make a secret was BoA’s 16th single. It was released on August 31, 2005 and reached number 5 on the charts. In all this single has sold over 54,000+ copies. The title track was used for a Kose Fasio commercial, and although the title track was promoted, the B-side won more acclaim and praise from fans. This is the second single in the OUTGROW Era.

Tracks:
1. make a secret
2. LONG TIME NO SEE
3. make a secret (Instrumental)
4. LONG TIME NO SEE (Instrumental)

Review:
make a secret, the slow paced R&B tune. Well after DO THE MOTION, I was expecting somewhat of a followup. This song however was somewhat of a step back. It begins all slow and laid-back, like an R&B song, but there’s just no power in BoA’s vocals. The verses were very dull to say the least, and not very enjoyable. The chorus was dreadful and it was not catchy at all, I almost wanted to cry at how bad it was. There was hardly a climax and it was just so so dull. The English here did nothing for the song either, it might have actually backfired on BoA. This song is just so bad to say the least.

LONG TIME NO SEE, sweet simplicity. This song begins with some very light music, almost similar to that of the opening of the anime Fruits Basket. Then BoA begins to sing in some very nice and soft vocals. Then some drops start to hear in the background, followed by the acoustic guitar. From there the song becomes more enjoyable and more happy. Although the chorus is very short, and not that catchy, it’s still quite lovely and cute in a way. It’s a big improvement from the previous song. It’s definitely on the softer and on the cuter side.

Overall Review: make a secret was a dreadful single to say the least. The only thing that made this single worthwhile was the B-Side. Honestly after I heard DO THE MOTION, I was expecting a little a step up, or something like a predecessor, but this single was such a step down. BoA has got to come out with some better singles. I can see how this single sold so little, especially with the horrible A-Side. From the cover I expected a little something more, but all I got was disappointed. A lackluster single for the OUTGROW Era.

Final Grade: 78C-

Neva Eva was Hitomi Shimatani’s 25th single. It was released on June 6, 2007 and reached number 22 on the charts with 6,055 copies sold. In all this single has sold over 8,175+ copies. The title track was used as the opening theme song for the Nippon TV Wrestling 2007. This was also the first single in the Flare Era.

Tracks:
1. Neva Eva
2. Hakuchuumu
3. Neva Eva (Instrumental)
4. Hakuchuumu (Instrumental)

Review:
Neva Eva, the upbeat brass tune. This upbeat tune begins right away with some brass instruments and what appears to be some drum beats, and something that sounds like a small drum beat; and in all the commotion it sounds like there’s a bit of running going on; must be the fast music. Anyway after wards Hitomi begins to sing, in some darn good vocals. As she sings the music seems to accompany her and that awesome voice of hers, and the music builds up till the chorus starts to create a fun and great climax. The verses were rather enjoyable, but once again the chorus out-shined it all. The chorus was very up-beat, happy, fast, and so so fun, summer-esque if you will. And those instrumentals reinforce that. The bridge sounded a little like a jazz fest with all the brass until the other instrumentals arrive, still very nice. This song wasn’t half bad.

Hakuchuumu lit. Daydream, the island inspiration. Like the previous song this one begins right off, but this time with a heavy island vibe, made very powerful by the drums and instruments. And her vocals start just as soon as it started, and they’re a little stronger here in this song. As the verses progress they begin to sound better, in preparation for the chorus. The chorus was slow moving but it still sounded good, again the brass instruments were present giving it some jazz flare. I loved how she managed to use a little English and the fact that it was so dance like, well an island dance really. You could really feel the beats in this laid-back song.

Overall Review: Neva Eva was brass bursting with pure excitement! This is the first time I’ve seen Hitomi use the brass section so excessively and so flawlessly. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time listening to both songs. One the one hand you have a fast paced brass tune, on the other a laid back brass, island song. But overall this has got to be one of her more enjoyable singles, especially for a summer one, a fun and entertaining way to begin the Flare Era.

Final Grade: 100A+

Well I hope that you all liked the first part of this article. I had fun writing it and I didn’t have time to finish it so here’s hopefully the last part. This section will cover a little more of BoA and will include Namie Amuro, Koda Kumi, and even Ai Otsuka. So get ready everyone for Part 2.

BoA is back up!

