BoA to make her Hollywood film debut in “COBA 3D”
May 25, 2011 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
Coba 3D. Images courtesy of Sankei Sports.
K-Pop/J-Pop music artist BoA will be making her Hollywood debut in “COBA 3D”. According to IMDb, the film is about “a pair of star-crossed dancers in New York find themselves at the center of a bitter rivalry between their brothers’ underground dance clubs”.
The film will star “Dancing with the Stars” dancer Derek Hough, “What I Like About You” actor Wesley Jonathan”, Izabella Miko, Will Yun Lee and Miki Ishikawa.
BoA – Mamoritai ~White Wishes~ (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
April 29, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
BoA’s 29th CD single features a catchy, upbeat song. Overall, a solid single which includes a coupling track written and music by BoA.
ARTIST: BoA
CD SINGLE: Mamoritai ~White Wishes~
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVCD-31777
DURATION: 18:53
RELEASE DATE: December 9, 2009
BUY THIS CD SINGLE from cdjapan.com:
- まもりたい ～White Wishes～
- THE END そして and…
- まもりたい ～White Wishes～ (INST)
- THE END そして and… (INST)
The latest holiday themed single from BoA titled “Mamoritai ~White Wishes~”. The single marks her 29th CD single and was used for the video game “Tales of Graces” for the Nintendo Wii.
Considering that BoA is one of the most busiest artists on the planet, juggling a music career in Japan, Korea and the USA, one can’t help but wonder if she can maintain her music, which I have felt has been getting better since she released her first US single and seeing a more vibrant, dance/pop BoA that many have missed from the artist.
“Mamoritai ~White Wishes!” is not the typical Winter ballad that the artist is known for, but features an upbeat, catchy single featuring lyrics by MIZUE and music by Hiroo Yamaguchi and an arrangement by JUNKOO.
The coupling track “THE END Soshite and…” features a smooth, slower tempo ballad featuring lyrics and music by BoA and an arrangement by Gakushi. Overall, it’s great to see a song written and created by BoA on the single and showcasing the talents of this artist.
Overall, a good CD single that is available as standalone or CD+DVD. Insert features lyrics and production credits.
BUY THIS CD SINGLE from cdjapan.com:
BoA – BUMP BUMP! feat. VERBAL (m-flo) (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
February 21, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Whenever BoA and VERBAL collaborate, you know that magic happens. These two work great together and once again, showing us that the two can work and make great music! Another awesome CD single for BoA!
ARTIST: BoA feat. VERBAL (m-flo)
CD SINGLE: BUMP BUMP!
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVCD-31729
DURATION: 17:14
RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2009
BUY THIS CD SINGLE from cdjapan.com:
- BUMP BUMP!
- IZM
- BUMP BUMP! (Instrumental)
- IZM (Instrumental)
Whenever you get a collaboration with BoA and VERBAL (of m-flo) you know that you’re going to get a pretty upbeat, exciting single and once again, the two get together for two tracks with BoA’s 28th CD single “Bump Bump!”.
This time around, two tracks produced and music and lyrics by VERBAL. Featuring an upbeat dance track with saxophone samples from Simon d’souza, I have been listening to this CD quite awhile now and it’s a pretty catchy, addictive track (and yes, just as addictive as their other collaboration with “Love Bug”). And if you haven’t seen the music video above (courtesy of Avex Trax), it’s a well-produced, well-choreographed video.
The coupling track “IZM” has that Kanye West feel sans the full-on auto-tune. Mid-tempo jam with bass bumping beats and overall a good coupling track.
Final two tracks feature the instrumental versions of the first two songs.
Overall, another single feat. BoA that I really dig! It seems that when she returned to that dance-style of music that she was known for, I feel this new positive vibe and more vitality with the singer as of late. Her music need that synergy to get that spark going and so far, I’m enjoying her newer music even more. A wonderful collaboration with VERBAL and another awesome single. Check it out!
NOTICEABLE CONTENTS:
The CD single insert comes with lyrics and production credits for the two tracks.
