 | SMAP – Yozora no Mukou (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review) |
January 14, 1999 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
The #1 single of 1998 is a heartfelt, slow jam from SMAP. The group’s 27th single was a pleasant surprise and definitely an awesome single worth checking out!
GROUP: SMAP
CD SINGLE: Yozora no Mukou
LABEL: Victor
CATALOG #: VIDL-30188
DURATION: 16:53
RELEASE DATE: January 14, 1998
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- 夜空ノムコウ
- リンゴジュース
- 夜空ノムコウ (music track)
- リンゴジュース (music track)
SMAP has had an awesome 1998 and their 27th single “Yozora no Mukou” (Beyond the Sky) has been selected the #1 song of 1998 in sales and by various music charts. I have to admit that this song is fantastic! It’s a wonderful ballad and definitely a song that showcases the vocals of Takuya Kimura.=
The slow jam is very heartfelt as we can see from the chorus:
nanika wo shinjite kore takana
yozora no mukou ni wa
ashita ga mou matteiru
==
Since that day,
what were we able to believe in?
Beyond the night sky,
tomorrow awaits
Just an awesome song and also a cool music video! The coupling track “Ringo Juice” (Apple Juice) is a funky track that is the kind of music they have been releasing as of late. It’s an OK track. The the last two tracks feature an instrumental version of both vocal tracks.
Overall, “Yozora no Mukou” is a fantastic single from SMAP and a single that is highly, highly recommended!
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| Mr. Children – Hikari no Sasu Hou e (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review) |
January 13, 1999 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Mr. Children kicks of New Year 1999 with a rock track and a cool ballad. “Hikari no Sasu Hou e” is another awesome single from the band!
BAND: Mr. Children
CD SINGLE: Hikari no Sasu Hou e
LABEL: Toy’s Factory
CATALOG #: TFDC-28099
DURATION: 10:18
RELEASE DATE: January 13, 1999
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- 光の射す方へ
- 独り言
It’s 1999 and Mr. Children kicks off the new year with a new single titled “Hikari no Sasu Hou e” (towards the shining light), the band’s 16th CD single. And since June 1994, the band has been one of the few bands that have consistently debuted at #1 and once again, this single has debuted #1 on the Oricon Charts.
“Hikari no Sasu Hou e” is written by lead vocalist Kazutoshi Sakurai and is produced by Takeshi Kobayashi and Mr. Children. The single is an upbeat rock track and another cool track that really showcases the music. Usually for a Mr. Children single, I am complimenting Sakurai’s vocals and his vocals are still top notch, but the arrangement of this song shows off the band’s music, especially drummer Hideya Suzuki. Another awesome rock track from the band.
The coupling song “Hitori Koto” (which translates to soliloquy). It has a retro feel that harks back to ’70s rock music. The track is driven by acoustic guitar and harmonica. An awesome ballad by Mr. Children that doesn’t require much, and if there is one thing that Kazutoshi Sakurai knows what to do, he knows how to write and sing ballads.
Overall, “Hikari no Sasu Hou e” is another awesome CD single from Mr. Children. A cool upbeat rock track and a wonderful ballad! Unfortunately, no karaoke tracks or instrumental versions of the songs but still is a wonderful single that Mr. Children fans will definitely want to pick up!
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 | Namie Amuro – I HAVE NEVER SEEN (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review) |
January 13, 1999 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Fantastic! “Don’t Wanna Cry” is another musical home run by the Amuro and TK team!
ARTIST: Namie Amuro
CD SINGLE: I HAVE NEVER SEEN
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVDD-20301
DURATION: 15:03
RELEASE DATE: December 23, 1998
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- I HAVE NEVER SEEN [Single Mix]
- I HAVE NEVER SEEN [With Her Soul Mix]
- I HAVE NEVER SEEN [Instrumental]
Namie Amuro makes her return after being away for a year after her marriage with SAM (of TRF) and both being proud parents of a baby boy. Many people were wondering if Namie Amuro would be able to return to music and still be appreciated by her fans despite being married and having a child (which is usually a nail in the coffin for many Japanese female pop stars) and sure enough, Namie Amuro has shown that it is possible as her 11th comeback single “I Have Never Seen” has reached the #1 spot on the Oricon Charts and becoming her ninth CD single to achieve #1 status.
Featuring a song written and produced by Tetsuya Komuro (TK), “I HAVE NEVER SEEN” is used for the NTV drama “Yonige Yamotoho” and is a more mellower pop song from the artist. TK’s piano arrangement is pretty nice but I have to admit, this is probably the first Namie Amuro song that really didn’t draw me in. In fact, my reaction to it was more like it was an average pop song at best but it’s a good mid-tempo song.
The coupling track is a “With Her Soul Mix” and it’s mostly Amuro singing to a beat and occasional bass with the music having a more subtle sound and not as pronounced as the beats. Personally, I felt this coupling mix was bad and I expected more from TK. The third track ends with the instrumental of “I HAVE NEVER SEEN”.
I am glad to see Namie Amuro back again but the single for me, was not one of her best and as for TK, as much as I enjoyed his arrangement, the coupling track was his weakest mix ever. Overall, “I HAVE NEVER SEEN” is a good single but not a song I can see myself listening to a lot.
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| Something ELse – Last Chance (A J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review) |
January 12, 1999 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Granted, not many bands get an opportunity or a second chance after sales of previous singles don’t go well. But with the help of the TV show “Denpa Shounen”, Something ELse were given a last chance to prove that they can break into the Oricon top 20 and are deserving of their recording contract. This single proved that they can do it…but can they continue to do it? We will see… But for now, “Something Else” is a pretty solid single for the trio!