MADE IN TWENTY(20) - BoA

This little number was BoA’s 5th studio album, and yet another no. 1 hit. But what’s a little more interesting was the title. I mean where did the title come from, there’s no title track on the album, so it must be either spur of the moment, or just some title. But I guess this could be spur of the moment, but I think the title’s a little more than that. From the name it’s a little more personal, and there’s a little less restraint. I mean I guess this was to celebrate her 20th birthday, and a way to express her happiness, and how well she has it. This album also features some more R&B oriented tracks, and it’s a little more adult compared to her previous album. I really didn’t like this album that much but I must admit that she did put a little bit of herself into this album so that was nice. Overall though, it’s really to express herself as she has it made in twenty.

Queen of comebacks, Nami is here!

Queen of Hip-Pop - Namie Amuro

This album was considered her “comeback” album as it outsold her previous album, but I really think that PLAY was her comeback, but I won’t get into that. Anyway, this album comes from one on the tracks on the album, the very first one actually. Her previous album was all about her new style and such, this one was more about her defining herself. It’s almost as if she proclaimed herself the queen of her new found style, rather than a novice. I felt that this was a step up from STYLE and it was more edgier and more mature. As for the title track, it was edgy, powerful, and so so addicting. She’s definitely the Queen of Hip-Pop.

STYLE - Namie Amuro

After a three year period without a studio album, and her SUITE CHIC project, she released this album, her first venture into urban music. This album was a real defining album, she shed her pop-idol image and became a sexy, mature, urban adult. No more were her simplistic songs pop, instead she became immersed into the world of R&B and urban music. Despite this album not doing as well, and becoming her lowest selling studio album, it defined Namie as an urban artist, and put her back on track to regaining prominence. As for the title track, really called Namie’s Style, well it was very heavy in urban and hip-hop music. It wasn’t great, but I guess that was Namie for you.

Let’s not forget about the singer/songwriter Ai-Chan!

LOVE PiECE - Ai Otsuka

LOVE PiECE, another one of Ai’s wonderful albums. It was her fourth studio album and another album to include that infamous LOVE in the title. But like her previous albums, there was no title track. But I guess the title is all about PiECE, like from a puzzle. As you can see, the cover is made of six different sections, each a different color piece. There was a photobook with the album that included many photos with six different background and outfits, and each one was used to creat the cover, essentially creating a puzzle with different pieces. And album wise, there were many different genres in this album, each like a puzzule piece adding its own unique touch to the final puzzule, or in this case album.

LOVE COOK - Ai Otsuka

This album’s title was a little more on the personal note, well once you understand how she came up with it. But as always there’s that infamous LOVE part, but this time the second part is COOK. But why is that??? It turns out that her birthday is September 9 (9月9日), and that’s where the whole COOK came from. She revealed on Music Station that her birthday gave the title to the album. Anyway as for the explanation, it turns out that in Japanese 9月9 is read as kukku (クック), which corresponds to COOK. A cute and creative title, Ai-Chan is so cute!

But wait, aren’t we missing someone, like the new diva of AVEX, Kuu-chan.

Kingdom - Koda Kumi

After her best selling studio album and a year of entertaining singles, Kingdom was released. It was thought to sell out like hotcakes after the album was heavily promoted, many advertisements for Kumi, and the fact that there were PVs for every single song. But, due to a little controversy it almost became a flop, selling less than her previous studio album by about half the sales. But there’s no denying that this was a good album, but the real question is where did Kingdom come from. As she hasn’t said anything about it, all you can do is guess. Maybe she thought that she was becoming the next big thing, and that she’d even replace Ayu, making Avex her Kingdom, or even rhythm zone for that matter. And as for the title track, well all we got was a preview, and from that it sounded like a love song with a little jazz. Not much to add I guess, we’ll have to wait and see how the title track plays out in the future.

Black Cherry - Koda Kumi

Black Cherry, this album is what you could consider to be her biggest hit, well studio album wise. It was no. 2 on the yearly charts and it came in no. 1 for 4 straight weeks after its release. This is her best selling studio album to date, and the quality shows. But the real question is where on earth did the title come from. Prior to the album there was one final single released and it was Cherry Girl / Unmei and it was used to promote or push the album as the lead single you could say. And there was even a drama for it, I’m guessing to further promote the album the name Black Cherry was chosen, to go with the Cherry Girl. That’s my theory, but you’re free to voice your own. As for the title track, well it wasn’t released until Kingdom. It was very urban and almost R&B like, point is it was good. There was a lot of English envolved but at the end it got scary, but it did reflect the album’s mood if you wil; it was very new, sensational, and urban , almost pop even.

