Track Listing
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Chankapana
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Full Swing
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Starry
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Vampire wa Kakukatakiri
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PeekaBoo…
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Addict
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Chankapana (Original Karaoke)
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Full Swing (Original Karaoke)
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Starry (Original Karaoke)
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Vampire wa Kakukatakiri (Original Karaoke)
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PeekaBoo… (Original Karaoke)
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Addict (Original Karaoke)
1. Chankapana
It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen NEWS last and they return with…a song that’s kind of unique to their style. It seems like it has some light Indian influence and on the other hand seem to take notes from Arashi’s “Wild At Heart” which doesn’t surprise me much because both groups are Johnny’s. Now with just four vocalists left, it’s surprising to see some of the others take charge and they don’t sound half bad. Not an amazing song, but it moves them forward.
2. Full Swing
The main B-side kind of sounds like your run-of-the-mill NEWS/Johnny’d song which is kind of disappointing and dated but whoever sings lead sounds really good in the song. Then again the other 3 members don’t sound half-bad either. It’s just this song is uneventful and I kind of forget it after a while.
3. Starry
The rest of the single is split into 4 each containing a solo song for each member starting with Koyama’s song which is oddly the only ballad on the single. With only piano and strings helping him out, it seems really plain but Keiichiro sounds pleasant but it lacks something to bring it out to the forefront of the single.
4. Vampire wa Kakukatakiri
Shigeaki’s song is up next and seeing the word Vampire in its title, I was expecting something really cool and it kind of is. Though I’m kind of surprised Shigeaki isn’t really singing and is more riding the line between singing and speaking. Adding salt to the wound, he’s under heavy auto-tune which doesn’t work with his vocals very much. I will say that I do like the funky arrangement but I just couldn’t take this song very seriously.
5. PeekaBoo…
The same problems seem to be present for Takahisa’s song in the fact that he’s under a lot of auto-tune as well. At least the song is a bit more suited but it lacks power behind it which is a little unsettling for me because I do think it’s needs more bang. At least he can pull off sexy well.
6. Addict
Tegoshi gets his song and this was a lot more of what I was hoping “PeekaBoo…” would sound like because Yuya sounds really pleasant and doesn’t rely heavily on the auto-tune and he sounds really strong singing throughout. It’s definitely my favorite song from this single hands down!
It’s been a hard time for the guys of NEWS since “Fighting Man”. I mean they lost two of their core members (Yamapi and Ryo) and had to release a best-of to bsically start anew with the rest of the members. I do seem to find that Tegoshi and Koyama are now the leads while the other two now sing a bit more than they’re used to and that’s great. Chankapana is a smidge better than “Fighting Man” but not by much because most of the single is still feeling like it’s missing something or it just feels super dated. I will say that I loved Addict the most and that stood out to me a LOT. The rest of the single…eh….I hope they get better as this quartet.
Kurayami Monogatari 
Hi, I am a NEWS fan and always curious to hear another people view about their music (or maybe Johnny’s in general). Unfortunately not many people review their songs and there I found your blog. ^^
I love your reviews, keep up the good job.
Just wondering, though why don’t you review Tegomass too? They are subgroup of NEWS (Tegoshi and Masuda) and they have released quite singles and albums under the same label. The difference with NEWS is, Tegomass were formed as vocal duo because of their talents in singing and harmonizing (unlike most stereotype of Johnny’s) XD
I’d be interested to read your thoughts about them ^^
Have a good day!
hello, can’t help wanting to reply to this, because I am actually a NEWS fan myself. I check to see your reviews whenever I am exploring Japanese music. I don’t know much theory and instruments myself & tend to rely on my own feelings first. Your reviews, then, help me analyze songs further. Thanks for that!
I appreciate non-fan’s comments on NEWS’s music & knowing that you’ve done a few, this time around I also came to check if you’d write about their new single, and you did! I guess with the help of solos, you can now identify their voices more? lol.
What made me want to reply is your comment about their voices, actually. Just want to supply some background and say that Tegoshi & Masuda (Tegomass) are supposedly the lead vocals actually; although, agreeing to your comments on their solos, I don’t know if that’ll change as the quartet moves on. I kinda think not, because Masuda’s vocals impresses me way more often than Koyama does. But, Massu’s voice isn’t as strong and reliable like Tegoshi’s is, I’m aware of his limitations, and Koyama has been taking vocal lessons to get better. He will get more chances at leading, vocally, but I kinda still bet on Massu. I think there is a certain quality in his voice that attracts to me (more than Tego’s actually), and his voice has more “faces” than Koyama’s. I feel the same way about PeekaBoo though tbh. I hope he produces even better solos; ones that show off his vocals more. So far his solos haven’t been exactly impressive.
ps. Love Tegoshi’s Addict, but I kind of think it gets a bit repetitive towards the end, would’ve wanted him to make some slight changes to the chorus at the end. 🙂
Ahhhh, I never really paid attention to NEWS when they were a 6-nin and din’t bother to listen to vocals seperately. I’m guessing Yamapi and Ryo left and tehy had to figure who would lead but it’s nice to see that all the guys have some chance now