KiSS KiSS xxx was MiChi’s 3rd single. It was released on May 27, 2009.

Tracks:
1. KiSS KiSS xxx
2. WoNDeRLaND?
3. Smells Like Teen Spirit
4. ChaNge the WoRLd [remix]

Review:
MiChi was on a roll for a sec but honestly, she’s fallen just a tad with KiSS KiSS xxx. I do like this song but it’s just so repetitive and similar to her previous single. She’s still focusing on dance/synth pop which is one of my favorite things about her. Not surprising she uses a lot of English throughout the song. And as always her vocals are crisp and clear. As far as music goes, there’s a few guitar riffs, keyboard etc, basically synth pop. I’m not all that thrilled with the melody overall though, it’s not the most exciting thing. But I did love the bridge, lots of soft English lyrics. She could’ve done worse, but I wish she did better.

How you’d describe WoNDeRLaND? is beyond me. The harmonica and acoustics make it sound country but there are still some synth pop/rock elements, still so abstract and…unique. There’s really nothing to special about this song, not even her vocals sound all that great. It just moves a little too slow for me.

I’ve heard references to the this song but I’ve never actually heard it, call me uncultured if you will. MiChi is actually covering Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. The original was pretty much a rock song I’m guess and this song sticks to the original I guess, not sure about sound but genre wise it does. The song sounds rather dark and dreary but it’s from Nirvana. Her English is great but her vocals are drowned out a tad by the music.

I honestly have no clue what she was thinking when she had this remix placed on this single. I loved the original version of ChaNge the WoRLd but this remix has killed it. There are a lot more distortions, lots of synth/techno/electronica and even some background vocals. It almost sounds like something from Ayu’s NEXT LEVEL with all the electronic music. The point is, it SUCKS. It’s become way too choppy and way too annoying.

Overall Grade: KiSS KiSS xxx was EPiC fAilUre, okay not really but it was a step back. I like that she’s continuing the trend of synth pop because it’s what she does best. However she does need to give it some variety, I mean her last three singles are essentially the same when it comes to sound, and even lyrics give or take. She just needs to come up with something new. And honestly her B-Sides suck this time. The cover was so-so not all that exuberant, and the remix was just horrible. Perhaps her next single will bring us something better.

Final Grade

ChaNge the WoRLd was MiChi’s 2nd single. It was released on February 28, 2009 and reached no. 19 on the Oricon Charts with 6,998 copies sold. The title track was used as the opening theme song for the drama Kiina.

Tracks:
1. ChaNge the WoRLd
2. One Of A Kind
3. PROMiSE (Smart Sports ver.)
3. HEy GirL (XB remix)

Review:
It’s been a while but MiChi is back and she doesn’t fail to impress with ChaNge the WoRLd. This effervescent little number is a mixture of synth pop and rock, making it pretty infectious. The electric guitar is just amazing, but then again so is the percussion, I’d still have to say that I love all the electronic elements the best. As usual the chorus is the most infectious and memorable part of the song, and it still features a boatload of English, that’s English with an L. But I guess it helps when you’re bilingual. The melody is by far one of the catchiest things I’ve heard in a while, truly exciting and energetic. MiChi’s vocals were refreshing even with the slight distortions, although not nearly as heavy as before. I have to admit that I loved the English during the last part of the song, maybe even more than the chorus.

I’ve honestly never been a fan of MiChi’s B-Sides and I really don’t seem to enjoy One Of A Kind all that much. MiChi seems to abandon her synth pop genre and ventures into the synth rock genre. There’s still a little pop flavor to the song, but it’s not as enjoyable. The electric guitar sounded pretty boring too sadly. The distorted vocals were a bit too much, and not even the English saved it. The melody wasn’t all that catchy either unfortunately. This song is somewhat of a letdown.

We now have the Smart Sports ver. of PROMiSE. I LOVED her debut single, mostly because of PROMiSE. It’s energetic, and so so amazing. The original was a heavily synth influenced song, but this version takes that away. Instead of being synth pop, it’s more acoustic and guitar based. That’s not necessarily bad, but honestly it’s not all that good either. Sure there are less distortions and you can hear more of her vocals, but it removes a lot of the fun, and sadly the song has become more repetitive.