*DONE*

That concludes What’s In An Album Title??? Part 2. I hope you all enjoyed it, I had a fun time writing it. But before I go, there’are a few more things I’d like to say. One thing that I’ve noticed with the album titles and such is that usually with your songwriters/singers like Hikki, Ayu, and Ai, the titles are a little more personal and a little more thought out. Now that’s not always the case but that’s what it looks like. And as for those that just sing, like Kumi, BoA, and Namie, it seems that usually title’s are chosen for promotions or even just spur of the moment, with no real thought out reasons in some cases. But either way the titles usually reflect something about the artists, whether it be how they are, or even how they’re feeling. Thanks again for reading. Maybe I’ll do a part 3 later in the year, who knows I still have a lot more album titles to discuse with you all.

Believe was Tamaki Nami’s debut single. It was released on April 23, 2003 and reached number 6 on the charts. In all this single has sold over 194,167+ copies. Nami was chosen out of 5,000 contestants for a SONY star search. At the time of the release Nami was only 15; the title track is best known for being the 3rd opening track for Gundam SEED, and that’s what skyrocketed her to stardom. The first press edition came with a Kira Yamato labeled CD. This is the first single in the Greeting Era.

Tracks:
1. Believe
2. Complete
3. Can you feel my love
4. Believe -Instrumental-

Review:
Believe, the infectious techno track. The song begins with some fast moving music, followed by a guitar playing that seems to blend in followed by some more infectious dance music. After a nice interlude of music, Nami begins to sing. Her vocals are pretty good, but they’re nothing out of the ordinary. But the music makes up for that, and she even manages to make the verses sound nice. And I love how the climax builds till the chorus comes up. When it begins you hear such a force of addictive techno music, followed by Nami’s great vocals, the echoes were genius. The guitars play periodically as the music steadily flows. A really love how the chorus was so fast, so furious, and so so addicting, a lethal combination. The bridge was techno music and the guitar playing so fearlessly. I must admit that I loved the chorus after the bridge, there was no music until it built up momentum, and then BOOM, big finish.

Complete, the guitar addict. This song begins with some guitar riffs, and some very weird background English vocals, and then Nami begins to sing. When she ad-libs it’s tolerable but it still sounds so weird. The verses weren’t that thrilling and the same goes with the chorus. The English backfired here. This song is pure B-Side material, and not that great. Skip to the next song.

Can you feel my love, the laid-back sweet song. The sounds of an acoustic guitar open up this song, followed by Nami singing in some very nice vocals. The song is laid-back but Nami’s vocals are steady. The verses here are slow and a little dull. Things don’t get interesting until the chorus. The chorus moves a little faster than the verses and they’re a little more exciting. Things however don’t get interesting until the ending when she sings in English. Why must this be another B-Side sounding song???

Overall Review: Believe was supreme techno prominence, with a few minor distractions. I was really blown away by this single, there aren’t that many good dance singles out there that are as good as this one. And the fact that it was used in a cool anime was even better. The single would’ve been a lot better if there were better tracks besides the title track. Still you can’t deny that this single is good, after all it helped skyrocket her popularity. An impressive way to begin the Greeting Era.

Final Grade: 94A-

This post is somewhat of a filler post I guess, as I don’t feel like reviewing anything today really. But it is a little interesting. And after reading Stereo Love’s blog it made me want to do some post like this. So here it is:

What’s in an album title? This little article will focus on the title of albums, whether it come from a song on the album, or whether it’s just out of the blue; and also what it reveals about the title track and whether it was good or not. The real question however is is it pure driven emotion, just some title, spur of the moment, or perhaps some insight? But either way there’s a reason behind it, whether it’s obvious or not. Now for some artists, the album may come from their company, however absurd that might sound; but for some have more deeper, hidden reasons. But for now, we’ll review some basic reasons, and my thoughts.
First up is Hikki!

Heart Station - Utada Hikaru

Well we all know about this little gem, right? It was Hikki’s 5th Japanese studio album. But more importantly it was named after the song off a single of her previous single. And it’s a very good title. As the lyrics mention receiving frequencies of the heart, it gives the album a personal feel. However, I personally think she was trying to express her feelings threw the music, especially about the divorce with he ex. But I guess it also symbolizes a new beginning for Hikki. Anyway Hikki mentioned that Heart Station was a good name for the album because it was the overall feel. Either way it was a fitting name. And on a last small note, the song was fantastic and one of the best allusions.