BUY THIS CD SINGLE from cdjapan.com:
BoA LIVE TOUR 2010 ~IDENTITY~ – Concert and Ticket information
January 27, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment
The following is concert information for BoA’s upcoming LIVE TOUR 2010 ~IDENTITY~ in Japan. Especially details on the concert at the Tokyo International Forum.
BoA 約2年ぶりの全国ツアー！
大好評につき追加公演決定！！
『BoA LIVE TOUR 2010 ～IDENTITY～』追加公演
チケット社内販売のお申込みを受付開始致します。
BoA LIVE TOUR 2010 ～IDENTITY～』追加公演
日程 ： 2010年4月16日(金）
会場 ： 東京国際フォーラム ホールＡ
開場 ： 17：30
開演 ： 18：30
■チケット料金：全席指定 ￥6,900-（税込） ※3歳以上有料
※恐れ入りますが、予定枚数以上のお申し込みがあった場合、
抽選販売とさせて頂きます。予めご了承ください。
※締切後の追加・変更は、お受け出来かねますので何卒ご注意ください。
≪受付期間≫
2010年1月26日（火）只今～2010年2月1日（月）18：00まで
BoA – Eien/Universe feat. Crystal Kay & Verbal (m-flo) / Believe in Love feat. BoA (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
May 4, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“BoA’s 27th Japanese CD single is very addictive. Featuring a solid pop single with “Eien”, an awesome collaboration with Crystal Kay and m-flo’s verbal for ‘UNIVERSE’ and the acoustic of her ravex track ‘Believe in LOVE’. Overall, a very solid CD single!”
ARTIST: BoA
CD SINGLE: Eien/Universe feat. Crystal Kay & Verbal (m-flo) / Believe in Love feat. BoA
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVCD-31597
DURATION: 22:18
RELEASE DATE: February 18, 2009
BUY THIS CD SINGLE
- 永遠 (Eien)
- UNIVERSE feat. Crystal Kay & VERBAL (m-flo)
- Believe in LOVE feat. BoA (Acoustic Version)
- 永遠 (Instrumental)
- UNIVERSE feat. Crystal Kay & VERBAL (m-flo) (Instrumental)
CD EXTRA: DURATION 2:50
- Introduction of “BEST&USA”
Music artist BoA has had a busy six months trying to balance her musical career in Korea, Japan and now the United States.
With her Korean label SM Entertainment focusing her career primarily in the United States for now, it doesn’t mean that her Japanese music will stop as the 22-year-old is still able to release a CD single in Japan with “Eien”, “UNIVERSE” feat. Crystal Kay and VERBAL (m-flo) and an acoustic version of her ravex CD single “Believe in LOVE”.
The first track “Eien” (forever) features an addictive, mid-tempo pop track written by Narumi Yamamoto and music and arrangement by Daisuke “D.I.” Imai. I have to admit that it’s been a long while now since I listened to a BoA single that has caught my attention and where the CD would stay in my rotation for more than a half hour. But I’ve had this single playing for nearly a week now and I’ve listed to “Eien” many times. Cool grooves but a track that manages to capture the enjoyable and fun side of BoA and nothing saccharine sweet. Just cool, up-front J-Pop.
The second track “UNIVERSE” features a collaboration with music artist Crystal Kay and VERBAL of m-flo. The track is produced by Bloodshy and Avant & Henrick Jonback. Bloodshy has contributed really addictive and catchy tracks for her English album “BoA” and the Swedish team return for another kick ass track with “UNIVERSE”.
Featuring a mixture of English and Japanese lyrics (courtesy of KOMU), Crystal Kay also lends her vocal support in the English lyrics and VERBAL is like the will.i.am or timberland of Japan by sprucing up the already cool track with his fluid delivery of hip hop rhymes but carefully throwing in his “1.2.1.2.1.2″ during the track. Overall, an awesome track!
The third CD single is “Believe in LOVE feat. BoA (Acoustic Version)” which is a an acoustic guitar version of her ravex track (the second single) but without the electronic ravex accompaniment. This time all music is replaced by guitar and arrangement by Shigeharu Sasago. I wasn’t really crazy about the original track but this acoustic guitar version is actually quite nice.
The last two tracks are the instrumental versions of “Eien” and “UNIVERSE”.
