Meisa Kuroki – SHOCK -Unmei- July 21, 2009

Track Listing

1. SHOCK -Unmei-
2. Wasted
3. Bad Girl <BACHLOGIC Remix>
4. SHOCK -Unmei- <instrumental>

1. SHOCK -Unmei-

For Meisa’s debut single, she begins with SHOCK -Unmei- which is basically R&B with a mix of classical to mix in, which is apparant right from the start.  It’s funny that this song lacks punch this time around unlike the 3 tracks that was promoting “hellcat”.  The song sounds like it’s trying to follow a set melody, but it came off a bit messy and all over the place.  Try listening to the chorus and tell that sounded like it flowed well.  This isn’t a good way to do things Meisa.

2. Wasted

It’s also odd to hear a pop/rock track here from Meisa as the song combines rock that shoes off a summery feel and mixed it with a lot of synths and we get an odd mix.  I’m not even comfortable with how Meisa pronounced ~Wayshted~, yeah it’s that slaughtered.  I’m not sure why, but Meisa was not showing off her flair in songs like “Criminal” or “THIS IS CRAZY”.  Wow…

3. Bad Girl <BACHLOGIC Remix>

Ok, remember Bad Girl?  That amazing song off of “hellcat”?  Yeah well we get a remix of it and well, it seems like the louder synths were stripped off and then givin a pretty slick feel.  I mean it still doesn’t top the original because some parts felt meh, but it’s sadly the best track off the single.

 

 

Quite frankly, I was disappointed with Meisa’s first single.  I mean both SHOCK and Wasted just bombed in whatever the song was trying to get at.  SHOCK was a hot mess gone awry while Wasted was pretty damn boring.  The remix though was pretty nice, but at the end, not a good start for her.

Chihiro Onitsuka – Kaerimichi wo Nakushite July 21, 2009

Track Listing

1. Kaerimichi wo Nakushite
2. I Pass By ~Darksmoke Version~

1. Kaerimichi wo Nakushite

After her last single “X/Last Melody”, we needed to get back into the mainstay with her songs and clearly, Kaerimichi wo Nakushite is another ballad to but in Chihiro’s collection of really nice ballads.  Her voice sounds so nice with the song.  I know it’s not at the same caliber as it was in “Gekkou”, but that’s simply because she had surgery so her voice is a bit different now compared to then.  The arrangement is a bit simple with strings and piano, and then adding percussion in the 2nd verse.  I didn’t think there’d be a punch to it, but the final run through the chorus blew me away and really showed that Chihiro is one of the best balladeers…so much force from Chihiro is a good thing. 

2. I Pass By ~Darksmoke Version~

Oddly enough, our B-side is an acoustic version of an upcoming track.  Also nice to note that it’s all in English and even Chihiro’s more raw vocals are interesting at first, this isn’t a sound that I’d like her to follow with her next single, “Kagerou”.  To me, it shows more problems than it did in “Kaerimichi wo Nakushite”.  Less sound equals to my faults in my opinion and this song is one to really show that idea off.  Chihiro’s English is pretty meh here as well…not the best B-side she’s released as of recent.

 

 

Chihiro’s 3rd single of the era (I’m counting “Hotaru”) is a step down from her last release simply because of the B-side.  Kaerimichi wo Nakushite was a nice A-side, even though “Hotaru” is still the better ballad of the current era, but I do like her voice here….That is until the B-side started up.  If it wasn’t her awkward vocals that threw the song off, the dry arrangement and badly spoken English partook in the fail of the track….I’m sorry, but just get the A-side.