Ultra Blue - Utada Hikaru

Originally released as her 4th Japanese studio albu,m this has been the only Japanese album to not the album name, full name, to come from an song. Anyway, to the title, i’m not sure whether it was actually from emotions or anything, but my guess it was named after her favorite color, which is BLUE, and the name of one of the songs. And when she was asked a question on what her favorite color was she said it was blue, and as for the ultra part, she said that blue sounded so lonely and it didn’t specify a blue, so she then added the ultra, and there you have it. As for the song BLUE, it was pretty good, sweet, and so simple.

Exodus - Utada Hikaru

Hikki’s first full English album, well once she reached stardom. But this album really gave Hikki a chance to express herself. As for the title, like Ultra Blue, it came from a song, or in this case it was a part of the song. In order to make the album, she moved to New York to record it. An exodus is moving from one area from another, often forced to for some reason. Now in her song, Exodus 04, she sings of moving from Tokyo to a new place, New York in real life. The point was this was journey for her in many ways, and it seems to have been successful. I’d like to say that the title wasn’t really just spur of the moment, it was emotional and nice too.

Time for Ayumi!

Secret - Ayumi Hamasaki

Here we have Ayumi Hamasaki’s 8th studio album. After only a few singles, two really, this once mini-album was turned studio album. Now this album is named after one of the last tracks on this album. I personally don’t think that the title track was that phenomenal but it was good, but the album was nothing short of genius. As for the title, well Ayumi stated that she wanted people to feel that they knew her better, like they knew her secret, which is very personal and lovely. I do think that it affected this album a little bit, especially with the first track, mentioning miracles and secrets. Overall, it was an attempt for her to become more well known with her fans, if that’s possible, but it was nice and very personal, go Ayumi!

Memorial address - Ayumi Hamasaki

Well, even though I said album, i think that this mini album would be a good example of what’s in an album title. This was Ayumi’s first mini-album under AVEX, and it’s a pretty darn good one at that. Anyway, this mini-album had a lot of dark inspired and sadder songs featured, most would be added to her latests A BEST 2 albums. But this album was really about how Ayumi was feeling about her father, who left her and her mother. And that’s really a lot of emotion was put into here, especially with forgiveness, Because of You, and finally Memorial address. And it was really moving and very emotion driven and very sad when you think about it. But the title did fit the album in this case.

GUILTY - Ayumi Hamasaki

Guilty was Ayumi’s latest studio album and her latest venture into music, really rock, but music will do. This album was very emotional, especially with the last song being, and considering the album was dedicated to a friend of hers. I have no clue whether or not Ayumi felt guilty, but that was the title track and one of the songs on the album. As for the song, i felt it lacked a lot, emotion, power, and climax, but it made you feel so sad and sorry. And that’s what you feel when you’re guilty, right? I did feel that this was one of her most powerful albums to date. This album was very heart wrenching and very sad once you when hear it all, and the lyrics. You might find yourself feeling a little Guilty with this album and it’s title. But the last track was really what defined the album, rather than the title track.

BoA is up!

THE FACE - BoA

BoA’s 6th Japanese studio album and and another no. 1 album. This album is really different compared to the previous albums above. I mean there was no title track here whatsoever. However, this was a little more expressive. The album contained many different types of genres of music, song wise. And it seemed to be a little more personal for BoA. But it was a chance to know the many faces of BoA, hence the title I think. It was pretty good, but I guess it was spur of the moment. Not much to add besides that.

That concludes this section of What’s In An Album Title??? Check back later for part 2!

I believe was ayaka’s debut single. It was released on February 1, 2006 and reached number 3 on the charts. In all this single has sold over 236,012+ copies. This is the highest ranking debut single for a singer/songwriter since Utada Hikaru’s Automatic / time will tell, and it’s pretty obvisous why this single did so well. The title track was the theme song to the TBS drama Rondo. An English version of the title track was recorded but never released, until her second studio album Sing to the Sky. This marks the first single in the First Message Era.

Tracks:
1. I believe
2. Yume no Kakera
3. I believe (Inst.)

Review:
I believe, the powerful ballad. This song, as mentioned, is a ballad, and a darn good one at that. The song begins with a piano followed by the strings, and the combination is rather remarkable. After that ayaka begins to sing, in some of the freshest, best vocals that I’ve heard some an artist in a long time. Despite the verses normally being dull, here they were so beautiful, and that’s mostly due to ayaka’s deep vocals. The song at this points sounds a little sad, and it almost makes you want to cry but then as she begins the chorus the song begins to sound so epic and hopeful, as if there’s really a light at the end of the tunnel. The way she sings it almost brings tears to your eyes, and what’s even better is her English, thank you for not butchering it. And when she sings that final chorus, it just sounds so heavenly and it becomes a real tearjerker. I must admit that this is one of the best debuting singles from 2006, and one of the best ballads that I’ve heard, mostly due to its originality.