The CD single comes with a CD-EXTRA featuring an Introduction to her latest best album “BEST&USA”. A near three minute promotional for the album with short video clips of past hits and newer songs that appear on the album.
As for the CD Single tri-fold, included are the lyrics and production credits and two photos of BoA on the reverse side.
Overall, I can tell you that this BoA CD single is one that I really enjoyed. You get two addictive tracks with “Eien” and “Universe” and a smooth, relaxing version of “Believe in LOVE”. Definitely a CD single worth checking out!
* Note: There is also a CD+DVD version which includes the same tracks on this CD single but comes with a DVD with a music video of “Eien” and instead of a CD-Extra, the Introduction of “BEST&USA” is included on the DVD.
BUY THIS CD SINGLE
BoA – BEST OF SOUL (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)
May 1, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“For those who have just discovered BoA’s English music in the US, her Japanese music label avex trax has reissued her first best album (at a much lower price) featuring a collection of her earlier J-Pop hits covering her hit songs released in 2002-2005.”
Purchase this album:
ARTIST: BoA
ALBUM: BoA – BEST OF SOUL
LABEL: avex trax
DURATION: 1:10:14
RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2009
- LISTEN TO MY HEART
- ID; Peace B
- Amazing Kiss
- 気持ちはつたわる
- Every Heart -ミンナノキモチ-
- VALENTI
- 奇蹟
- NO. 1
- JEWEL SONG
- Shine We Are!
- Double
- Rock With You
- Quincy
- コノヨノシルシ
- メリクリ
- LA・LA・LA LOVE SONG
With the release of BoA’s first English album in the US, many listeners not familiar with the artist may not know that BoA has had an awesome career in Korea and Japan.
So, with a lot of people now discovering her musical work, her Japanese music label avex trax has re-released her 2005 best album “BOA – BEST OF SOUL” featuring a string of hits covering releases from 2002-2005 to coincide with the release of her latest best album titled “BEST&USA” which features her more recent hits including a few of her American released hits.
Personally, for me, the songs featured on “BEST OF SOUL” are my favorite BoA songs as her recent albums and solo singles (not inc. her collaborative singles) since 2006 have not really captivated my attention. So, needless to say, listening to this reissue and hearing these songs again was a nice blast in the past.
Relistening to fantastic songs such as “LISTEN TO MY HEART”, “ID; Peace B”, “Amazing Kiss”, “Every Heart -ミンナノキモチ-”, “VALENTI”, “QUINCY” and one of my favorite Christmas ballads “Merikuri” definitely brought me back to those times.
I’ve always felt her earlier J-Pop songs were much more vibrant, fun and had an addictive pop sound that went well together with her choreography. In fact, listening to “ID; Peace B” again brings me back when I first saw her on Korean TV performing the Korean version of this song and at a young age of 12 years old, taking it to the stage and just showing us her amazing potential.
And of course, that potential has led her to become one of the most recognized Asian musical talents worldwide.
The CD insert features pictures of BoA (in a rainbow like style like the cover above) and features the lyrics to the songs and production credits.
Overall, you really can’t go wrong with a “Best Album”. Her classic hit singles are featured on this album including her Toshi Kubota tribute song “La La La Love Song” with the group Soul’d OUT.
So, for those of you who have not purchased her earlier work or want an affordable way to listen to those classic hits, you may want to check this best album out. But you may want to hurry and purchase this reissue album at its current low price (around $22) because it has a limited pressing.
Purchase this album:
BoA – BoA (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)
March 18, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“BoA’s first US album debut features major collaborations with the world’s top musical producers and giving her music a more energetic, catchy and upbeat musical feel. These collaborations tend to give BoA a Britney/Rihanna-ish style of musical feel to a few of her tracks but overall, I enjoyed the album!”
BUY THIS ALBUM:
ARTIST: BoA
ALBUM: BoA (Digital Version)
LABEL: SM USA
DURATION: 37:13
RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2009
- I Did It For Love
- Energetic
- Did Ya
- Look Who’s Talking
- Eat You Up
- Obsessed
- Touched
- Scream
- Girls On Top
- Dress Off
- Hypnotic Dancefloor
BoA (Best of Asia), known for her countless number of hits in Korea and Japan has her sights set on the US. First, kicking off her first foray with her all English pop track “Eat You Up” and performing in various events in Los Angeles and New York and now following up with her first album in the US titled “BoA”.
