Buy Exile - Exile Love
EXILE released their sixth album, “EXILE LOVE” on December 12, 2007. Their album achieved astounding first day sales - the second highest recorded since daily sales indicators were added in February of 2007. Their firs day sales of 210,000 are second to only Mr. Children’s first day sales for HOME.
The album starts out strongly with a great sounding track, “What is Love.” It features vocals the fade in and out amongst the fast strings and synth sounds. It’s not until the first chorus where EXILE’s R&B comes front and center. Even then, the instrumentation is one of the tracks strengths. On the other hand, the song’s use of “What is L O V E?” doesn’t sound very good, mainly because of the trouble in pronunciation of the word. It’s quite detrimental to the track, despite excellent English elsewhere. Considering its the hook of the song, good pronunciation should have been emphasized. The extro more than makes up for the chorus, with EXILE’s lead vocals accompanied by frenetic strings. Over all, a solid introduction to the album.
“I Believe” was released as a winter single preceding the release of the this album. It doesn’t have the great production and layering of the previous track, but it’s still of good quality. The song is pretty low-key, with decent vocals that don’t really push the envelope. The melody is probably the track’s strengths, but the instrumentation doesn’t help carry that strength across to the listener very well, nor do the lead vocals. As a single, “I Believe” was lacking, and if you’ve heard it before, it can easily be skipped without hurting your listening experience.
“Beautiful” makes a good transition from “I Believe;” the song is mid-tempo R&B with a so-so hook. The track doesn’t sound very impressive in the verses at all. In fact, the verses are very spartan, which does not accompany weak lead vocals well. However, the chorus cues the start of a fuller instrumentation that helps lift the song up. The crescendo is also a great part of the song, but the extro sounds plain awful and Engrishy. “Beautiful” is the weakest of the first three tracks, but it’s a far cry from terrible.
“Hibiki” is the B-side to the “SUMMER TIME LOVE” single; it’s a ballad powered by violins and an R&B beat. It’s a typical ballad filler for a J-pop album. However, this song is weak compared to many of EXILE’s other album tracks, mainly because of the lack of full layering of background vocals. Background vocals are present, but they’re not out in full force. The end effect is a mild ballad the ends up feeling bland. EXILE is capable of better, so this track really falls into the background of the album.
“Kimi Ga Iru Kara” is a B-side from wintry “I Believe” single, and the song ends up sounding wintry as well. “Kimi Ga Iru Kara” has a better variety of instrumentation than “Hibiki,” but is not as good as “I Believe.” These three songs feel so close in nature, and are very slow; it’s hard to recommend listening to all of them. “I Believe” is probably the best choice to listen to, the other two aren’t quite up to par for EXILE.
The album has lost a lot of its initial momentum by this point, as well as a sizable fraction of its starting quality. “Make Love” forces an awkward transition to a dance track that edits the vocals to a large extent. The album gains back momentum, but the track really isn’t that good. It feels over powered. It has a good hook chorus and great vocals, but the synth instrumentation is too much. The song ends up feeling like an extended interlude. In context of the album, the song may be listenable, but the track would have trouble standing alone.
“SUMMER TIME LOVE” is the best song on the album, and the best single released during this era of EXILE. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, you’re probably wondering why I dared make such a statement. I’m sure many people will have a variety of favorites from the album, but this song has the most power, a great hook that lacks detrimental Engrish, excellent instrumentation, a semi-present beat that doesn’t overpower the song, and a fabulous chorus. The song sounds full and upbeat, which are two of EXILE’s strengths. The crescendo and the final chorus are simply cherries on top of the thickly layered icing; the song not only starts out strong, but finishes with a large bang. Unless you can only listen to EXILE’s ballads, SUMMER TIME LOVE is a must listen.
“Sora Kara Ochitekuru JAZZ” slows the album back down to mid-tempo from the last powerhouse track. This song is definitely jazzy, it feels a lot different from many of the album’s other tracks mainly because it lacks a powerful R&B beat. However, jazz is most definitely not EXILE’s strength. The lead singer does pull off the song nicely, but the song can’t help but feel a little sparse and bland compared to other album tracks.
