, again it fits in the mood of the album. It moves faster as the song progresses, so that’s pretty good. It doesn’t start out so catchy, but towards the lower part of the middle, it begins to sound so catchy and so wonderful. I really loved how the violin’s played a major roll in the song, it made it sound so classical and so beautiful. Not a bad first new song on the album.

Haruka (Eternal Version), a new ending. Haruka was released as the only single of this album, and it ended up selling more copies than the album itself. Anyway, this song is similar to the original version with the exception of the ending, which was lengthened. It sounds so much better than the original, the music is breathtaking and it’s just so beautiful. There’s a choir in the background singing as the drums play, and you can even hear a violin. I love the whole “Stay together hand in hand,” part, it was just so lovely and inspirational. Anyway, for a short review. This song is a beautiful ballad, one of melody.’s best in my opinion. The chorus is filled with such emotion and power, the vocals fit so perfectly in this song with the music. This song is worthy of the title ballad.

Peace Song, the acoustic, English song. This song is sung in all English, and it’s the only one for that matter. But it’s also the shortest actual song on the album, but it’s still nice. It begins with an acoustic guitar playing, followed by melody.’s vocals. The verses could be better, but the chorus makes up for it. The chorus sounds so much better and the lyrical content is so much better. It might not make sense literally, but figuratively it’s deep. And finally, the vocals were great, and perfect English (I should hope so too because she was born in Hawaii).

Never Goodbye, up-beat island dreaming. This song is actually a nice change from all of her previous songs so far, mostly because it’s so up-beat. It begins with a synth-like opening followed by some background vocals, almost like a choir. From there the acoustic guitar and violins take over. melody. then begins to sing the first verse, which is yet again OK. But, the chorus was much better. It was so catchy and it flowed so smoothly. And some parts were and English, and that was really my favorite part. I loved the background vocals during the bridge, they sounded a little dark but they sounded so great.

Memories in Time, the piano backed interlude. Here we are at the first interlude, or second if you consider the first track an interlude. The lonely piano plays fairly slow in this song. Towards the half point, those same choir voices can be heard ab-libbing, and it’s quite pleasant too. A fine interlude, but that’s about it.

HORIZON, the ethereal ballad. When I first heard this song, namely the beginning, I thought I was about to hear Vanessa William’s Save the Best for Last, but it changed so I was happy that it was going to be original. But this song is original by every sense of the word. I’ve never heard a song from melody. like this at all. It’s a ballad, but features ethereal music, and little vocals distortions. melody.’s vocals were able to reach both the high and low notes, that takes talent and she’s got it. I really loved how the chorus was so mesmerizing in how it was sung and how it sounded. It sounded almost heavenly during some points. This is probably the best song on the album.

Kiss away, unique bagpipes? The song begins with odd sounding bagpipes playing, then the first verse begins. It sounds a little catchy, with the few beats. It’s quite up-beat and it’s not half bad. The chorus sounds almost epic with the climax, and with the great vocals. It’s pretty catchy for the most part, and even those bagpipes sound nice. This song wasn’t what I was expecting, it’s actually much better.

Anata no Soba ni, lit. By Your Side. This song is mostly a ballad, with the exception of the chorus, which sounds more rock influenced. A little toy piano, followed by an electric guitar opens up this song. Then melody. begins to sing. Her vocals sound great in this song, and the music really complements it. The verses seemed to get better as they progressed. But as always, the chorus was outstanding. The electric guitar was used to open it up, and a wise choice. It was even a little catchy, but her vocals were the main highlight, especially when she sang the first few words.

No Return, getting back to dance/pop roots. The sound of a xylophone playing in the most unique pattern opens up the song, followed by the some soft vocals. From there the song takes a turn and becomes very up-beat and fast, almost dance like, but very pop. The verses here seem a little bland, but those background vocals make it sound a little better. The chorus is catchy, to some extent but it’s doesn’t stick out that much. I think the best part was the violins playing. This song kinda sticks out like a sore thumb with all the ballads and island sounding songs.

Sunset Love, the calm interlude. Yet again we have another interlude, are we listening to GUILTY? This interlude is very island oriented, and it’s very calm. It’s almost like music you’d hear at a spa, well a tropical one. The harp was the main instrumental and melody. ad-libbed in the background. Not a bad interlude.

Beneath My Skin, up-beat acoustic happiness. This song was apparently composed by Dai Nagao, the composer for Do As Infinity. At first a beautiful piano opens up the song, followed shortly by an orchestra of violins. Then the violins die down and melody. begins to sing. Again, the verses really don’t jump out at you that much, but that’s not really a shock. Here, the chorus really outshines everything. I loved how it used some English, and how it sounded so up-beat, so lighthearted, and catchy at some points. And it really flowed together so well, the music made it sound great. The acoustics gave it that infamous island sound, and it’s just overall a great song.

