fields of maiZe and berryZ

First off, I don’t think I explicitly said this in my previous post, so: A big shoutout to Ray for hosting me on intlwota! Thank you so much for your help and generosity! I am ridiculously appreciative!

So, C-ute’s 3rd album came out earlier this week, and of course that meant that I had to review it.

I was so excited for this album. You would not believe how much I was looking forward to this album (Okay… Maybe it wasn’t as anticipated as the Buono! album was in my books, but still… I was so ready for this album). Now, I wonder why that was.

It’s not a bad album, it’s just not spectacular. It’s very blah, which makes it completely disappointing for me. I had such high expectations for this album. It wasn’t only because ‘Tokaikko Junjou’ was such an amazing single, but because C-ute has shown that they are an amazing group who can produce amazing tracks

So what was it that was so disappointing in this album? Well, lets go through a track by track review.

1. 都会っ子 純情 (Tokaikko Junjou)
This song is fabulous. The beat is sick, the electric drums are sick, the overall instrumental is sick. I really like Airi’s vocals in this single and Maimi is fabulous. The dance is wicked (can’t do it for the life of me). This song is just overall FTW!! Enough said.

2. イメージカラー (Image Color) (Suzuki Airi, Yajima Maimi)
The 2 leads of C-ute are featured in this track. I’m not liking Airi’s voice all that much here, for the same reasons that I don’t like it in ‘LA LA LA Shiawase no Uta’. It’s a bright, cheerful sounding song, but I’m not all that drawn to it. This is highly upsetting because I love both of these girls so much!

3. 乙女COCORO (Otome COCORO)
This is a slower song. I like the sound of it. The melody is very engaging for me. However, someone is (or some people are) slacking on the vocals. Man, I need my colour-coded lyrics… >_< For an example, whoever’s singing the 2-3 lines before Maimi gets her first line. It sounds like the voice is cracking. You can be forgiven for that in concert, but when you’re recorded, no cracks should be heard. One thing I just noticed… The instrumental practically has no synth. While not quite Buono! quality, I think the crisp sound of the drums and guitars is playing a large factor to my liking this song.

4. LALALA 幸せの歌 (LA LA LA Shiawase no Uta)
Like I said in my review of the PV I don’t mind this song. It’s cute and catchy. It’s longer than I think it has to be and I’m not enjoying Airi’s voice so much here. No solo Chisato also brings down the points for this song.

5. ほめられ伸び子のテーマ曲 (Homerare Nobiko no Theme Kyoku)
This song is edgy. The guitar is sexy, the horns are vibrant. And Chisato has some smoking lines in this track. I’m back to liking Airi’s vocals in this one, and I think Maimi sounds fabulous. Overall, I would say the vocals are solid here, no one’s slacking off like in ‘Otome COCORO’ (I totally want to say Gokoro every time I see/hear that track because of the Otome Gokoro Wonderful Hearts concert). I also really like the ending piano. It gives the song a sophisticated fade out.

6. めぐる恋の季節 (Meguru Koi no Kisetsu)
I enjoy this single, but I have to say that I actually like the b-side to this single (‘Bishoujo Shinri’) more than the a-side. There are actually very few solo lines in this single.

7. スイーーツ→→→ライブ (Sweeeets→→→Live) (Okai Chisato, Arihara Kanna)
I was so excited for this song. Seeing as Chisato is my favourite C-ute member, and it’s her voice I love most in this group, you can just imagine how much I was hoping this song would rock. I was hoping for something ‘Bokura no Kagayaki’-esque. Something that Chisa could rock out to, ‘cause when she really gets into it, she puts on this wonderful vibrato that I can’t get enough of. I don’t hear much vibrato from Hello! Project members. But no… Instead, we get this song. While not horrible by any account, it’s just so disappointing. This is a huge paragraph and I haven’t even really started to talk about the song…What to say? It’s low energy. I have nothing against slower songs, but this one just doesn’t captivate me in the slightest. It’s neither Chisa’s or Kanna’s fault. The vocals are fine. The melody simply doesn’t do much for me, and neither does the instrumental.

8. 桜チラリ (Sakura Chirari)
I was never a very big fan of this single. Once again, I’d take the b-side ‘JUMP!’ over ‘Sakura Chirari’ any day. Something about this song just yells TOO cute for me. This was the first C-ute song I heard, and it actually left me feeling very indifferent to this group (unlike Berryz, whose first song that I heard was ‘Fighting Pose’ which I didn’t mind too much… Of course, I enjoyed ‘Piriri to Yukou’ much more than ‘Fighting Pose’).