I’ve written about my impressions of BoA’s announcement of her crossing over to the US and my best wishes to the marketing of her in the US and if there is one thing that has been done right is that she has been booked at events where other major artists and bands have performed at (non-Asian). Whereas in the past, there was such a push of focusing on just the “Asian” accomplishments of a talented Asian artist for their US promotional campaign, I have to give credit so far to SM USA for at least being persistant and not giving up after a month and making sure they are sticking with it for now and developing her as an artist, bringing her back to her dance choreography style that we loved during her ID:Peace B years, having her focus on her speaking of the English language and the pronunciation and also bringing some major producers such as Bloodshy & Avant and Sean Garrett on this album.
As for “BoA”, the album is a mix bag of music that I found some tracks to be really enjoyable and some just average. If anything, you get a little taste of BoA experimenting with Rihanna, Britney Spears and even Gwen Stefani style of pop music.
The first two tracks “I Did It For Love” and “Energetic” are tracks produced by Sean Garrett (known for Usher’s “Yeah!”, Ciara’s “Goodies” and Chris Brown’s “Run It!”). Musical arrangement are solid, urban and upbeat dance tracks. “I Did It For Love” (her upcoming second single) showcases BoA’s willing to try out cool grooves and deep beats while “Energetic” is an enjoyable track that features quite a bit of the auto-tune. These tracks I can picture receiving the remix treatment and hopefully get some club play.
My favorite track on the album is “Did Ya” which is produced by Bloodshy & Avant (Britney Spear’s “Toxic”) and in a way, has a similar type of vibe and enjoyability to “Toxic”. Overall, a solid pop track!
Another collaboration is with producer and musician Henrik Jonback who has major ties of working with Bloodshy & Avant and produces three of the tracks on the album. Track four titled “Look Who’s Talking” is a track that Jonback wrote with Bloodshy & Avant, Michelle Lynn Bell and Britney Spears. I figured this is one of the tracks that the team worked back in the 2004 years with Spears but never used.
Track five features BoA’s debut US song “Eat You Up” produced by Jonback but features writers Mikkel Johan Sigvardt and Thomas Troelsen. I know there are those who have mixed feelings of the track but overall, after a few listens when it first came out, I was hooked. If anything, after watching the music video, it was great to see BoA dancing and jamming again.
Track six”Obsessed” features a collaboration with producer Brian Kennedy (known for his work with Rihanna’s “Disturbia”, Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson and more). You definitely feel that Rihanna musical vibe on this track but that’s not a bad thing. A catchy, upbeat dance track!
Track seven “Touched” features the second and final produced Bloodshy & Avant on the album. Definitely different from “Did Ya”, “Touched” features a more R&B driven track. Deep bass and really dig the musical arrangement to this song!
Track eight titled “Scream” is an cover track of a song produced by Adrian Newman originally performed by German girl band Monrose. Adrian Newman has worked with BoA (and other J-Pop/K-Pop artists) previously. A dance track that has a catchy groove but very different style of dance music and vocal style compared to the other tracks on the album. The second Newman written/produced track is “Dress Off” (track 10), an upbeat, sexually charged dance track.
The ninth track “Girls on Top” is the sole track produced by BoA’s Korean label SM ala Korean producer Young Jin Yoo and is an English version of her Korean pop track. Deep beats and an upbeat track.
The eleventh track “Hypnotic Dancefloor” features a Henrik Jonback upbeat, drum machine driven track. Deep drums and an upbeat dance track.
The iTunes release of “BoA” features a twelfth track featuring a remix of “Eat You Up” by DJ Escape and Johnny Vicious.
“BoA” is actually a fun and enjoyable album but it’s a mix bag of sort.
First of all, for those who are expecting an extension of her Korean and Japanese pop music, you’re not going to find it on this album. Personally, that’s a good thing because I think it was smart for SM USA to focus on collaborations with well-known producing talents Sean Garrett, Bloodshy & Avant, Henrik Johnback, Brian Kennedy, Adrian Newman and focusing on the dance pop music that can helpfully garner attention on the club circuit.