“love” is the album’s full blown mid-tempo R&B ballad. How to describe the flaw with this track? It’s almost intangible; the song sounds fine, but it feels like it could have easily been so much more than just fine. At times, it feels like the vocals and the instrumentation are on the verge of surprising the listener, but there is no surprise in store. The track sounds very typical of EXILE. Considering that they’ve done better ballads, this song really isn’t worth a listen outside of the album.
“sayonara” is, well, you guessed it… ANOTHER BALLAD! By this point the album has inundated the listener in ballads. The best ballad, “I Believe” wasn’t even that good, but nevertheless, EXILE is trying to cater to their fans, who they believe love their ballads. “sayonara” sounds too soft compared to the other ballads, despite at least sounding different. Rule of thumb: EXILE does pop, not acoustic. The vocals aren’t strong enough for acoustic songs, and lack true personality. That means “sayonara” really does not sit well with the rest of the album.
“Kawaranai Mono” is another ballad. I’ve said all I want to say about EXILE’s ballads. At this point, they’ve beaten out all interest the listener has in their ballads. This is really hurting the variety of their album. I can understand an emphasis on ballads on an album about love, but this is over kill. The goal of pop music is to reach out to a variety of listeners in order to attain a large fanbase, and this album is not doing so at all. It’s floundering, in fact.
“Toki No Kakera” is at least upbeat, but as the B-side on “24karats -type EX-,” it is not amazing. The production is noticeably lacking in this mid-tempo track, and the vocals don’t sound perfected. The song is just okay.
“Touch The Sky feat. Bach Logic” is a bonus track, and rightfully so. It’s too R&B and too out of place among EXILE’s other tracks. It’s certainly variety, but it’s variety that’s created at expense of the quality of the music. It’s not really pop at all.
“24karats -type EX-” is dancey and dark with diverse vocals, rapping, and interesting instrumentation. It’s a great way to round out the CD + 2DVD version of the album because it ends the album with power, on a high note. Sowelu gives the track flavor that really helps give the album flavor.
Now, here is where EXILE’s album-selling gimmick comes into play. One album version had two extra songs and the DVDs. However, the other version has the fan favorite and recent heavy download seller, “Lovers Again.” This orchestra version of “Lovers Again” has quite probably helped EXILE move a significantly greater number of albums. It’s that popular. And the song is probably worth your listen in its latest reincarnation.
After listening to the album in its entirety, you may realize how much you have just listened to TAKAHIRO’s lead vocals. The pure concentration of his voice on this album is staggering. He’s leading the song’s, and pretty much unabashedly backing himself up. The problem with this is that his voice, although pretty, soothing, and great for R&B, does not have a great deal of power or range. True, this album strives to differentiate the tracks and give them unique renditions of TAKAHIRO’s vocals by changing up the pace, but oftentimes, this fails. Some tracks, such as “SUMMER TIME LOVE” are excellently produced, and transcend this inherent flaw, while others simply succumb, falling into the abyss of EXILE’s many, many songs in its discography. These vocals are the one main flaw worth noting on this album (other than the flooding of ballads). Over all, it’s a step up from their last studio effort and a decent J-pop release.
Buy Exile - Exile Love
01. What Is Love
02. I Believe
03. Beautiful
04. Hibiki
05. Kimi Ga Iru Kara
06. Make Love
07. SUMMER TIME LOVE
08. Sora Kara Ochitekuru JAZZ
09. love
10. sayonara
11. Kawaranai Mono
12. Toki No Kakera
13. Touch The Sky feat. Bach Logic (CD+2DVD-Only Bonus)
14. 24karats -type EX- (Sowelu, EXILE, DOBERMAN INC) (CD+2DVD-Only Bonus)
15. Lovers Again -Orchestra Version- (CD-Only Bonus)
Exile - Exile Love
Dreams Come True - And I Love You
Buy Dreams Come True - And I Love You
“AND I LOVE YOU,” DCT’s 14th original studio album, was released December 12, 2007. It reached number two on the Oricon charts, selling 374,000 copies its first week.
