Album Review: Ayumi Hamasaki - GUILTY

Album title: Guilty
Artist: Ayumi Hamasaki
Released: January 1, 2008

Track list:
01 - Mirror
02 - (don't)Leave me alone
03 - talking' 2 myself
04 - decision
05 - GUILTY
06 - fated
07 - Together When...
08 - Marionette -prelude-
09 - Marionette
10 - The Judgment Day
11 - glitter
12 - MY ALL
13 - reBIRTH
14 - untitiled ~for he~

Note: click on the link to view the song's romanji lyrics.

Ayumi Hamasaki's latest album GUILTY, is another JPOP album leaked before its release date. It seems pretty common now, since I've seen a few albums that have been released 1 or 2 weeks on the internet before the release date. I suppose this gives you an opportunity to try before you buy.

First, I'm a big fan of Ayumi's older work and I've only found a few recent songs which I like. Second, I'm not a fan of Ayumi's high pitched voice. There are times when I'm listening to Ayumi's songs on my headphones and I feel like my ears are going to bleed.

Overall, I found this album to be mediocre because no songs grabbed my attention. It feels like the same song with different titles. Without many interesting songs to match Ayumi's unique style in her earlier work, I would rather hear other female artists cover for these songs. Basically, if it's not going to sound interesting, I'd rather not hear her voice. However, the gem in this album would be "glitter", since it's the only song I feel has lasting appeal. The other tolerable songs would be "talkin' 2 myself", "fated", and "MY ALL". I'll applaud the four preludes in her album since it creates an excellent atmosphere before a song. It's been a while since I've heard an Ayumi album, so perhaps my hopes were too high.

Profile: Namie Amuro

Namie Amuro is one of my favourite female JPOP singers. When I was first introduced to JPOP, she was the third artist I heard. I really loved her hip-hop style and catchy songs. Even to this day, I am a die-hard Namie Amuro fan. The first music video I saw from her was Put 'Em Up, where Namie Amuro looks incredibly cute (I especially like her mechanic dance near her pimpin red car).

She has made tons of good music videos since then and they can be found throughout the web.

Images and wallpapers of Namie Amuro:






You can find more detailed information about Namie Amuro from the Namie Amuro Wikipedia article. I will simply state who I recommend Namie Amuro for and highlight some of my favourite songs. I believe that Namie Amuro's songs are getting better each time she releases new albums and singles. I'm not a big fan of her earlier work so I'm happy that her songs are always getting better.

I highly recommend Namie Amuro if you like:

• Hip-hop music. She is the "queen of hip-hop"
• Face-paced and catchy music
• Low pitched female voices. Namie Amuro's voice won't shatter your ear drums or break glass with high pitches. Her voice is low pitched when compared to some JPOP singers such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Aya Hirano

Song recommendations (click on the link if available for Japanese and romanji lyrics):



2003 Album - Style

• Put 'Em Up - a moderate paced hip-hop song. This is the first song I heard from her so I'm somewhat biased towards it.
• So Crazy - a moderate paced hip-hop song. The beginning of the song sounds really good and the song itself sounds very unique.
• Four Seasons - my absolute favourite song on this album. Namie displays her amazing voice by singing this slow song. Definitely check out this song if you hate hip-hop songs.

2005 Album - Queen of Hip Hop

• I Wanna Show You My Love - a catchy hip-hop song.
• My Darling - a catchy hip-hop song, which sounds a lot like a North American song because some random guy grunts and says "hey" and "yeah" every now and then.
• Ups & Downs - Namie does a duet with another male singer. The male singer, Nao'ymt, has an excellent voice and complements Namie's voice perfectly.
• ALL FOR YOU - my favourite song from the Queen of Hip Hop album. Namie's voice is amazing as she sings this slow song.
• No - a unique sounding song, which sounds like two songs in one. The song begins as a fast paced hip-hop song. At the 4:20 mark, the song changes to a slow song.

2007 Album - Play

• Hide & Seek - a really unique sounding song, which is quite catchy.
• CAN'T SLEEP, CAN'T EAT, I'M SICK - one of my favourite Namie Amuro songs. This song is fast paced and really addictive.
• Violet Sauce (Spicy) - another one of my favourite songs from Namie Amuro. I didn't think that a remix of her song Violet Sauce would sound so funky. This song is full of energy and really interesting to listen to.
• Baby Don't Cry - a slow song, where Namie displays her great voice.