Because the album is produced by producers who bring something different, sometimes the changes are welcomed such as Bloodshy & Avant’s “Did Ya”, Garrett’s “I Did It For Love”, Johnback’s “Eat You Up”, etc. But I can picture some of her hardcore fans not liking the fact that her US musical identity becomes more Britney-ish, more Rihanna-ish in audio presentation. And then some fans who will like the variety in the music.
But I have to admit, for a pop artist to accomplish what BoA has in Asia and to come to the US and try out this new territory, there have been a good number of positive situations with these collaborations and have to admit, this one of the better album releases to come from an Asian pop diva compared to others who have tried to crossover to the US.
But with that being said, those who are passionate about BoA’s music overseas will miss the classic ballads that she’s known for, the Asian-driven pop style that they’ve been used to hearing in the past few years and now with this US release, some people are open to change and some are not.
For me, I actually enjoyed a good number of the songs on the album. There were several solid tracks that have a good dose of energy, vitality and quite interesting to hear her utilized in the music from the talented producers that she worked with.
So, in a way, having reviewed so many of BoA’s Japanese albums and singles, listening to this album made me happy because it was different from the usual type of upbeat J-pop tracks that I have heard in the past few years. And to be truthful, those tracks from her previous Japanese albums outside of the normally released CD singles really never caught my attention. I felt that BoA’s music needed some synergy and possibly a new direction and thus, I enjoyed the fact that we get more club-inspired dance tracks produced by successful and talented producers.
Overall, an enjoyable, catchy and solid US album debut for BoA. I just hope that America’s open for an Asian pop artist and hope BoA receives good promotion from her on in.
ravex: Believe in LOVE feat. BoA (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
March 6, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“A joint collaboration between entertainment company avex entertainment, inc. and anime production company Tezuka Productions Inc. for a joint anime and music project with this second CD single release showcasing music artists BoA and Maki Goto”
ARTIST: ravex
CD SINGLE: ravex: Believe in LOVE feat. BoA
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVCD-31594/B
DURATION: 16:01
RELEASE DATE: February 18, 2009
BUY THIS CD SINGLE
- Believe in LOVE feat. BoA
- Golden LUV feat. MAKI GOTO
- MEGA ravex feat. ANNA TSUCHIYA, BoA, DJ OZMA, LISA, MAKI GOTO, MONKEY MAJIK, TOHOSHINKI, TRF & YUKO ANDO
DVD INFORMATION: Region 2, 16:9LB. Duration: 4 minutes
- Believe in LOVE
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) and a combining of Ravex and Atom. 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).
The first CD single from ravex titled “I Rave U” feat. DJ OZMA was released in December 2008 along with coupling track “House Nation” by LISA.
The second single features “Believe in LOVE feat. BoA” and “Golden LUV” by Maki Goto and a third track “MEGA ravex” being a remix of various artists.
The first track “Believe in LOVE” is a mid-tempo synth pop track feat. BoA. If anything, of the three musicians of ravex, the song is definitely Shinichi Osawa-driven it would seem. Magical and dreamy synth.
As much as BoA has the title track on the front cover on this ravex CD, personally, the winning track goes to former Morning Musume member Maki Goto with “Golden LUV”. An upbeat, dance track that is just catchy, addictive and enjoyable compared to the slow moving “Believe in LOVE”. Since Maki Goto has moved to avex, I definitely like the direction she’s going musically but it will be interesting to see how production quality will be with her avex releases compared to when she was with King Records.
The third and final track “MEGA ravex” is a near seven minute track featuring a clips of various upbeat tracks by ANNA TSUCHIYA, BoA, DJ OZMA, LISA, MAKI GOTO, MONKEY MAJIK, TOHOSHINKI, TRF & YUKO ANDO.
As for the DVD, the DVD features the music video for “Believe in LOVE” showcasing classic anime video and manga clips of Osamu Tezuka’s work and CG effects. Personally, it’s not an exciting music video but just a compilation of clips with BoA’s track in the background.
