ARTIST:  ravex

ALBUM: trax

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-23791

DURATION: 54:09

RELEASE DATE: April 29, 2009

DISC 1:

In October 2008, entertainment company avex entertainment inc. and anime production company Tezuka Productions announced a joint anime and music collaboration together.

With avex now investing in live action and animated entertainment, the project being developed was “Ratom”, a character that looked like Tezuka Atom (aka Astro Boy) combined with the avex style.  In the music realm of ravex, the music is created by Shinichi Osawa (Mondo Grosso), Tomoyuki Tanaka (Fantastic Plastic Machine) and Taku Takahashi (m-flo).

Personally, I found the two CD single ravex releases to be average.  I definitely had high expectations with the collaborations between Shinichi Osawa (Mondo Grosso), Tomoyuki Tanaka (Fantastic Plastic Machine) and Taku Takahashi (m-flo) and for the most part, the two CD single releases were a mixed bag for me with some collaborations really catching my attention and some songs, falling flat.

But what I have been waiting for is the album “trax” to definitely see what other collaborations were in store for music fans.

The album kicks off with “I RAVE U (Original)”, a musical track that is definitely reminiscent of that old school Julianna’s Tokyo style back in the early 1990′s and music that avex was known for.

The second track off the album is “ROCK U” featuring a collaboration with pop diva Namie Amuro.   Overall, a pretty solid track showcasing lyrics by VERBAL and nearly an all English track.  Upbeat, utilizing Osawa and Tanaka’s style of digital music.

The third track features a collaboration with popular Korean group (and popular in Japan) Tohoshinki.  Featuring lyrics by Tomoyuki Tanaka and music by rave with Yuzuru Tomita.  The song gets a bit repetitive as the group is constantly repeating “Tonight’s the Night” but once it gets to the main lyrics, I don’t think anyone listening to the song will think this is a Tohoshinki track.  Definitely a Shinichi Osawa style of track.  Overall, a pretty cool track despite the repetition during the beginning of the track.

The fourth track features a collaboration with LISA for the track titled “HOUSE NATION”, an all-English track written by her and you definitely hear the styles of Osawa, Tanaka and Takahashi in this upbeat dance track.  Another solid track on the album.

The fifth track “Bangalicious” features a collaboration with ANNA TSUCHIYA featuring English lyrics written by LISA.  And the lyrics matches ANNA TSUCHIYA’s bad girl style.  More beat driven with that hard synth tone in the background.   Another catchy, upbeat and enjoyable track on the album.

The sixth track “Believe in LOVE” is a mid-tempo synth pop track feat. BoA with lyrics by EMI K. Lynn  If anything, of the three musicians of ravex, the song is definitely Shinichi Osawa-driven it would seem.  Magical and dreamy synth.

The seventh track “NEW Eccentric Girl” features a collaboration with Mia Chisa of the group GIRL NEXT DOOR and features lyrics by BOO.  The track tends to utilize a lot of vocoder but overall an upbeat dance track.

The next track is by former Morning Musume member Maki Goto with “Golden LUV” featuring lyrics by Boo.  An upbeat, dance track that is just catchy, addictive dance track.  One of my favorites on the album.

The ninth track “V.I.P.P. (Very Important Party People” is an interesting collaboration by TRF and VERBAL (of m-flo) and is the only track not featuring the three men of ravex but features Tetsuya Komuro providing the lyrics and the music and features cuts of digital slabs of music along with TRF’s “Survival Dance” in the background.  If anything, the music is VERBAL-based while TRF is just a sample from “Survival Dance”.

The tenth track “1 more night” features a collaboration between ravex and Monkey Majik.  The song is an all English track written by both Monkey Majik’s Blaise and Maynard.  Overall, a solid, dance track.

The eleventh track “Aikomitsuketa” featuring a song written and sung by Yuuko Ando.  The most mellow track on the album but overall, a solid track featuring a smooth beat that tends to have an experimental digital sound to the track.

The album ends with “I RAVE U” featuring a song sung and written by DJ OZMA.  Utilizing the old school rave sound, DJ OZMA lends his style of vocals to the track.  For those familiar with DJ OZMA’s music with his style of vocals and the female participation in the vocals, the song utilizes that similar style but with the old school rave synth track in the background.

As for the album insert, the booklet features the lyrics to all songs and also production credits.  It’s important to note that there is another version of the album which contains the music videos for each of the tracks.  I have not seen the music videos for a lot of the songs but I have seen a few from the CD+DVD singles which were typically the music and animation imagery of Osamu Tezuka animation from the past.

Unless, you are a hardcore Tezuka fan, personally the few music videos what I have seen really doesn’t inspire me to buy the CD+DVD version and possibly, the normal CD version is all one would need.