2005 Single - White Light / Violet Sauce

• White Light - one of my favourite Namie Amuro songs. I listened to this song way too many times. This slow song is very relaxing and displays Namie's excellent voice. Although White light is a Christmas song, it sounds great all year round.
  

Note: Profile last updated December 27, 2007.

BoA - Lose Your Mind

Post Edit: January 8, 2008 to follow new blog standards

Title: Lose Your Mind
Artist: BoA
Single: Lose Your Mind
Released: December 12, 2007

Review

It's been a really long time since I listened to BoA. Luckily, my faith in her singing has been slightly revived as I listened to her new catchy song Lose Your Mind. However, I made a terrible mistake by watching the music video before listening to the song by itself. For her past few releases, I've been listening to the songs only, so I didn't find much that I enjoyed.

Some Praise...

1. BoA's English is good. If she continuously said "lose your mind" in terrible English, it would be torturous enough to break prisoners. I'll criticize the way she says "girls," since you have to admit that sounds a tad strange.
   
2. The vocals are decent and the song's hook is definitely the chorus. The chorus is addictive and energetic.
3. The electric guitar solo is a good break from BoA's voice.
4. BoA looks cute in her music video. She has a few styles, which will keep you occupied as you guess what she'll wear next. You might want to listen to the song first before you decide its quality, or you'll fall into the same deadly trap as me.
   

Things to get depressed over

1. With the exception of the guitar solo, the guitar playing is awfully repetitive. Is it really necessary to get someone from DOPING PANDA for this? While it does complement BoA's singing and create a nice atmosphere, a little variation would be nice.
2. If you remove the chorus, you'll notice that this song has almost no content. I love the chorus, it's well made, but I'm sure you can come up with something else for the other verses.
   

The verdict: I would definitely recommend this song if you are looking for good BoA songs, but BoA's voice still bothers me too much.

Lyrics

mitame no watashi wo suki datte hontou hoshii mono wa shiranai no
Should do, Be do you wanna betters and cosmetic
Material ja mou mitasarenai

LOSE YOU MIND futton jau gurai
MAKE ME WILD shigeki teki na WILDLY
BABY LOSE YOUR MIND "BOYS KNOW WHAT GIRLS WANT"
motto kimi wo muchuu ni sasetai LOSE YOUR MIND

doushitemo rikai fukanou 24/7 aitai no ni
Should do, Be do your like, music magic and dramatic
kokoro ni iku mono dake ga suki

LOSE YOU MIND amae chau gurai
MAKE ME WILD odorase teyo WILDLY
BABY LOSE YOUR MIND "BOYS KNOW WHAT GIRLS WANT"
nankai datte repeat shiteta LOSE YOU MIND


LOSE YOU MIND futton jau gurai
MAKE ME WILD shigeki teki na WILDLY
BABY LOSE YOUR MIND "BOYS KNOW WHAT GIRLS WANT"
motto kimi wo muchuu ni sasetai LOSE YOUR MIND

LOSE YOU MIND amae chau gurai
MAKE ME WILD odorase teyo WILDLY
BABY LOSE YOUR MIND "BOYS KNOW WHAT GIRLS WANT"
nankai datte repeat shiteta LOSE YOU MIND

Source: http://www.jpopasia.com/play/4797/boa/lose-your-mind-featyutaka-furukawa-from-doping-panda.html

Metadata

Artist: BoA
Release year: 2007
Genre: Pop
Song speed: Fast
Dominant voice: Female
Dominant language: Japanese

News: the brilliant green opening for Gundam 00!

Now that I'm bored of listening to Daybreak's Bell every time I watch the Gundam 00 opening, I'm glad they are going to change it in January. What's even better, is the brilliant green will have their new song Ash Like Snow as the opening!

It only took a brief message from my tbg fan friend to make me stop studying for finals and do some searching:

wtfff
tbg and gundam anime?????
LOLL

WTF indeed...I thought he was joking at first until I did a quick search. It's great that the brilliant green will have a chance to get noticed by anime fans, since having your song played in anime openings/endings is a great way to get discovered :)

Yuna Ito x Celine Dion - A World To Believe In

Post Edit: January 10, 2008 to follow new blog standards

Title: A World To Believe In
Artist: Yuna Ito
Single: A World To Believe In
Released: January 16, 2008

Review

"A World To Believe In" is an excellent North-America-meets-Japan duet with the Canadian powerhouse Celine Dion and Yuna Ito. "A World To Believe In" is the 10th single from Yuna Ito and it shows off her excellent slow song skills. Yuna Ito is an excellent choice for singing Celine Dion songs because of her flawless English, smooth sounding voice, and her proven ability to switch between English and Japanese without breaking the flow. Overall a great song and a great tribute to Celine Dion, but I still prefer some of Yuna Ito's other slower songs, such as "Endless Story."

