Daichi Miura – FLAG (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

July 24, 2007 by Dennis Amith 

ARTIST: Miura Daichi
CD SINGLE: FLAG
CATALOG #: AVCD-16121/B
LABEL: Sonic Groove
DURATION: 8:41
Released on July 18, 2007
WEBSITE: www.avexnet.or.jp/daichi/

TRACKS:
1. FLAG
2. SUPER STAR

DVD: Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 5 minutes
1. Music video for “FLAG”

I can remember watching Miura Daichi when he was a young child and the main vocalist of the hybrid boy/girl band of youngsters known as “FOLDER”. That was when he was nine years old.

Now Miura is 19-years-old and has a solo career.

Inspired by his favorite artists Justin Timberlake and USHER, Miura is back with his fifth CD single “FLAG”.

The first track “FLAG” is written by Daichi and music is from ajapai and features a dance track which is enjoyable and fun dance track. But in my opinion, the second track “Super Star” written and produced by Imai Ryosuke is a track that is very Timbaland/JT-style and thus you get a song that is J-POP and another song that is more Western feeling in nature.

Watching the music video of “FLAG”, featuring Miura and dancers showing off some of their choreography and with so many male R&B performers in Japan, you wonder… does Miura have that talent that separates him from the others?

He sure did when he was 9-years-old and jamming with the group FOLDER but nearly a decade later, with boy bands going strong in the music charts, “FLAG” is a very fun, enjoyable dance CD single but unfortunately, for me… nothing that captures my attention.

A song like “Super Star” is something that does stick out and I feel that the R&B pop style would definitely balance well with his street dance choreography but whether or not Miura wants to go that route musically remains to be seen.

All in all, “FLAG” is a decent CD single and definitely shows Miura’s potential.