ARTIST: Hitomi Shimatani

ALBUM: Best & Covers

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-23883~4/B

DURATION: 1:11:36

RELEASE DATE: July 29, 2009

DISC 1:

1. Viola
2. Jewel of Kiss
3. ANGELUS -アンジェラス-
4. Garnet Moon
5. ~Mermaid~
6. Falco -ファルコ-
7. 真昼の月
8. 春待人
9. Destiny -太陽の花-
10. PASIO～パッシオ
11. Dragonfly
12. 深紅
13. 泣きたいなら
14. 雨の日には 雨の中を 風の日には 風の中を
15. SMILES

For nearly a decade, we have covered Hitomi Shimatani’s music and of course, one thing that has remained consistent with our reviews is that Hitomi Shimatani is not a consistent artist and that’s not a bad thing.  In fact, that is something that makes Shimatani so different from the other women on the avex trax label and that is with every CD single, you don’t know what kind of music that you are going to get.

And that is the attraction of Shimatani’s music.  Originally, she started as an artist that showcased your typical J-pop songs but right when the artist released the song “Angelus” in 2004, I don’t think fans knew what direction that the artist would go.  Followed up by the dance track “Garnet Moon”, it was another track that featured a more synth-inspired track and then “~Mermaid~” came along and showcased a gothic/organ style of intro.

She would then follow up with CD singles that converged back to pop music and sultry ballads but in 2006, Shimatani really showed diversity with her music with the orchestral track “Destiny”, the Spanish style pop track “PASIO”, the rock track “Dragonfly”, the pop track “Neva Eva” and literally, with each released single, you get something different.

And because of that, you either were a fan who enjoyed the freshness of each release or a fan who got hooked on a style of music and then are surprised that she hasn’t returned to that certain style.  So, consistency has not been a major trait for Hitomi’s music and personally, I’m one of those who have supported her ability to constantly release different style of music.

So, with that being said, there are many fans who may have missed out on many of her singles and those who may have been curious about her music but really don’t know where to start.

With the release of “Best & Covers”, this is the definitive Shimatani album to own.  An album to celebrate her 10th Anniversary as a music artist, not only do you get all her hit songs but also her popular cover songs. So, 26 tracks of music on two CD’s and it doesn’t end there… The CD+DVD version of “Best & Covers”, also includes 17 music videos.  So, for those who missed her previously released CD+DVD singles, no problem…you get a lot of her music videos with this release.

Suffice to say, Hitomi Shimatani fans are getting their money’s worth with this release.  The only thing that you will be missing out if you didn’t buy the original singles are the certain B-side tracks and on the music video end, the making-of videos.  But for the most part, this is an awesome release that you really can’t go wrong.  Especially knowing the money you would be saving through this album alone, especially with the DVD with so many of her popular music videos.

As for the CD insert, the booklet features all the lyrics to all the songs included on the best album with very few photos of Shimatani.

When it comes to best albums, you can only hope that it’s done right.  Shimatani has released a best album in the past with “Delicious” covering her older pop hits but with “Best & Covers”, you get a bit of the old but of course a lot of the new.  Especially those defining tracks from 2004-2009.  Fans who were hoping her first enka track “Kaihoku” would be on this album, you’re not going to find it on this album.  For those who are looking for the classic pop videos such as the Janet Jackson cover “Papillon”, that is on her “Delicious” best album.

This album is pretty much for those who are looking for her pop tracks from 2004-2009 and  you get her new song “Nagai Aida”, a cover of the popular Kiroro track from 1998 and also the music video for it.

Quite simply, you can’t really go wrong with this best album.  26 tracks of music and 17 music videos, this is the definitive Hitomi Shimatani album to own!  Highly recommended!

ARTIST: Various Artists

ALBUM: Around 40 ～サマフォー～ (Sumafro)

LABEL: SME Records Inc.

CATALOG #: SECL-782

DURATION: 1:05:35

RELEASE DATE: June 17, 2009

TRACK LISTING:

1. TUBE – 夏を待ちきれなくて (Natsu wo Machi Kirenakute)
2. PRINCESS PRINCESS – 世界でいちばん熱い夏 (Sekai de Ichiban Atsui Natsu)
3. 森高千里 (Chisato Moritaka) – 私の夏 (Watashi no Natsu)
4. 松田聖子 (Seiko Matsuda) – 夏の扉(Natsuno Tobira)
5. 吉川晃司 (Koji Kikkawa) – モニカ (Monica)
6. カルロス・トシキ & オメガトライブ (Carlos Toshiki and Omega Tribe) – アクアマリンのままでいて (Aqua Marine no Mamadeite)
7. 杉山清貴 & オメガトライブ (Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe) – ふたりの夏物語 NEVER ENDING SUMMER (Futari Natsu no Monogatari NEVER ENDING SUMMER)
8. 浜田省吾 (Shogo Hamada) – ラストショー (Last Show)
9. 稲垣潤一 (Junichi Inagaki) – 夏のクラクション (Natsu no Klaxon)
10. 岡村孝子(Takako Okamura) – 夢をあきらめないで (Yume wo Akiramenaide)
11. REBECCA – MOON (Remixed) Edition
12. 久保田利伸 with ナオミ キャンベル (Toshinobu Kubota with Naomi Campbell) – LA.LA.LA LOVE SONG
13. 小泉今日子 (Kyoko Koizumi) – あなたに会えてよかった – Anata ni Aiete yokatta
14. 渡辺美里 (Misato Watanabe)- サマータイムブルース (Summer Time Blues)
15. 井上陽水 & 安全地帯 (Koji Tamaki & Yousue Inoui) – 夏の終りのハーモニー (Natsu no Owari no Harmony)