Yume no Kakera lit. Broken Pieces of Dreams. After that heart wrenching ballad, we have a softer song. It begins with an acoustic guitar followed by some vocals by ayaka. This song is rather uplifting after that sad sad song, and it’s a nice change. It’s very catchy at few points and very upbeat. I really love the acoustic feel of it and the chorus. The chorus was fun and somewhat energetic. But what I loved most about it was the quality was so good; this could have been an A-Side it was so good.

Overall Review: I believe was nothing short of a miracle. This single is one of the freshest debuting singles of 2006, notice I say 2006 because this year there have been plenty of fantastic debuting artists. Anway this single is a MUST HEAR, it’s just so powerful and so phenomenal. The title track was so moving and epic and the B-Side was rather enjoyable and A-Side material. What a superb and euphonious way to begin to First Message Era.

Final Grade: 100A+

DO THE MOTION was BoA’s 15th single. It was released on March 30, 2005 and reached number 1 on the charts. In all this single has sold over 169,542+ copies. This became BoA’s first number 1 single and made her the fifth non-Japanese singer to have a #1 single. This was also the first single in the OUTGROW Era.

Tracks:
1. DO THE MOTION
2. With U
3. Kimi no Tonari de
4. DO THE MOTION (TV MIX)
5. With U (TV MIX)
6. Kimi no Tonari de (TV MIX)

Review:
DO THE MOTION, smooth jazz with a hint of pop. Well one word that come to mind when i think of this song is “Damn.” This song was so different compared to songs that BoA had did and it worked for her so well. It has a jazz vibe with the music yet still keeps its pop roots. I love how BoA ad-libs in the beginning of the song and just how well she sounds throughout the song. The verses were amazingly catchy and with those impressive vocals she mastered it. The chorus was infectiously addicting as the instrumentals take you back to a different time, and her English was so good, a first it seems. This song is just so mind blowing and fantastic.

With U, the magical song. Magical in the music sense, the song…not so much. With a lovely orchestra of violins, playing some old Disney feeling music, later replaced by some R&B like beats, the song begins. BoA then begins to sing in that lovely voice of hers. From there the vibe of the music is very laid-back and those drums in the background really add to it. The verses were so-so but thankfully the chorus was very good. The chorus here was rather nice, a little goody goody with the music and background vocals, and rather catchy in a way. The bridge was a playful flute or reed playing followed by some ad-libbing and pianos. It’s an okay song, but pure B-Side material despite being on her album OUTGROW.

Kimi no Tonari de lit. Next To You. Here again we have another B-Side that was added to OUTGROW. But instead of a little pop song, we have a beautiful and classical ballad. The song begins with BoA singing with an array of violins. The verses again weren’t that memorable, but since when are they memorable? The chorus was the real treat here. BoA’s vocals were at the height of perfection along with the music. The ballad was very soft-spoken in a way, and yet powerful in others. However, despite this being a ballad, it wasn’t that good and awing, especially when compared to be with you. and LOVE LETTER. But it was still nice.

Overall Review: DO THE MOTION was a sensational single filled with smooth jazz. I have got to give it to BoA for releasing a single of this magnitude. She’s released many singles, and most aren’t that good unless they were featured in a show or two, but this single was so amazing. She really outdid herself in this single. The title track was pure jazz style with some pop, and even the B-Sides were tolerable. What a thrilling and exuberant way to begin to OUTGROW Era.

Final Grade: 97A

I’m sure this is now general information now but I just recently found out that 3rd generation Morning Musume Maki Goto has now been signed to rhythm zone, a sub-label of AVEX, the same as Koda Kumi. Could this possibly be the rebirth of her popularity, or another long line of faulty sales? Anyway this is pretty interesting because after her few singles, and latest album, it seems that she’s got that Kumi-esque vibe going with sexiness and all. And I must admit that with those photos on her site she definitely knows How to use SEXY.

It’ll be pretty interesting to see what happens as most AVEX artists usually release three to four singles a year, with veteran Ayumi Hamasaki being the exception. But what will happen with this former cutesy pop idol? From her new site at rhythm zone, it appears that she no longer has that cute pop idol image, but rather a more sexy , adult image, almost similar to Kumi. However, only time will tell, but for a little start, I’ll be reviewing Maki Goto’s singles from the How to use SEXY Era, so get ready.