9. 晴れのプラチナ通り (Hare no Platinum Doori) (Nakajima Saki, Hagiwara Mai)
Two of the lesser liked voices on my C-ute list. Both do pretty well with their vocal performances here. I like the instruments in this song. It’s got a slower pace and it flows well. The very end brings Berryz’s ‘Kokuhaku no Funsui Hirba’ to mind.

10. ドドンガドン音頭 (Do Don Ga Don Ondou) (Umeda Erika with °C-ute Gasshoudan)
From what I can gather, lots of people are really enjoying this song. It’s fun, catchy, etc. But I can’t get past the fact that it sounds very similar to Odoru 11’s ‘Shiawase Kyouryuu Ondo’ from the 2002 shuffle groups. With something sounding so similar, I can’t help but compare it to the original version… And you simply can’t beat Tsuji and her butt. “A! Purin purin purin” ^_^

The album isn’t all that bad, but I psyched myself up, and it ended up disappointing me. I think I was so spoiled by the fabulousness that was ‘Café Buono!’ that anything unlucky enough to be released in close succession to it would be judged more harshly as I continued to ride the eurphoria that is Buono!’s 1st album. I don’t mind ‘Meguru Koi no Kistesu’ but like I said, I prefer the b-side. That makes me less than enthused over 3 of the 4 singles on this album. I feel bad for C-ute because they have so much talent, but I feel the material given to them here was lacking.

Now, to move on to the second part of this post… A review of Berryz Koubou’s 4th album ‘4th Ai no Nanchara Shisuu’, seeing as I haven’t reviewed it yet.

I say this is as good a time as any to review it – within the same post as C-ute’s album review. Lets say this is a preview of the Berryz vs. C-ute concert battle to come later this year (in just a little over a month, actually).

Now this album did NOT disappoint. It’s lively, it’s fresh and just overall WOW! Let’s head right into the track-by-track review:

1. 愛のスキスキ指数 上昇中 (Ai no Suki Suki Shisuu Joushouchuu)
This is a good, upbeat song to get you into the album. The melody is catchy and the mix of instruments is great. Everyone gets a line in this track, so you get a nice intro to each of the girls (unlike C-ute’s first track which just happens to be the Airi show… But it’s Tokkaiko, and she was fabulous, so I don’t actually mind that much).

2. 胸騒ぎスカーレット (Munasawagi Scarlet)
What can I say about this song? It was this song that really got me into Berryz Koubou. I liked some of their older releases (especially ‘Piriri to Yukou’ and ‘Special Generation’) prior to this, but I didn’t follow Berryz. Sometime in September or early October of 2007, my brother got me to listen to this song and I was just hooked. He was gushing over Risako, but I was drawn to Miyabi’s voice, particularly in her last solo line in this song. It’s just so fabulous. This song has song great guitar in it. Overall, it’s got such an amazing rock feel, that I can forgive the funny looking outfits they wear in the PV (although really, I’d have to say that those outfits have definitely grown on me). This is the Berryz song that would battle C-ute’s ‘Tokkaiko Junjou’ if songs were to battle each other.

3. 思い立ったら 吉でっせ！(Omoitattara Kichi desse!) - Kumai Yurina, Tokunaga Chinami & Sudou Maasa
My brother’s favourite song on the album. He’s got a great love for Chinami, so it’s understandable. This is a cute song, and it’s nice that Chinami and Maasa get some spotlight in this song. My brother pointed out the horn at the end of some lines of the chorus (sounds like a horn you’d have on your bike, or one that a clown would use). It bugs the heck out of him, but I think it gives the song an interesting flavour. Though really, I may just really like it because my brother is so annoyed by it. My subconscious works in strange ways. XD

4. VERY BEAUTY
I love the melody of this song. I have no prejudice against slower songs or ballads. If I made a list of my all-time favourite H!P songs, I’d say a large chunk of them would be slower songs. This song always leaves me feeling very light-hearted. I like the drums in this song. They’re fairly simple, but the kick drum and snare really keep the song moving for me. I find its a great compliment to the piano, guitar and strings. This would have to be one of my all-time favourite Berryz releases.

5. 笑っちゃおうよ BOYFRIEND (Waracchaou yo BOYFRIEND)
This is a cute song with a 50’s-60’s doo wop feel. The key slides and the horns make this song for me. It’s also got a really catchy melody that I adore.