Compared to the first ravex single which had four tracks (granted one was the music video and three were how-to-dance para para video tracks), I was disappointed that there was nothing but the single video on this CD+DVD release.
The CD insert features the lyrics of the two tracks and illustrations by Osamu Tezuka.
Personally, I found the ravex releases to be OK. I definitely had high expectations with the collaborations between Shinichi Osawa (Mondo Grosso), Tomoyuki Tanaka (Fantastic Plastic Machine) and Taku Takahashi (m-flo) and so far, compared to the music that we know of each of these three individually, it’s been OK, nothing that would strike me as superb.
I also find it interesting how the only include BoA’s name as the main track title and Maki Goto was left out. Granted, I’m sure that avex is banking on BoA’s name to sell CD singles but personally I felt that Maki got the second fiddle in this release, especially since Goto’s track is the better track on this CD single. (Note: In the first single, DJ OZMA is promoted on the front, LISA is promoted on the back and on the side, both are promoted equally.)
Overall, this is probably one of the first CD+DVD’s which I can probably say it’s not truly worth it. In fact, just the original CD version is good enough if you want to save money and focus on the music, recommending the CD+DVD are for those who are a hardcore fan of Osamu Tezuka but the music video is not exactly great and I wouldn’t be surprised if you just watched it once.
ravex’s “Believe in LOVE feat. BoA” is an average-at-best CD single band I’m hoping musically, the ravex album “trax” coming out in April 2009 is much better.
BUY THIS CD SINGLE
Boa the Live ~ Ura BoA Kikase Kei (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
February 19, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“A more mature concert featuring pop star BoA. Focusing less on flash and focusing more on vocals.”
BUY THIS DVD:
ARTIST: BoA
TITLE: Boa the Live ~ Ura BoA Kikase Kei
DURATION: 103 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Region 2, 16:9 LB
Released on March 7, 2007
COMPANY: avex trax
TRACK LIST:
1. LISTEN TO MY HEART
2. VALENTI
3. DO THE MOTION
4. Soundscape
5. Your Color
6. Ain’t No Sunshine
7. make a secret
8. Moon & Sunrise
9. Kimi No Tonari De
10. Nanairo No Ashita ~Brand New Beat~
11. KEY OF HEART
12. La La La Love Song
13. QUINCY
14. EVERLASTING
15. Kono yo no Shirushi
16. Winter Love
17. Merikuri
Bonus Track
18. The Love Bug With M-Flo
Creative Coordination: Terue Saito
DVD Authoring: Yuka Matsuki
Starring:
BoA
Band Master & Manipulator: Taashi Morio
Drums: Shinny T
Bass: Mario Horikawa
Guitar: Jun Yamazaki
Keyboard & Chorus: Motoyoshi Matsuura
Percussion: Yuri Nakayama
Chorus: Naomi Matsuoka, Mieko Sudo
Dancers: Yuka, Lina, Sonny, YWKI
m-flo
Originally featured on a PDF review on J!-ENT back in 2007. Reposted for the blog:
BoA has accomplished a lot in Japan since debuting back in 2001 at the age of 14.
Having a successful career in Korea, her record label SM Entertainment ha decided to focus her career in Japan with their continued collaboration for Avex Entertainment, Inc. and from that point, she has become one of the most successful non-Japanese performers in Japan.
Having CD singles and albums sell over a million copies, the singer is known for her ability to sing and dance and has made her a unique compared to many other performers at the same age.
In 2006, she had somewhat of a change in direction with her latest album release “made in twenty (20)” in which the music became a bit more mature, which is no surprise as many performers tend to stray away from a certain music style from their teens to adult-hood.
When I heard that Avex would be releasing a new live DVD for BoA in 2007, I was looking forward to see BoA shake her thing and show off cool dance choreography.
But “Boa the LIVE ~ Ura BoA Kikase Kei” is not exactly what I was expecting but the fact what I did watch was surprisingly different and fresh, I was enjoying every moment of it.
The reason for that is this concert is not about BoA, that we have seen for many years with her dancers, who can jam on the dance floor.
This concert was all about BoA, the vocalist.