The verdict: a great slow song from Yuna Ito and Celine Dion. I recommend it if you like slow songs.

Lyrics

I've seen the tears and the heartache
And I've felt the pain
I've seen the hatred
And so many lives lost in vain

And yet through this darkness
There's always a light that shines through
And takes me back home
Takes me back home

Takai kabe no mukou
Nani ga attemo
Nigetakunai
Arukitsuzukeyou
Wasurenaide

You gave me a world to believe in
You gave me a love to believe in
Ai no tame ni
Tsuyokunareru
Anata ga iru kagiri

Namida de afureru kokoro
Yorisou yohou ni daite kureta
Kizukeba hitori de wa nakatta
Kaze no hi mo
Ame no hi mo

And I see for one fleeting moment
A paradise under the sun
I drift away
And I make my way back to you
Wasurenaide

You gave me a world to believe in
You gave me a love to believe in
Nando datte
Yarinaoseru
Ashita ga aru kagiri

Hito wa kizutsuku tabi ni
Hontou ni taisetsu na
Kotae ni chikazukeru kara

You gave me a world to believe in
You gave me a love to believe in
Ai no tame ni
Tsuyokunareru
Anata ga iru kagiri

You gave me a world to believe in
You gave me a love to believe in
Nando datte
Yarinaoseru
Ashita ga aru kagiri

Anata to iru kagiri
Anata to iru kagiri

Source: http://www.jpopasia.com/lyrics/7125//yuna-ito/anata-ga-iru-kagiri---a-world-to-believe-in.html

Metadata

Artist: Yuna Ito
Release year: 2007
Genre: Pop
Song speed: Fast
Dominant voice: Female
Dominant language: English and Japanese

Aya Hirano - MonStAR

Title: MonStAR
Artist: Aya Hirano
Single/Album: MonStAR single
Year: 2007
Genre: Pop
Speed: Fast Song
Languages used: Japanese

Review:
I am somewhat disappointed at this song since I didn't find this song to be as catchy as some of Aya Hirano's previous songs. There are parts of this song where her voice sounds terrible and the English chorus brings chills down my spine. The video shows Aya Hirano as a gang girl with a 1 million bounty. However, the "vault" holding all her bling seems rather empty, unless you count glitter curtains or items that you find in a garage sale to be valuable (I suppose sentimental value is priceless though...).

Aya Hirano's MonStAr Japanese lyrics can be found here.

Profile: Monkey Majik

Monkey Majik is my favourite Jpop group. I recommend them to all my friends because I think their songs are absolutely amazing. I have no idea how they make such good songs...it seems every new single keeps getting better and better.

Images of Monkey Majik members:



Instead of plagiarizing the hell out of the Monkey Majik Wikipedia article
I'll simply state who I recommend Monkey Majik for and highlight some of my favourite songs.

I highly recommend Monkey Majik if you like:

• Songs with lots of guitar
• Excellent background music. Most of their songs are really relaxing to listen to, so I always listen to their music when studying or doing homework :)
  
• Combination of English and Japanese lyrics. The two vocalists are Canadian (even better!) so they have songs with pure English, pure Japanese, and a combination of both
• Indie pop. A lot of their songs seem to fit the category of Indie pop. There is really distinct sound to it
• Songs that sound like North American songs! Some of their songs could easily compete against North American songs because the English lyrics and the beats are so good :) No high pitch squealing, cheesy beats, or Engrish here
  

If you are interested in Monkey Majik lyrics, visit my Monkey Majik lyric database by clicking here.

If you want to hear some of my favourite Monkey Majik songs, you can get the Monkey Majik Best 2005-2007 album I created here.

Song recommendations:

2005 Album - Eastview

• 1996 - an English song with excellent guitar.
  

2006 Album - Thank You

• Around the World - Probably their most popular song, since it was featured in a Japanese drama opening. Definitely a creative song.
• All By Myself - An English song, slower paced.
  