The XB remix of HEy GirL also appears on this single. I wasn’t a big fan of the original version, and I’m not a fan of this remix. It’s made the song more dance friendly, but it’s added some annoying beats and ad-libbing. Her English is great as always but the song is still a little too boring for me. She’s made a worthy attempt to make the song more enjoyable which is good. At least is got better towards the end though.

Overall Review: ChaNge the WoRLd was synth pop perfection! MiChi is truly an amazing artist when it comes to the dance / synth pop genre. It’s obvious that her English is good, so that helps with the infectiousness. The title track was really good, a worthy follow up to PROMiSE, although honestly I don’t think it’s as good. It has the potential, but it’s ultimately lacking that impressive WOW factor. The B-Side isn’t all that exciting for the most part. The remixes were a little disappointing, but the songs overall sound good, just not mind blowing or explosive. A worthy follow up that falls short sadly.

Final Grade: 88B

PROMiSE was MiChi’s debut single, although she has released an EP so it could be her second, but for reviewing it will be her first. It was released on October 22, 2008 and reached number 12 on the charts with 10,743 copies sold. In all this single has sold over 24,783+ copies. The title track was used in an au Smart Spots CM. Anyway time for some background information: MiChi is part British and Japanese, she was born in Britain in 1985. She moved to Japan at the age of two before she returned to Britain in 1995. Hence her being bilingual, similar to Hikki. She returned to Japan when she was 18 and began to work with producer Tomokazu Matsuzawa. She later entered Japan’s dance scene and in 2007 released “Surrender” for a dance compilation. And in 2008 she released an EP called MiChi MadNesS, which I hope to review.

Tracks:
1. PROMiSE
2. HEy GirL
3. Sk8er Boi
4. Fuck You And Your Money (ED BANGER ALL STARS remix)

Review:
MiChi’s true debut song under SONY is PROMiSE. And I can honestly say that this is one of the freshest debuts in ages, well dance artists anyway. Then again I seem to love just about all the artists I hear for the most part. Anyway, this song is an optimistic dance tune that utilizes some heavy techno/synth beats and obviously dance/synth music. Besides that though, the instrumentals include the electric guitar, the drums, keyboard, and some other minor instruments. Oddly enough, the verses are really bilingual and I mean it’s almost half and half. And the lines right before the chorus are distorted in a good way, but it’s long. However, despite it being long it’s nice, especially the lyrics “God, Life, Trust” it’s pretty up-beat. And the chorus is a total mind blower. The guitar and keyboard come out in full force with the synth elements to make one hell of a combination. Her vocals sound refreshing and I loved how the lyrics were bilingual yet again. It’s pretty infectious and so addictive. It’s truly an awesome thing to hear. And during the bridge, I loved how there were no instrumentals, just MiChi singing. But during the final chorus there was some great ad-libbing. But her ad-libbing was a lot better towards the end, well either that of her singing was, either way it’s amazing.

A little more hip-hop inspired is HEy GirL. But while it’s hip-hop oriented, there are still some dance elements present. The lyrics are bilingual, and it continues to work for MiChi. The verses might not be all that exciting, but they do sound nice. However, the chorus wasn’t all that much better either. You could tell where it was, but the climax beforehand wasn’t all that great. It was somewhat catchy, but not to the extent of the previous song.

Much like some bilingual artists, there’s either a cover or an all English song, and this time it’s the cover song Sk8er Boi. This is a cover of the song made famous by Avril Lavigne back in 2002. I can’t remember exactly all the details of the original, but I know that this version is a lot different. There are more dance/synth elements rather than rock. The heavy music was pretty good and it went well with MiChi’s vocals, and the guitars. MiChi’s English was perfect, no Engrish, but she’s bilingual so it figures. It’s a pretty nice cover.

Last is Fuck You And Your Money (ED BANGER ALL STARS remix). The original was on her EP and it’s really good. However this remix isn’t all that great. It distorts everything and adds in annoying beeps and distortions. It takes the fun out of the song. But at least it keeps with the dance theme, somewhat.

Overall Review: PROMiSE was a stellar dance debut. MiChi is quite the young, hot, new dance artist. I can tell that she’ll be big in the future, especially if SONY continues to promote her. And it’s nice to hear another bilingual artist that has her own genre, in this case dance. It’s no wonder why she exploded on the dance scene so impressively. She’s an amazing artist with such a bright future. And if she can pull something like PROMiSE again, she’ll be racking up sales. Anyway, I loved this single, it was new, fresh, and impressive. What a great way to begin her debut.

Final Grade: 97A