“a little prayer” begins the album on an irresistible note: the track uses well-layered vocals intermingled with soft R&B beats to create a great atmosphere. If the song were full length, the repetition of the of some phrases would be a problem, but instead, the song prepares the listener for the variety of the album. A well produced track with a variety of sounds, “a little prayer” is a paradigm of what introductions should be.
“Aishiteru no Sign ~Watashitachi no Mirai Yosouzu~” is a ballad, through and through. If you can’t stand the song being slow and repetitive, despite being very pretty and melodic, this might be a song to skip. True, the song sounds very typical of a ballad, but the chorus somehow makes the song worth a listen among all the powerhouse songs among DCT’s discography. The final chorus of the song is fabulous, working as a climax for the song. “Aishiteru no Sign ~Watashitachi no Mirai Yosouzu~” is never over the top vocally, but feels emotional nonetheless. Despite a prolonged extro that thinks too highly of itself, this song is good.
The transition into “Osaka LOVER -ALBUM EDITION-” is a bit forced because of the huge change in beat and rythym. Nevertheless, it works. “Osaka LOVER -ALBUM EDITION-” is just funky, with an infectious beat, interesting background music, and strong vocals. The memorable music of the chorus and the catchy hooks make this song special, as well. Perhaps the best part of the song is the final bridge and crescendo; the addition of more traditional Japanese sounds and fuller keyboards lead the song into its ending stretch with style. The extro, extended in this album version, is interesting clearly marking this as an album only version of the song.
“Appeal” maintains the funky beat of “Osaka LOVER” but tones the energy level down a few notches. That doesn’t mean the keyboards and vocals aren’t as sweet as ever, however. The choruses boom over the verses, and “Appeal” has one of the best final choruses of the album so far. Yoshida Miwa elevates her voice in noticeable manner, giving this track another special feel. Despite being mid-tempo, “Appeal” manages to maintain the listener’s interest through a variety of sounds. The ending monologue probably isn’t necessary, but it does exemplify the melody nicely.
“Sayonara 59ers! -ALBUM EDITION- (さよなら59ers!)” is a mid-tempo song with funk. Utilizing an acoustic guitar, clapping, and trademark beat, the song. For most of the song, “Sayonara 59ers! -ALBUM EDITION- (さよなら59ers!)” drags along, with very stable vocals and melody. It’s not until the ending, where vocal layering, the guitar, and Yoshida Miwa’s lead vocals all kick it up a notch. It’s too little, too late though - “Sayonara 59ers! -ALBUM EDITION- (さよなら59ers!)” feels like a B-side placed among stronger tracks (which it is). There’s no hiding it.
“CARNAVAL ~Subete no Tatakau Hitotachi he~” is in a similar vein as “Sayonara 59ers!” but has much more energy, perhaps because the theme is “CARNAVAL.” Nevertheless, the keyboards just beam on this track, and the omnipresent choir of everyday background voices really give the song personality. Whistles, and various other instruments don’t feel out of place here, mainly because this song is just a mid-temp party for your ears.
“NOCTURNE 001″ starts out with futuristic sounds, before a more traditional piano takes center stage among these beats. This song has much less power than “Aishiteru no Sign ~Watashitachi no Mirai Yosouzu~,” but uses variety in sounds and building power in lead vocals to differentiate. “NOCTURE 001″ is very different, and despite dragging at first, ends with the listener satisfied, mainly due to the complexity of the track. Despite a rough start, the ending vocals and melody are very pretty and memorable.
“Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai” is perhaps the most powerful ballad on the album so far. Vocally, Yoshida Miwa really strives for power. Without that power and corresponding increase in background vocals, this track may have sounding like the other two slower songs on this album. However, “Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai” feels different because of the power behind the whole song. An interesting harpsicord like sound (probably manipulated through the keyboard) adds flavor to this track through slow initial verses. The crescendo is well worth the wait, however. The final bridge leads into piano backed lead vocals before they begin to boom in the extro. “Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai” has one of the best extros on the whole album, hands down, mainly because it sounds so wonderful and is easy to sing along to. The piano fringe at the end is wonderful too - the melody will really stick with the listener.
