[Album] NICO Touches the Walls, [DS] Dohzi-T - Omoi ft YU-A, & [Single] Juju - Present
[Single] Juju - Present
Release Date: 2009.11.25
Genre: light Pop, Ballad, Jazz and Blues
Label: Sony Music Japan
Sounds like: Thelma Aoyama, Fukuhara Miho, MAY'S, MiChi, Koda Kumi's ballads, and a slight Michael Bublé (YES!)
Language: Japanese + discernible English
Bit rate: 320kbps
01. PRESENT (MusicVideo@YT)
02. Everything Was You (Preview@imeem)
03. Ex-Factor
04. PRESENT - Instrumental -
PRESENT is the 11th single by Juju and it's title track is the theme song for the Disney movie Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey, Colin Firth, and Gary Oldman. I'm guessing it's for the Japanese version of the movie. PRESENT describes being in the present time and appreciating now rather than dwelling in the past. The music video's pretty interesting. Musically, PRESENT is a ballad but it has intonations of a little pop because it's not as slow or as long-winded as you may expect. It does have a certain Christmasy feel or perhaps I'm being influenced by the season. Piano is appropriately the main instrument in this track and is flanked by Juju's soft and emotionally tinged vocals.
Everything Was You is a jazz and blues track. It reminds me much of Michael Bublé's work. Maybe I'm being stereotypical however, Bublé is the most well-known example of this genre right now... Anyway, I find this song refreshing as it is suggestively sensual and paints a picture of a classy lounge-like environment. It is also, very Christmasy in a way.
Ex-Factor is sung entirely in English. Fortunately, JUJU pronounces each word with listenable diction so I'm not cringing at all. *phew* It's another bluesy track with a heavier dose of R&B. Consider it a slow jam that sways back and forth from being Americanized and J-R&B at the same time. Not that I'm complaining because Juju does a great job in trying out new genres. Recommended !
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[Digital Single] Dohzi-t - 4 Ever feat.YU-A (of Foxxi misQ)
Release Date: 2000.12.16
Genre: Pop, R&B
Label: Universal Music Japan
Sounds like: YU-A, BENI, Aoyama Thelma, Minimaru GT, WISE, Bennie K, Miliyah Kato, So' Fly
Language: Japanese
Bit rate: 320kbps
01. 想い 4 Ever (Omoi) feat.YU-A (MusicVideo@YT)
Starting of with soothing guitar plucking and followed by a chiming keyboard, YU-A takes you to another dimension of polished R&B with the obscenely additive chorus. Dohzi-T is a tamer version of M-flo and a lot more charming than WISE. He matches YU-A's fluid vocals to the tee. It gives you the feeling of being high and at the same time, presented with the opportunity to look back on the happier memories.
This single appears to be a preview to Dohzi-T's full album that is to be released sometime mid-Dec and features both his previous and new collaborations as well as solo work. Looking forward to it indeed.
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[Album] NICO Touches the Walls - Aurora
Release Date: 2009.11.25
Genre: Alternative Rock, Post Grunge
Label: Ki/oon Records
Sounds like: Base Ball Bear, UNISON SQUARE, Apogee and semi-Daughty & Coldplay.
Language: Japanese
Bit rate : 320kbps
01. Aurora (Preview@YT)
02. Hologram (ホログラム, Horoguramu) (MusicVideo@YT)
03. Me (芽, Sprout) (Preview@YT)
04. Lonesome Ghost
05. Bigfoot (ビッグフット, Biggufutto)
06. Kakera -Subete no Omoitachi he- (かけら -統べての想いたちへ-, Fragments -To all the thoughts-) (MusicVideo@YT)
07. Sabitekita (錆びてきた, Rusted)
08. Leo (レオ, Reo)
09. N Kyoku to N Kyoku (Ｎ極とＮ極, N Poles and N Poles)
10. Kazehito (風人, Windy Person)
11. Nami (波, Wave)
12. Tomato (トマト, Tomato)
NICO Touches the Walls returns with a full blown album after releasing their latest single on the 4th of Nov. Hologram is the opening theme of the ever-intriguing anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It's a solid release pumped with bass and guitar. I recommend this to anyone who's looking for an escape from the pop-candy jpop cliché.
You can read about Aurora, Hologram and Kareka - Subete no Omoitachi he- at this post. The Aurora in this track is however a shorter, rockier version with added electric guitar and much more drums.
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