Music Monday
Music Monday
It’s been a while since I’ve recommended music for Music Monday. So in order to get back into the swing of things I’ve decided to rant about Meisa Kuroki’s newest mini-album.
Currently 21 years old and from Japan. She is an actress, singer, and model under the label Sony Music Japan. She started first at a model and was scouted while in high school. She often appeared in JJ a popular fashion magazine. At first she was involved in theater and starred in a few plays and now has been seen in over 10 dramas like, One Pound Gospel and Chance. Besides focusing on her musical career and as of 2010 (now) she is a major model for L’Oreal cosmetics.
My first introduction to her was in the movie Crows Zero (and its sequel) in which she played Ruka Aizawa, a performer at a popular club and love interest of the male lead Genji Takiya. I liked her performance both as an actress and as a singer.
(Meisa as Ruka in Crows Zero)
(Meisa as Sister Angela. The love interest for Kame in One Pound Gospel. )
Starting the New Year off she released her 2nd mini-album Attitude.
From my research it hasn’t done as well as her debut album and after listening to it I can see why. Overall, her songs were good but it just seemed like most of her songs would get lost in the sea of pop songs and don’t have the ability to really stand out.
Directly below is the album cover for Attitude and farther down is my full review.
The first actual song is Are ya ready. This is a song that I really enjoyed and can have on repeat for long time. You can tell she has been working on her singing and her voice seems stronger. Not as “airy as many would say. There are a lot of English phrases, its upbeat, and all that clapping makes you want to dance. The auto-tone isn’t as heavy as it is in her other songs on this album. Some people like that sound and others just don’t. The majority of her album has an auto-tone and club feel to it. So depending on your feelings on that makes or breaks for this album. I usually don’t like that style but I wasn’t bothered by it this time. So far this is the only song with an MV for this album. I definitely suggest you watch a HQ version and listen to the song. Below is a pic from her video and you can just see the attitude!
The last song, Awakening¸ can be described as a ballad, even though I really wouldn’t classify it as such because of the R&B. I really enjoyed this song. Besides the auto-tone and the club sound there are a few trends noticeable in this album. Her voice is getting stronger and she really seems to do a great job on the verses but I feel like the chorus’ get lost and can’t stand on their own sometimes. Some of the songs like, Stand up, had repetitive sounds which is the reason nothing really stands out in this album. I liked Last Show, and Kind of Guy. # 1 wasn’t too bad either. I think she has a strong voice and has a lot of potential and if you liked at least on song on this album then go back and check her earlier stuff because there is more sound variation and some of her songs really stand out.
Thoughts on her Previous Works:
I was disappointed in first single album and didn’t like the other songs. The song known as Shock-unmei I really liked and enjoyed the mix of R&B and classical. I will admit to it getting me pumped up! However, I was not happy with the chorus, it didn’t seem stronger enough. There’s a line where it seems she is trying to say too much and ran out of breath. However, I never noticed really until going back listening to her earlier stuff to compare it to Attitude.
Her debut album is known as hellcat and so far I love almost all of the songs on it. Yes, her voice isn’t as strong since it was her first album but she tries to be more versatile in her singing. The overall sound was sexy and there was a lot of experimenting going on. I actually liked the R&B she wove into the album which has pop and rock sounds. The tempo varies and though she has auto-tone it is done well, to actually enhance the song. Unlike Attitude in which auto-tone seems to just cover the whole album. In a few songs she raps for a bit and I actually enjoyed her breaking up the song. A few times I could tell she was yelling and her voice was shaky but it wasn’t too bad. Especially considering it was a debut album. I would suggest checking out Bad Girl, Criminal, Hear the Alarm, and Like This.
Overall, I think she is a phenomenal model and she isn’t too bad of actress. Just like with her music her acting career is getting better. She has potential I can’t deny that, but right now she isn’t strong enough to stand on her own. I will continue to follow her and keep my ears open and I'm glad my friend code_bando introduced me to to her! I hope she plans to release a new single or full album in the near future and then I will make a more of a definite judgment.