The piano leads right into the next track, “Kyou Dake wa -ALBUM EDITION-” utilizes a melody during the chorus that sounds reminiscent of “Silver Bells.” There’s not much at fault with the song, although it feels a bit less-well rounded compared to some of the other tracks. “Kyou Dake wa -ALBUM EDITION-” has good tempo, and variety in instrumentation, with modern rythym, and traditional beats. The bridge’s tempo certainly mixes the song up a bit, spicing things up. The ending is also very good, although the choruses throughout the song are a bit slow (despite excellent transitions back to the verses). It’s very pretty song with some roughness, but plenty of goodness.
“UNPRETTY DAY!” starts out pretty well, with an orchestra, before a very 90s beat takes over, ruining the ambiance. Luckily, instrumentation comes back, but besides excellent vocals, this funky track is a little too funky at some points. A nice change of pace, but perhaps a little over the top for some.
“Mata ne -ALBUM EDITION-” is a welcome journey back to a comfort zone. Of course, the song uses the cliché of children, although their voices don’t sound as choir-like as we may be used to. Still, the song has power and rhythm. The choruses sound frenetic, but in a good way, upping the pace of the song and imbuing more energy to the song. Of course, “Mata ne” might get a little repetitive after a while, but it is kind of fun to sing along with. This repetition has duality, then, as it acts as both the strength and weakness of “Mata ne -ALBUM EDITION-.”
“Moshimo Yuki Nara” is another ballad, which banks on differentiating itself by sounding wintry. It’s pretty, but it’s not as good or memorable as the other ballads found on the album. It does, however, lead nicely, into the forward-looking “AND I LOVE YOU.” This final track on the album sounds heartfelt and leaves the listener feeling as through the whole album “AND I LOVE YOU” came from the heart. That’s a nice feeling.
“AND I LOVE YOU” is most clearly an album created by a pop group with great ability and capability tempered by experience. However, experience does not make DCT flawless. Often, long-time musical acts may rest on their laurels while still trying to create new music. DCT doesn’t quite do that here, however, the album does feel like the amalgamation of singles put together with some filler tracks. That’s not a bad thing necesarily, as most of these tracks are strong. However, “AND I LOVE YOU” has many tracks that drag on way past their due-date of stopping, seemingly just to fill the album and make it complete. This, along with an initial feeling of blandness, prevent “AND I LOVE YOU” from standing among their best works. However, some songs on their album do stack up well against classics. “AND I LOVE YOU” is a step in the right direction for DCT, but just a baby step. It’s one of the better pop albums out there, but that should be expected, and part of creating a great album is rising above expectations, which DCT doesn’t do to a certain extent.
Buy Dreams Come True - And I Love You
01. a little prayer
02. Aishiteru no Sign ~Watashitachi no Mirai Yosouzu~
03. Osaka LOVER -ALBUM EDITION-
04. Appeal
05. Sayonara 59ers! -ALBUM EDITION-
06. CARNAVAL ~Subete no Tatakau Hitotachi he~
07. NOCTURNE 001
08. Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai
09. Kyou Dake wa -ALBUM EDITION-
10. UNPRETTY DAY!
11. Mata ne -ALBUM EDITION-
12. Moshimo Yuki Nara
13. AND I LOVE YOU
Bow Wow and Omarion - Face Off
Buy Bow Wow and Omarion - Face Off
Much like the two album collaboration between Jay-Z and R Kelly, Bow Wow and Omarion combine hip hop and R&B for a full length collaboration.
The interesting thing about this collaboration is both of these artists who were child stars that are trying to shed their former image. Omarion had been in commercials as a child and was later part of the R&B boy group B2K. Bow Wow used to be known as Lil Bow Wow but he wanted to shed his image as a young teenage rapper. He shed the little but as of yet still hasn't quite revamped his image.
Although I don't think many people were highly anticipating this release, the album does pack a serious punch. I must admit I hadn't heard Bow Wow rap since he dropped the Lil from his name, but he has some serious talent. From his first verse on the opening track "Face Off" he establishes himself as the star of the album.