• Fly - The first song I heard from Monkey Majik. Almost entirely English, an excellent sampling song for anyone interested in Monkey Majik.
• Stay - A combination of Japanese and English. I really like the guitar in this song.
  
• Turn - A combination of Japanese, English, and interesting beats makes this song sound amazing.

2007 Album - Sora wa Maru de
I am a really big fan of Monkey Majik's Thank You album. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, they decided to release Sora wa Maru de which contained a lot of their new singles and is easily my favourite album of all time. It's rare for me to like so many songs on a single album. However, my most favourite songs are:

• I Miss You - A slow paced song with piano and guitar! Definitely a change in style and it works. This song is in English and nice lyrics.
• Long Shot Penny - Another amazing Monkey Majik song with their unique beats again. An English song with really catchy beats.
  
• Maybe - A fast paced English song.
• Mitsumoto - The chorus for this song is so catchy. This song is Japanese with bits of English.
• NO SNOW IN DECEMBER - Simply another great Monkey Majik English song with great beats.
• Picture Perfect - When I discovered that M-Flo was collaborating with Monkey Majik, I had to pinch myself. I didn't think that would ever happen but I was really glad it did. I am a huge fan of M-Flo collaborations, so I had some high expectations. Luckily, this song is really enjoyable so I wasn't disappointed. This song is a combination of English and Japanese with some rapping.
• Smile - A slow English song from Monkey Majik, which I find quite rare. Definitely a change in their usual style.
• Sotsugyou Soshite Miraihe - A collaboration with SEAMO. If you see the music video for this song you'll find this song slightly depressing. A mixture of Japanese and English with some rapping.
  

2006 Single - Around the World

• Falling - A really interesting song in English with some neat guitar.
  

2007 Single - Change

• Car Crash - I have no idea why Monkey Majik would hide such a good song as part of the Change single. Even worse, why they didn't add it to their recent album! This song is pure English and one of my favourite Monkey Majik songs.

Note: Profile last updated December 03, 2007.

For more information
Monkey Majik Official Site

About Me

Name: Steven
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I'm just another blogger who wishes to promote Jpop to the world. At it's core, Jpop is an addictive drug that you just can't get enough of. Don't think you're the only one refreshing the jpopsuki popular releases page twice a day looking for new music.

Why is Jpop so appealing? Personally, I don't understand much Japanese but I still love listening to the Japanese language. To me, listening to Japanese singing is equivalent to listening to melodies or rhythm from an instrument.

Here are some of my favourite Jpop artists from a variety of categories:

Dance/Parapara

• HINOI Team
• Tamaki Nami

Pop

• Angela Aki
• Ayumi Hamasaki
• ERIKA
• FLOW
• JYONGRI
• Koda Kumi
• melody.
• Monkey Majik
• the brilliant green
• Utada Hikaru
• Yuna Ito
• YUI

Rap/Hip-Hop

• Aqua Timez
  
• m-flo
• Namie Amuro

Rock/Heavy Metal

• ELLEGARDEN
• ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION

If you'd like to do a link exchange, I'll be happy to add you, just leave a comment with your URL :)

Technorati Profile

Blog Purpose

Jpop Addict is a Jpop blog that focuses on Jpop news, reviews, metadata, and lyrics.

Here's a short description of each item:
news: if something new happens in the Jpop community, I'll provide a post.

reviews: although there are song and album reviews, the songs are reviewed on separate posts, which are linked to the song/album review. The idea behind separate posts for each song is to provide the user with metadata for each song. Unlike some other blogs, I won't add a rating or grade to a single or album as I believe it is too difficult to accurately quantify either. For example, I love one song from a single but hate everything else. How then, would I properly assign a rating to the single to accurately represent my absolute love for one song, but hatred for the others? Although some people probably have nice systems outside to properly provide a rating, I won't deal with it here.

metadata: I provide posts for each song, allowing you to search for a song that matches your style. With millions of songs out there, providing metadata can help reduce your search for the right song.

For each song, the following metadata will be provided at the end of each post:

Artist: artist name
Release year: release year
Genre: {Pop|Rock|Rap|Hip-Hop|Reggae|Rock}
Song speed: {Fast|Slow}
Dominant voice: {Female|Male|Female and Male}
Dominant language: {Japanese|English}

lyrics: if romanji or English lyrics are available for a song, the lyrics will be included with the song, with a citation to the source.