Hidemi Uematsu – Dear Lady November 18, 2009

Track Listing

1. Dear Lady
2. BABY

1. Dear Lady

Could it be the first time Hidemi sounds right in a song?  Dear Lady is just like her previous singles, mostly R&B, but this time there’s a main piano melody unlike the previous tracks.  Back to Hidemi, her voice is just so much less nasally as it was in “Jidai” and I can actually enjoy her a lot.  Sometimes she slips into it, but mostly I was impressed with how much better she sounded.

2. BABY

The B-side isn’t like the other ones released, but at the same time I’m again impressed by the stronger vocals and clean ones at that in this song.  BABY is a little bit of a slower R&B track, but Hidemi is using fast lyrics to get by which to me sounds like a big tongue twister, so I couldn’t exactly follow.  Oh well, at least the song was enjoyable IMO.

 

 

This could be the first Hidemi single that I actually like.  Unlike the first two singles her throat-lapsed vocals were fine-tuned and since there was a long wait from “Jidai” to this single, Hidemi scored quite nicely with the single.  Now the problem that might plague her is that her songs are getting kind of similar with one another with the exception of “Trauma”.  Somehow, I think she needs to pull a JASMINE eventually and move into various genres while keeping strong vocals.

Hidemi Uematsu – Dear My Friends/Trauma May 8, 2009

Track Listing

1. Dear My Friends
2. Trauma

1. Dear My Friends

Dear My Friends kind of actually reminds me of a lighter “Jidai” which doesn’t surprise me, but at least Hidemi sounds great here and isn’t stressing her vocals so soon.  Her voice is very soulful and she’s got a pretty good range overall.  The songs lightheartedness and the easily likable lyrics makes this a pretty great A-side.

2. Trauma

Trauma however took the cake.  Not only is the song a lot expressive than “Dear My Friends” the entire song is just one major hate-fest going on emotionally.  I was reading the lyrics and translations and how she was constantly talking about pain and trauma, I was like damn these are some pretty cool lyrics and how she expressed them was well.  Even when her voice went honky, it was emotional and so far this is her best track.

 

 

Hidemi’s debut is definitly leagues ahead of her next single, Jidai. Dear My Friends was a pretty happy track with some condescending moments of friendship, which is a good way to do songs.  Trauma though was amazing with her almost poetic lyrics about the pain of life.  I clearly see a big future happening for her.

Hidemi Uematsu – Jidai March 3, 2009

Track Listing

1. Jidai
2. Ryo-kun

1. Jidai

I have to say, the boom-clap-boom being the beat and the piano playing along makes a good mix.  Hidemi’s 2nd A-side does begin this way and her voice has a pretty interesting sound.  I can’t tell, but this kind of J-urban sounds really good, but Hidemi seems to be overdoing her vocals just a little bit.  She’s yelling, but not in the way I’d call good…song just has this pretty powerful sound though, but girl…turn the volume down, please!

2. Ryo-kun

Ryo-kun is quite the nicer track.  It isn’t forcing you to enjoy the song and wants you to just listen and get catchy.  She’s still on that fine line of me just not enjoying her vocals because she’s yelling to get herself across.  I’m starting to like her more acoustic side rather than her urbany side. 

 

 

Hidemi’s 2nd single really came across pretty harshly to me.  Like other first timers, her voice isn’t completely comfortable, but it’s enough that you can see future potential with.  Jidai would’ve been OK if she wasn’t hitting all of those terrible high notes and Ryo-kun could’ve been better without the yelling…maybe I’ll just have to get used to her.