Utada Hikaru – Passion November 6, 2008

Track Listing

1. Passion ~single version~
2. Passion ~after the battle~

1. Passion ~single version~

Being the tie-in track for Kingdom Hearts II and it had a lot to live up to against “Hikari”.  I’m actually happy to say that I really love this track.  Starting up ethereal and dreamy it did make you wonder where it’ll go.  Then the drums turn the song into this tribal-like ethereal crossbreed.  Utada hasn’t sounded this good in so long and she’s just as strong.  I am disappointed that the whole ~My heart’s a battleground~ part wasn’t included but I love the last minute and a half of the song as it became fluid and all of the ad-libbing and such.  Oh yea, the backwards lyrics was a nifty idea too and created some funny moments ^_^

2. Passion ~after the battle~

At first I was like oh no, what’s this.  What it is at first is a piano version of Passion…I mean all it is is just the ahh-ing, the piano, and Hikki singing majority of the song.  I can understand and it’s quite nice to hear Hikki resing for the ending track.  She sounds even more vulnerable than she did in the main track.  As she finishes through the initial track, the music goes back to the beginning and it turns into the instrumental of the song which is a nice thing to do…So i guess it works.

 

 

So, as we come closer to finishing up with the single of the era, Passion really brought back in love with her music.  I was starting to doubt her after her last two singles, but Passion was what we needed and made a great opening to KH2.  About that, actually this was created after the original English version “Sanctuary”.  To be honest Sanctuary was missing a lot of things Passion had.  I mean there wasn’t the yell during the chorus, the verses near the end and even though it had the ~My heart’s a battleground~, I felt it wasn’t as good as this single.  Still, her best single of the era.

AAA – Friday Party November 6, 2008

Track Listing

1. Friday Party
2. Friday Party (Instrumental)

1. Friday Party

After the awesomeness that was”BLOOD on FIRE”, This was pretty shocking and probably not what I was expecting.  It’s got a lot of fun written all of it.  This time it seems that Urata and the ladies have more vocal time which is great, but needs more Takahiro LOL.   The rapping was quite unneeded but at least it was short.  I just still can’t get the fact that the song was a fun pop tune this time around.

 

 

AAA is definitly surprising me with their styles so far.  WE go from exciting force to OMG let’s have a pillow fight and well, I guess I’m going to have to get used to it right?  Friday Party is a fun song and did give more of the obscure members more time for solo vocals which is good.

BoA – be with you. November 6, 2008

Track Listing

1. be with you.
2. precious
3. be with you. (spring acoustic mix) (First Press Bonus Track)
4. be with you. (Instrumental)
5. precious (Instrumental)

1. be with you.

I’m not too fond of BoA’s ballads because like I said before there’s too many in her discography and this is one of those blander moments.  There’s nothing to really account for and it’s been heard so many times it’s just getting stale.  BoA sounds nice but it’s just the arrangement has been used over and over again.  I’m sorry but this isn’t my thing.

2. precious

Jeeze, another ballad?  This one seems a little less cheesy and sounds a bit more emotional.  There’s actual plucking of the harp heard in the song which is pretty new to BoA’s major list of these slower songs.  Sadly, it isn’t as memorable as some of her other ballads like ”Jewel Song” and such.  It’s way better than “be with you.” I’ll give it that.

3. be with you. (spring acoustic mix)

Add some acoustic guitar and we get this track.  I mean it’s nothing too different from the original but I guess BoA sounds better with one leading the music.  I still don’t like the boring arrangement found her and definitly isn’t worth listening to fully. 

 

 

BoA’s final single for “THE FACE” era was such a disappointment for me.  I mean there’s artists that do full ballad singles but this was just boring and having being released a week before the album was probably a bad idea.  Weird that precious doesn’t make the cut which is another disappointing factor.  be with you. was just too typical for my liking.