Now, I know some of you reading this scoff at the idea of a performer known for her singing and dancing being taken seriously as a vocalist but I think it’s a really gutsy move to make for this artist as many fans wonder what is coming next for the talent.
This DVD features BoA in her first live house tour, complete with a talented band and a few background dancers.
Now granted many R&B divas have performed with a live band but in this case, it’s a different story.
Whereas other performers utilized the band, to show off their choreography (example: Amuro Namie’s latest concert DVD “LIVE STYLE 2006”), this DVD does the opposite as it wants to portray BoA as a vocalist and less on the choreography.
I have to admit that watching BoA perform with a live band change my impression of the singer.
By watching this DVD, you can tell that BoA wants to show the audience that she’s not just another female vocalist on the Avex record label that can sing and dance but that she has more to give.
The concert starts off with the live band jamming and then BoA donning a black outfit and a hat performing songs such as “LISTEN TO MY HEART” and “VALENTI”.
And it’s evident that there is no lip-syncing, this song is truly live, as starting out she was a bit shaky but after that first song, she did a great job.
Now, one thing about concerts especially for R&B artists is that Japanese audiences can be a bit quiet and not so active in a concert.
Sure, we Americans can be loud and supportive but for Japanese, in many concerts, sometimes when the audience doesn’t look like they are into it, the concert can be a drag.
On this DVD, It was nice to see the audience supporting her (you can see people in the audience singing along with her) and you can tell she feeds off their energy.
Although BoA is not showing off her dancing moves as in previous performances, there are background dancers but its within the theme of the live house music and thus, the dancers have a ballroom style of dance choreography to it.
During her first outfit change, BoA returned with a sexy but yet elegant short cut dress, showing a lot of leg.
I don’t think I have ever seen BoA sporting any such outfit before, so I think BoA fanboys will definitely enjoy that.
But after the outfit change, BoA puts on a stunning performance with her and the pianist with her song “Moon & Sunrise”.
Whether you enjoy her vocals or not, In my opinion, this is the defining song that shows off her vocal talent in this concert.
From singing high notes to transitional improvisation with certain parts of that song, it was definitely an eye-opener and she did a great job.
As for the DVD, this is an import (region 2), so you will need an all-region DVD player or on your computer, software like the free VLC to view it.
The DVD is set at 16:9 LB format and there are so many good angles on this concert DVD that it is awesome.
The menu is a straightforward menu system and on the concert is a special feature or bonus track featuring BoA performing with m-flo for their m-flo loves BoA song “The Love Bug”.
Of course, it’s not included with the concert because it is out of the pacing of the whole live house theme but it’s great that it is included on the DVD.
After watching so many upcoming live concert videos that were released in the past few weeks and some that will be released in the upcoming weeks, “BoA the LIVE” is one of the most unique out of each of them because BoA is taken out of her familiar element and she shines.
BoA – COMPLETE CLIPS 2004-2006 (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)
February 2, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“For fans of BoA, all 13 music videos released from 2004-2006 are included. Including hits such as ‘MeriKuri’, ‘QUINCY’, ‘Key of Heart’ and ‘Winter Kiss’ and much more!”
BUY THIS DVD:
ARTIST: BoA
TITLE: COMPLETE CLIPS 2004-2006
DURATION: 60 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Region 2, 4:3, Stereo
Released on March 7, 2007
COMPANY: avex trax
TRACK LIST:
01. Shine We Are!
02. DOUBLE
03. Rock With You
04. Be the one
05. QUINCY
06. Merry Chri
07. DO THE MOTION
08. make a secret
09. Dakishimeru
10. Everlasting
11. Nanairo No Ashita ~brand new beat~
12. KEY OF HEART
13. Winter Love
Directed by Tetsuo Inoue, Wataru Takeishi, Masashi Muto, Yu Hamashima and more
Starring:
BoA
Originally featured on a PDF review on J!-ENT back in 2007. Reposted for the blog:
BoA has a total of two DVD release set for March 7th.
The first is her awesome livehouse concert DVD “BoA the LIVE ~ Ura Boa…Kikase Kei” and her second release is “Boa COMPLETE CLIPS 2004-2006” featuring thirteen music videos released around that time period.