6. 私がすることない程 全部してくれる彼 (Watashi ga Suru Koto nai Hodo Zenbu Shite Kureru Kare) - Sugaya Risako & Tsugunaga Momoko
This is a nice slow tempo song for these two. I find Risako’s voice to be pretty well controlled in this song, even when she sings it live (unlike ‘VERY BEAUTY’ or ‘Kokuhaku’). I even like Momoko’s voice in this one. It’s not too much of her high-squeaky voice. This song actually gives a little glimpse of how we later hear her in Buono! The instrumental is pretty simple. The percussion is the highlight for me instrumentally in this one. The melody is very pretty and is sung well by both girls.

7. サヨナラ 激しき恋(Sayonara Hageshiki Koi)
This would have to be my favourite song on the album. I first heard it when I watched Berryz Spring 2007 concert - Sakura Mankai. It was because of that performance that I went looking for the album to listen to. I really need to find a translation to this song. It’s such an intense song with the driving drum beat and the smoking guitar riffs. The vocals are well done here, and Captain even gets a solo paragraph. ^_^ Nothing on C-ute’s album (non-single wise) compares to this track.

8. 告白の噴水広場 (Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba)
Another of Berryz slower tempo releases, and another Berryz single that I absolutely adore. I have read a translation to this song, and I love the lyrics. In the recorded version, I find all the girls sing it well, but man can Risako absolutely butcher this song live. That doesn’t stop me from loving this song, though. It’s such a bittersweet sounding song, and of course it doesn’t hurt that there’s a whole lot of Miyabi in this single.

9. 告白の噴水広場! (Sprinter!) - Natsuyaki Miyabi & Shimizu Saki
Sprinter is a cute song about a race. I can’t find the words to express the style of this song. The best my brother could come up with was ‘western saloon-y style’. That would definitely apply to the piano in the song. But then the drums and horns are kind of swing-ish. Whatever the case, it mixes well together. Definitely a good pick-me-up song if you need something fun and catchy. I love all the “Wow!”s in this song.

10. サクラハラクサ (Sakura wa Raku Sa)
This song has a whole lot of synth. It’s definitely not your regular Berryz song. It’s got a really strong bass line and interesting vocal manipulation in the backing track. This song has a dance vibe to it, as in something you’d hear at a club (except, club songs don’t tend to have this many vocals). It certainly adds a little spice to the album.

11. 桜→入学式 (Sakura→Nyuugakushiki)
This closing song slows things down again after Sakura wa Ruka Sa. I find this track relaxing. It’s a nice way to wind down at the end of the album and closes it out very well.

I love this album! While I haven’t listened to every single track 40-50+ times (which I have with ‘Café Buono!) this is a solid album. All 4 singles featured on the album were strong (keep in mind I have absolutely nothing against ballads – I actually adore ballads) – the one I listen to least is ‘BOYFRIEND’, but I still really enjoy the song.

So in this battle of Berryz vs. C-ute: most recent albums, I’d have to say Berryz wins by a landslide! What I noticed is that even though Berryz has their 4 leads (already more than C-ute who really have only 2 – Maimi and Airi, even though Nakasaki and Mai Mai also get some lines), they incorporate the other girls more into songs than C-ute. In C-ute songs, when a non-lead gets a line, it’s usually just that: 1 line. In Berryz, a non-lead can get up to a whole paragraph in a song, ex. ‘Sayonara Hageshiki Koi‘ (even in singles, ex. ‘Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba’).

I’d have to say that in the battle of Berryz vs. C-ute: most recent singles, I’d have to say that Berryz wins again. In my opinion, ‘Dschinghis Khan’ kills ‘LA LA LA Shiawase no Uta’. The PV has a lot to do with it, but that’s besides the fact. Without the PV, it wouldn’t be murder, but still a win.

C-ute’s gotta step it up. That’s 2-0 Berryz just within this blog post. C-ute got that Rakuten Eagles single coming up next week and then their 5th single in April, actually releasing during the time of the concert battle. I’d say it’s actually kind of unfair that C-ute gets this extra edge to try and catch up to Berryz, seeing as Berryz has no other releases scheduled before the concert, but I guess they have enough to back them up already. XD I can’t wait for this concert!

And as if this post wasn’t long enough already… One more thing (completely unrelated to H!P):

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR!!

Goodness, why are you so hot?! (Though not as hot as Zac)

Note: What is it with me and ridiculously long posts? XD

This entry was posted on Friday, March 14th, 2008 at 1:19 am and is filed under Album, Birthdays, Hanson, Hello! Project, Non-Japanese, Review, Wonderful Hearts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.