Sayaka Kitahara – HAJIKE-YO!! February 19, 2012

Track Listing

1. HAJIKE-YO!!
2. Aijou・Jounetsu・Neppuu
3. Yume no Katamari (Limited edition only)
4. HAJIKE-YO!! (Original Karaoke)
5. Aijou・Jounetsu・Neppuu (Original Karaoke)

1. HAJIKE-YO!!

Of the three A-sides Sayaka released I think HAJIKE-YO!! might be her weakest one yet.  I found her previous ones to have something adorably catchy about them but at the same time, I felt like HAJIKE-YO!! was also weak in the arrangement kind of giving it a bland feeling as well.  I did like the spelling of the title as the intro to the song but the rest of it felt uninspired IMO.  Meh…

2. Aijou・Jounetsu・Neppuu

The B-side did take things at a faster speed which is nice and all but when I heard the song I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did.  It’s like she squeezed “Yappa Seishun” and “Kanari Junjou” together and got this fun and spazzy song.  I mean it’s great and the latin guitar solo really fit here!  It’s definitely one of my favorite songs from her currently!

3. Yume no Katamari

Hold on, getting my squeeing over the use of katamari here!  The limited only song is kind of refreshing and relaxing after the previous tracks on the single.  It’s a surprise that I found it so sweet and simple to listen to but at the same commend that Sayaka sounds quite nice and fits into the arrangement as well as she does.  I would’ve thought that this could’ve been a You Kikkawa song but I think I like this better haha.  Nice!

 

 

It’s a bit sad to say that HAJIKE-YO!! might be her worst A-side yet but the B-sides actually make up for that matter in my opinion.  To me, HAJIKE-YO!! lacked something major for me and doesn’t seem as catchy as her previous lead songs.  At least Aijou・Jounetsu・Neppuu and Yume no Katamari brought something simple for her but it worked SO much better.  The former the best she’s done since going solo and the latter being breezy and well pretty overall.  I hope an album is next!

Sayaka Kitahara – Kanari Junjou November 11, 2011

Track Listing

1. Kanari Junjou
2. Madogawa Kara Ai wo Komete
3. Kanari Junjou (Original Karaoke)
4. Madogawa Kara Ai wo Komete (Original Karaoke)

1. Kanari Junjou

The second A-side from our ex H!P Egg continues Sayaka whole side of her Aoi Sorano character which is a little bummer but whatever.  I kind of liked this song a bit since it’s a combination of cute and pop but not overloading on either side.  I must say that Sayaka sounds a bit better in this song than in “Yappa Seishun”.  I will say though that the song is a bit monotone for me and kind of just goes by the book and doesn’t make the poor girl stand out like her debut.  It’s hard to decide if this song is truly better or not.

2. Madogiwa Kara Ai wo Komete

I was surprised that she took the B-side into ballad zone.  I wasn’t impressed with her last B-side, “Gamushara” so this was an immediate upgrade for me.  I thought the song’s slow tempo and light arrangement let Sayaka sing quite a bit more broader and it worked since for the most part she got it right…but there’s some shaky parts.  Kind of simple but a nice tune overall.

 

 

Sayaka might have better potential after this single since her first one was a little underwhelming.  I will say that Madogiwa Kara Ai wo Komete is a nice softer song for her and once she gets stronger vocals I think it’ll be so much better!!  Kanari Junjou could become catchy but it it’s definitely a LOT safer sounding than “Yappa Seishun” basically.  It’s a small step up though XD.

Sayaka Kitahara – Yappa Seishun June 23, 2011

Track Listing

1. Yappa Seishun
2. Gamushara
3. Yappa Seishun (Instrumental)
4. Gamushara (Instrumental)

1. Yappa Seishun

I’m surprised that Sayaka’s vocals are quite deeper than I remembered them last time when she was a part of MilkyWay.  Anyways, I kind of liked this song since it’s not too genki and has a funky disco vibe to it that makes it easily catchy to the ears.  Some places are a bit cutesy, but otherwise Sayaka did a great job here and she gets brownie points for having Yossie in the song’s PV!

2. Gamushara

One more ~ra~ and it would’ve made me think it was a solo version of the B-side from “Tan Tan Taan!”.  Nah, it’s an original track and to be honest it’s better kept as a B-side since there’s some vocal issues in this track that makes it hard to enjoy.  Especially her weak vocals in the chorus…what happened here?!? 

 

 

Finally the third member of MilkyWay gets a solo start and Sayaka’s debut single is alright, but nothing to really gasm about.  I did enjoy Yappa Seishun quite a bit and might be one of the more stronger A-sides that H!P has done.  Gamushara though is a mess in the vocal department but could’ve done better if she has more training.  Alright single together.