With BoA exploding onto the Japanese music scene with “ID: Peace B” back in 2001 and having chart topping CD singles and albums that would sell near or over a million copies, she is one of the most talented, most successful non-Japanese performer in Japan at this time.
The music videos cover her performances from the age of 16 to 20 years old. So, you will eventually see a change of video directing style for her music videos early on.
The first music video “Shine We Are!” was directed by Wataru Takeishi (DEEDRIVE Inc.).
A pop song featuring BoA and her backup dancers showing off their choreography and solo shots of BoA singing and looking cute on camera.
The second music video “DOUBLE” also directed by Wateru Takeishi is another BoA with her background dancers and using a split screen to show doubled mirror effect.
The third music video “Rock with You” is directed by Masashi Muto (MIDEA) and features BoA and her background dancers and as the last video went with a split-mirror effect, this music video shows the camera going around the BoA and her dancers.
Also, showcasing BoA performing with a rock band.
In one of the coolest music videos on this collection is BoA’ s ”Be the One” directed by Masashi Muto featuring BoA walking in an all white hall way and bouncing a black soccer ball and kicking it.
While BoA is dancing in the hallways and jamming with a soccer ball (definitely CGI) but cool nonetheless.
For the fifth music video, “QUINCY” directed by Tetsuo Inoue (colourfield) actually a very cool music video featuring BoA walking into a futuristic club and jamming with her dancers. A futuristic setting, CGI and a lot of dancers along with BoA and people in the background watching them dance.
In the sixth music video, “Merikuri” directed by Tetsuo Inoue, looks like a big budget music video with an elaborate set featuring BoA walking in the middle of a forest with candles shining and wearing black and discovering a large white cross. Good video but how it fits with the song about finding the person you love, I don’t know.
The seventh video, “DO THE MOTION” directed by Tetsuo Inoue features BoA walking into an upperclass setting, dressed beautifully and dancing and then ending with a BoA sitting in a bus stop obviously dreaming about being part of a lavish lifestyle.
In the eight music video “make a secret” directed by Yu Hamashima (SEP), the music video features BoA at a photo shoot and also in another scene with her background dancers.
In the ninth music video “Dakishimeru” directed by Wataru Takeshi is a flash video featuring a lot of lights and BoA in a club-like setting and driving a cabriolet.
For the tenth video, “Everlasting” directed by Yu Hamashima (SEP) features a beautifully shot video featuring a sad BoA in a dark room looking at herself happy in the sunlight. The song is about saying goodbye to a failed relationship and this music video fits the lyrics well.
In the eleventh video “Nanairo no Ashita ~brand new beat” directed by Yu Hamashima (SEP) features BoA working at a cafe, having fun and dancing with her background dancers.
The twelfth video “KEY OF HEART” directed by Yu Hamashima features BoA in the California.
Driving through the desert and ending up in some small town and hanging out with American backup dancers and dancing in the desert with the beautiful Sierra mountains and clouds in the background.
In the final music video “Winter Love” directed by Kazuya Kashima is a beautiful, yet sad music video featuring a heartbroken BoA in a room of ice and her love trying to reach back to her but a memory of the past. A music video that fits nicely with the ballad’s lyrics.
As for the DVD, it’s a straightforward, bare bones DVD. No special features and the menu selection is a selection to play all or select a music video that you want to watch.
As for the DVD insert, it’s pretty much a list of BoA’s CD singles with the title of the song, producer and director credits.
I do wish that there was more on the DVD, may it be an interview or even the making of music videos (some that were included with the CD+DVD singles) such as “KEY OF HEART” and the process of shooting that music video in the US (which was very cool!).
Having these “making of’s” would have made this video clips collection even more special.
I guess you can call this a budget release as the cost for this DVD is around $26-28 (US) for an hours worth of music videos.
For J-POP fans who have been purchasing music video collections, this is a great price compared to the $50+ we had to pay for 30 minutes worth of music videos in the past.
All in all, if you are a BoA fan who did not purchase the CD+DVD singles that featured the music video, then this collection is a great price.
Still a good release featuring thirteen music videos of BoA and if you haven’t seen any of these before, definitely check it out!