In the US, we tend to regard 70-90′s songs as “Classic Music” but in Japan, the term “Around 40″ is used (especially for songs created in the 1980′s).

And to capitalize on those who reminisce of that 80′s, SME Records released their first “Around 40 ~Arufro~” compilation album which met with success. So, the label releases another compilation featuring tracks from the 80′s and 90′s for the Summer titled “Around 40 ~Sumafro~”.

Granted, there are going to people who question the label tactic of selling these “Around 40″ albums and some who feel it makes those who are performing the songs and those listening to an older age demographic. Also, depending on the viewer, selections of songs are going to be up to the preference of the listener.

With that being said, personally, for me…it was the 90′s songs that I tend to have gravitated to. I enjoyed were Chisato Moritaka’s “Watashi no Natsu”, Shogo Hamada’s “Last Show”, Toshinobu Kubota and Naomi Campbell with “LA.LA.LA. Love Song”, Kyoko Koizumi’s “Anata ni Aete yokatta”, REBECCA’s “MOON” and Tamaki Koi and Yosue Inoue with “Natsu no Owari no Harmony”.

The CD insert is a booklet which features the lyrics to the songs and the CD jewel case fits into a slipcase.

But I would expect that this compilation is a mixed bag of sorts and not sure if a listener will enjoy all songs as opposed to few (depending on their preference) and of course, if that was the case, a listener might as well go digital and find the songs that they enjoy versus spending over $25 for a compilation album that they may only find a few songs to their liking.

Overall, “Around 40 ~Sumafro~” is an entertaining, walk back into memory lane and for many listeners, I’m sure that there will be some music fans that will be attracted to the complete tracklisting on this “Around 40″ compilation.  But for those that want only a few songs from this compilaton, in this day and age and people wanting to save money, I foresee most people downloading those few tracks they want via digitally online.

Purchase this album:

Around 40 – Sumafo -

V.A.

GROUP: PUFFY

ALBUM: amiyumi

LABEL: Epic/Sony Records

CATALOG #: ESCB-1722

DURATION: 30:57

RELEASE DATE: July 22, 1996

1. とくするからだ
2. ウサギチャンネル
3. サクラサク
4. Simple
5. アジアの純真
6. パフィーのHey!Mountain

I can remember when I first saw Puffy members Yumi Yoshimura and Ami Onuki performing on a Japanese music show and what caught my attention was that they were not of the norm in terms of female Japanese performers.

These girls sported sneakers, t-shirts and jeans and also puffy hair. Needless to say, they easily distinguished themselves from other Japanese music groups.

So, I had to make a call to a friend in Japan and get the lowdown on Puffy and their music and several days later, I have the duo’s first (mini) album in my hands.  “amiyumi” contains seven songs and one of those songs is their big hit and debut single “Asia no Junshin”.

The album kicks off with the Okuda-esque track “Tokusurukarada”.  A song that translates into “advantage body” which is a fun, enjoyable rock track.

The second track is titled “Usagi Channel” and features a song written and sung by Ami.  A slow-tempo, acoustic and electric guitar driven track.  Pretty cool song.

The third track “Sakurasaku” which means “Blossom Blue” and a song with a country music kind of sound.  While the fourth track “Simple” is a rock-driven track along the same lines as “Tokusurkarada”.

The fifth track “Naga iki Shite ne” is a song written and sung by Yumi.  A slower tempo track which is bass guitar driven.

The sixth track “Asia no Junshin” is the duo’s first CD single and literally a very popular, catchy song.  Some may call it Okuda genius but for the most part, the song is pretty cool and really doesn’t make any sense if you are listening into the lyrics.

The final track “Puffy no Hey! Mountain!” has a classic 80′s rock flavor.  Slower tempo but a pretty cool track.

The CD booklet features photos of Puffy and contains the lyrics to the songs on the album.

For the most part, I would imagine that “amiyumi” was an album created in order to showcase the various musical styles that we can expect from Puffy.  Rock, country, pop…

Overall, the album is OK, not the greatest if you are expecting tracks to be similar to “Asia no Junshin”.  But I do think that perhaps that these women have more to give musically but with only one single in their belt for now, I definitely look forward to their second single and hearing more from this group.

Purchase this album:

amiyumi

Puffy