DOOR, the acoustic tune. At first it sounded like a guitar opened up this song, either that or it’s an acoustic instrument. Either way it was a nice opening. melody.’s vocals here were pleasant in most cases, and they were really strong throughout the song. The verses were so-so to say the least. But the chorus, well it wasn’t that great I felt. I didn’t find it catchy at all, even with the English. I felt as if I had heard the whole song within one minute, it just felt so repetitive for a song. It could’ve been better, but it could’ve been worse.

Paradise, the acoustic ending. Finally after so many songs, we have another ballad, and just in time too. melody.’s vocals were so beautiful in this song, a real treat. The steady acoustic guitar played throughout most of the song. The verses even managed to sound so sweet and great. The chorus was so lovely, especially how she sung the first few words, lengthening them really and they sounded so much better. And the whole “aloha o’e” during the chorus was just so beautiful, it almost made me cry. What a phenomenal ending for a phenomenal album.

Overall Review: Lei Aloha was an island paradise, full of peace and tranquility. I felt that all of the songs really fit the theme of the album, which was “bonds.” I thought that this album is such a step up from her previous album. All of the songs seemed to have a deeper, more profound meaning. This might alienate some fans, but when you look at the overall theme and meanings you’ll see that it’s worth a listen. This is her best album to date in my opinion. You couldn’t have asked for a better fourth album.

Final Grade: 97A

Haruka was melody.’s 11th single. It was released on February 13, 2008 and reached number 10 on the charts with 13,554 copies sold. In all this single has sold over 38,636+ copies, which is more than her newest album sadly. The title track, Haruka, was used as the theme song for the TBS drama Daisuki!! The third trach That’s The Way It Is was originally supposed to be on TRIBUTE TO CELINE DION, but was removed for some unknown reason. This was also the first and the last single in the Lei Aloha Era.

Tracks:
1. Haruka
2. Plumeria
3. That’s The Way It Is
4. Haruka (Instrumental)

Review:
Haruka, lit. Distant Flower, the emotional ballad. Now some of you might now this, but melody. originally lived in Hawaii before moving to Japan; this song reflects who she was before that along with the people and things she can’t live without, so therefore you know it’s going to be deep. A beautiful acoustic guitar, accompanied by the piano opens up this song, later the guitar gets stronger. Then melody. comes in and starts singing in some great, and emotionally driven vocals, even in the verses. The chorus then comes, here her vocals sound monotone just a tad, but they still sound so beautiful and so full of emotion. The guitar plays a key roll during the chorus, along with the violins. Now even though the chorus isn’t that catchy, it’s still fantastic. The song then continues on from verse to chorus. The ending of this song, is all right, but there is a better one out there. Anyway, the acoustic guitar plays slowly along with the violins until the music fades away. I haven’t heard this song until now, so it’s fairly new to me, but I must admit that it’s pretty good.

Plumeria, acoustic happiness. In case you were wondering, a plumeria is a flower indigenous to Hawaii. The music is quite refreshing, and very island oriented, well acoustic really, but it has that island feel. The beautiful sound of an acoustic guitar along with melody. ad-libbing begins the song, followed by some background vocals. Then melody. begins to sing in some great vocals, English and Japanese, and I especially love the beats playing while she sings, and the violins too. Then the chorus makes its debut and surprisingly it’s very happy, and up-beat. It doesn’t sound sad, the vocals are great, English and Japanese, and it’s even catchy. It must be those great vocals, and acoustic guitar. The song ends with the final chorus, followed by some strings in the background, then some more ad-libbing. Not a bad B-Side.

That’s The Way It Is, a cover from the Canadian Superstar. This song is a cover song of the original version sung by the world famous Celine Dion, and if you don’t know who she is you need to watch Titanic, or listen to some older music, no offense to anyone. And I’m sure as many of you know, this song is sung entirely in English. This song begins with a rendition of the violins playing ever so beautifully, followed by a few more instrumentals before the song gets the great melody. Then melody. begins to sing in English, a great change, but I do wish that it was a bit better, well the vocals I guess. The verses here sound so beautiful and so nostalgic, it’s almost perfection. But when she begins to sing that infamous chorus, her vocals sound so magical, and her English is perfect. I love the chorus because it’s so catchy and the instrumentals make it even better. Now I not a big Celine Dion fan but I do love a lot of her best known hits, and this is one of them. Despite a few differences in the music, and the power in the vocals, I believe that melody. did a great cover and does this song justice.

Overall Review: Haruka was a bright, shining superb single. I found the title track to be so deep and emotionally driven, you can’t help but like. The first B-Side was so great, it’s perfect, especially after a deep and almost sad song. But one of the best touches was the cover song. This, besides the title track, is the highlight of the single. melody. has really been coming out with some great material lately. An intoxicating way to begin and end the Lei Aloha Era.

Final Grade: 97A