BAND: Something ELse
CD SINGLE: Last Chance
LABEL: TOSHIBA-EMI
CATALOG #: TODT-5235
DURATION: 14:36
RELEASE DATE: December 23, 1998
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- ラストチャンス
- ラストチャンス (Acoustic Version)
- ラストチャンス (Instrumental)
Something ELse is a band which consists of lead vocalist Nobutaka Okubo, guitarist Daisuke Itou and bass/keyboardist Chihiro Imai. The group formed back in the early ’90s as I/O EXIT and then EXIT LINE, the group would perform in front of the public in various areas of Japan and were literally street performers. Back in 1996, the band received several offers from labels but Toshiba EMI felt that their previous name EXIT LINE was a bad name and in 1996, the band changed its name to Something ELse. The EL capitalized stands for the band’s previous name EXIT LINE.
Unfortunately, the trio did not do well and were in danger of losing their recording contract with TOSHIBA-EMI. But life changed in Sept. 1998 when the trio were featured on the popular television show “Denpa Shounen” and were given a second chance…a last chance to prove to Japan that they should not lose their recording contract and that they can sell a fixed number of CD singles and also, their first single must place in the Oricon Singles Charts top 20.
The group went on to create their sixth single titled “Last Chance”, appealing to the viewers of the show and their fans to please give them a last chance and sure enough, fans and supporters from all over Japan supported the band by having their DJ’s play the song “Last Chance” on the radio and sure enough, the band landed on the Oricon top 20 and their contract with TOSHIBA-EMI continued.
I happened to be in Japan when the special episode of “Denpa Shounen” on Something ELse was being aired and walking into the music stores in Tokyo, you can see the signs promoting this single.
For the most part “Last Chance” is a entertaining rock single featuring solid vocals from Nobutaka Okubo and if anything, the three members of the group have great chemistry and have done a solid job in showing that they deserver a recording contract.
I was more into their acoustic version of the song which played on television and fortunately, you also get the acoustic version included on this CD single. The third track features the instrumental version of “Last Chance”.
Overall, a good single but time will tell if people who supported them, will continue to support them for their future singles. We’ll see…
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| Morning Musume & Michiyo Heike – Morning Cop (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review) |
January 9, 1999 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“A short but sweet soundtrack for Morning Musume and Michiyo Heike’s film ‘Morning Cop’. Worth it if you are a big fan of Morning Musume or Michiyo, otherwise it may be a bit too expensive for the casual J-Pop fan.”
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GROUP/ARTIST: Morning Musume & Michiyo Heike
ALBUM: Morning Cop
LABEL: Zetima
CATALOG #: EPCE-5006
DURATION: 24:31
RELEASE DATE: September 30, 1998
- Dakedo Aishisugete -Mix for Screen- (Michiyo Heike)
- Onegaineru (Michiyo Heike & Morning Musume)
- Yoroshiku! (Morning Musume)
- Koi no ABC (Morning Musume)
- Tsuyokunaranakucha…ne (Michiyo Heike)
- Daite HOLD ON ME! -Sexy Long version- (Morning Musume)
Morning Musume and Michiyo Heike’s first soundtrack for their film “Morning Cop” is cute, sweet and six tracks that are absolutely fun to listen to!
When I was in Yokohama, I searched high and low for this album (in very cold weather) and I eventually found it at the student store at Kanagawa University and needless to say, I was very happy. Having been a new convert to Morning Musume’s music and seeing the movie after renting it at a Blockbuster in Yokohama, it was great to see the girls in this film.
Sure, the film was not exactly the best but for fans of Morning Musume, just seeing the group together in a film was enough.
But my main purpose was for one song and that was the long version of “Daite HOLD ON ME!” which is the group’s third CD single which I absolutely love and literally all I have been listening throughout the remainder of last year (1998).
The album kicks off with “Dakedo Aishisugite” which is probably my favorite song from Heike Michiyo, which is a rock-based track.
The second track “Onegaineiru” is a happy, fun pop track sung by Michiyo Heike and Morning Musume.
The third track is one of my favorites from the album and that is “Yoroshiku!” by Morning Musume. A cute and sweet idol track which I really love the group’s harmony on this track. A very fun track!
The fourth track “Koi no ABC” is by Morning Musume and I actually first heard this song sung in the group’s first concert video. A sexy and fun pop track!
The fifth track “Tsuyokunara nakucha…ne” is a beautiful ballad sung by Michiyo Heike and another track by her.
The album ends with the sexy long version of “Daite HOLD ON ME!”. I absolutely love this single and again, it’s all I listened to last Winter and definitely wanted the long version of this song. The main difference from the original track is that during the vocal parts, the arrangement is much different and with less music. Overall, an interesting remix of the song.
As for the CD insert, the insert comes with a lot of still photos taken from the “Morning Cop” film and the track listings with a message about each song and an article in regards to who Morning Musume and Michiyo Heike are. Also, movie cast information and single and album discography for both Michiyo and Morning Musume.
It’s hard to recommend an album that is almost $30 and only comes with six songs but if you are a big fan of Morning Musume, there is no reason why you shouldn’t buy this album. It has six solid songs, including a longer version of “Daite HOLD ON ME!”. But it all comes down to finances and if you are a big fan, it’s definitely worth it for your collection, otherwise if six songs for $30 is very expensive, you may want to pass.
Definitely for the hardcore Morning Musume and Michiyo Heike fan!
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