TRIP
TRIP was Rina Aiuchi’s 6th album. It was released on May 21, 2008 and reached number 10 on the charts with 18,502 copies sold. In all this album has sold more than 25,908+ copies. This album was released in both CD and CD+DVD editions. A limited edition was also released that featured perfume produced by Rina. To date this is her lowest charting and selling studio album.
Tracks:
1. TRIP
2. Harmony
3. I believe you ~Ai no Hana~
4. Mint
5. PARTY TIME PARTY UP
6. Creamy day
7. Sakurairo
8. Bara ga Saku Bara ga Chiru
9. Silent Motion
10. Marguerite
11. Secret Jasmine
12. Nemurenu Yo ni
13. A DAY TRIP
Review:
We begin the album with the title track, TRIP. It’s a pretty flashy song to say the least, filled with some incredible dance beats, giving it a synth feeling besides all the percussion instruments. The upbeat music made you want to dance and with the catchy music you could sing out loud. The chorus was great, especially with the fantastic English which was pretty good. It was all very catchy and so smooth, easy to listen to. The only problem was that it was probably wasn’t too memorable. You might forget this great intro track.
Another new track is the lovely Harmony. From the beginning I feel in love with the song, it was so happy, so blissful, and vibrant. The English at the beginning in distorted vocals were great. The dance music was pretty great too, so fresh and effervescent. The vocals for a while were distorted but they sounded so heavenly and so amazing. And with the music I just feel in love with the song. The chorus was pretty catchy but not too too catchy, simple yet amazing. I must admit that I love her dance songs so much, this track is a must listen. It’s got the right mix of pop and dance.
What more could you want from this wonderful ballad entitled I believe you ~Ai no Hana~. Released as her last single prior to the album, the ballad features an up-lifting orchestra of strings and the piano. The vocals were strong and the instrumentals were heavenly. The chorus sounded lovely and was so serene. It’s not a half bad ballad.
It’s now time the sweet, sugary, pop Mint. It’s your generic sugary pop song, think Ayu’s glitter or Kuu’s Wonderland. However with the violins playing during the verses gave it a little classical twist. The song was pretty up-tempo and just so so happy and up-beat. The chorus was so catchy, especially with the fading instrumental afterwards, so unique yet cool. Who knew that Mint could taste so sweet.
Perhaps the funnest song on the album, well fun and up-beat, is PARTY TIME PARTY UP. It’s your basic dance song with some fantastic beats and so unique instrumentals, something that I think Rina is famous for. With some great vocals and catchy beats Rina once again delivers an outstanding dance song. The chorus was a mixture of synth, dance, and pop. The joyous feel with the dance music and synth beats created a wonderful trio, making the chorus so so catchy. And her English was rather good, no Engrish for the most part. This song is quite the party tune.
Innocent and fast moving is a good way to describe Creamy day. Besides the very childish beginning instrumentals and then synth base the song features some lovely strings. The verses were so-so yet again but they sounded nice nonetheless. The chorus was filled with such happiness and great use of English, not to mention it was catchy. I particularly loved the bridge which was the guitar playing so well. Vocals were average I guess, they sound the same as the previous song. One problem is that this song is way to forgettable, nice but forgettable.
The best way to describe Sakurairo would be a heartfelt ballad. The lonely piano keys at the beginning give the song such a sad feel, but then the strings enter followed by a few more instrumentals to give it brighter tone. Rina’s vocals are the first thing I loved about this song, they weren’t all happy go lucky, they were so beautiful, I could hear the emotion in her vocals. It was probably the best part of this ballad, besides the moving instrumentals. It all just came together to create a magnificent ballad. I even liked the guitar during the bridge, it didn’t sound out of place at all.
Undoubtedly Bara ga Saku Bara ga Chiru is one of my favorite songs from Rina. From the infectious dance music and the driving guitar it creates a mesmerizing atmosphere, that and the keyboard. The chorus is about as catchy as it gets, and as addicting. I swear it’s those guitar riffs and keyboards. Only problem was the repetitiveness and the loudness overall.
First word that comes to mind for Silent Motion is weird. From the synth intro that sounded bad I had my doubts about the song. But after listening longer I began to like it, well to a degree. It’s not all that catchy but it makes it from point a to point b. The English in the song was pretty good, no major problem there. The one thing I just didn’t like about it was the music I think, not the best.
Marguerite is a light pop tune, and that’s really it. It features a very unique opening with some distorted vocals and synth beats with strings. I just really didn’t like this song that much. Pop is pop and that’s all. It wasn’t all that catchy really and there was nothing that really stuck out.
This ballad entitled Secret Jasmine isn’t half bad. The constant flow was a nice change from dreary ballads, and so were the beats. The music wasn’t too overwhelming and the vocals were just right. I also liked the fact that it wasn’t so slow moving, it was more mid-tempo really. The chorus sounded so beautiful and just so lovely, I was fond of it to say the least. This ballad gives me a new appreciation for Rina.
Following the trend of ballads is Nemurenu Yo ni. It’s her most serious ballad to date in my opinion. The vocals were just so amazing and the music was so breathtaking. The piano and the strings were such a beautiful duo. I still find it hard to believe that Rina sings this ballad.
The final track on this album is entitled A DAY TRIP, it also continues the trend of ballads. It’s lackluster to say the least. I mean ballads are ballads but not many stick out at me, and this ballads is no exception. The instrumentals, namely the strings, were great and all but there was just nothing that popped out at me. The slow-tempo aspect of it was nice but like I said, lackluster. Not the best way to end this album.
Overall Review: TRIP was sparkling pop, pure profoundness, and dance domination! This album is very unique to say the least. It wasn’t dominated by one particular genre. There were some great pop songs on the album, and yet it was filled with excellent dance music too. Now as for the ballads, well some were lackluster and others were profound. Considering this is the first album I’ve heard from Rina I must admit that I’m impressed by it.
Final Grade: 93B+
GoldHikari 