For the most part Omarion is confined to choruses on the album. When he does sing verses he lacks the punch that R Kelly has established for himself in recent albums and remixes. Omarion's choruses do perfectly complement Bow Wow's verses.
As many readers might know, I'm not generally a big fan of R&B tinged hip hop. For the most part on this album, the production is very hip hop. It reminds me a lot of R Kelly's more recent work. The production is hip hop with some singing. Production on the album comes from T-Pain, Rick Ruben, the Neptunes, and Jim Jonsin.
Will the album revamp the images of these two artists? I'm not completely sure. Bow Wow spits lines like "We can do it in the shower/ Bow Wow can go for hours" and it just seems slightly unnatural. Both these guys have talent which seems to be surprising to a lot of people. Maybe if they decided to do a follow up like R Kelly and Jay-Z did, it will be even bigger and even better.
Buy Bow Wow and Omarion - Face Off
01 Face Off
02 Hood Star
03 Girlfriend
04 Hey Baby (Jump Off)
05 He Ain't Gotta Know
06 Bachelor Pad
07 Listen
08 Can't Get Tired of Me
09 Number Ones
10 Baby Girl
11 Take off Your Clothes
12 Another Girl
Jonas Brothers - Jonas Brothers
Buy Jonas Brothers - Jonas Brothers
One year after their fairly successful debut record, It's About Time, the Jonas Brothers are ready to drop their new sophomore attempt with the help of a new label from Hollywood Records, a company that has produced big teen artists such as Raven Symone and Plain White T's. Their new self-titled album is straight forward and simple proof that these three brothers have matured in every aspect of their music career, and, most notably, in their voices. Interestingly, heavier guitar parts give this album an edgier feel previously not heard. But does this mean a discontinuation of the fun and positive tracks from It's About Time?
"S.O.S," the album's opener, finds the group in the midst of an up and down relationship which they compare to "walking on broken glass." The following track and first hit single from the record, "Hold On," boasts a strong reminder not to completely fall apart in troubled times and holds values in high esteem (Don't give up/Have faith/Restart). The surprising ballad "Hello Beautiful" will no doubt leave fans pleased not only with the song itself, but also with the vocal quality and improvement that has taken place within one year's time. "Inseparable" bears a message of being there for each other no matter what the circumstances are, whereas "Hollywood" is the song on this album that proves it worthy of a 3-star rating. The track lets fans know that this band won't be swayed by Hollywood culture and tells us "the fire's in our hearts."
What and where is that fire though? While it appears most obvious in "Hollywood" that it is Christ's love, it is not so apparent throughout this record. Many songs make it hard to decipher whether they have a faith-based or secular meaning which unfortunately is likely to leave some confused and in the dark.
Overall, though, the Jonas Brothers have maintained their image as a solid choice of music for teens due to this mix of fun, up-tempo, and (mostly) positive songs. Their potential to grow as artists of faith is at its highest level yet, but at least for now, they still seem willing to fill the musical appetite of the Radio Disney crowd only. We can only hope that one day that will change.
Buy Jonas Brothers - Jonas Brothers
01 S.O.S
02 Hold On
03 Goodnight And Goodbye
04 That's Just The Way We Roll
05 Hello Beautiful
06 Still In Love With You
07 Australia
08 Games
09 When You Look Me In The Eyes
10 Inseparable
11 Just Friends
12 Hollywood
13 Year 3000
14 Kids Of The Future
Birdman - 5 Stunna
Buy Birdman - 5 Stunna
He’s a Cash Money Records CEO, a Louisiana G, and more notably Lil’ Wayne’s daddy. Throughout his come up, Birdman has lost friends, family, and even his New Orleans hood; still his presence lingers. One would think with ten plus years in the game, and not to mention all of his materialistic treasures, Baby has nothing to prove but many believe the Cash Money empire can’t survive without Weezy. With his first stand-alone album in two years, 5 * Stunna (Cash Money), Birdman offers a couple of keepers, but does nothing to really establish himself outside of his son’s success.
In seventeen tracks, Baby finds a thousand ways to utter M.O.B., and stunt over any and everyone. His rhymes are mediocre, but then again complex verses were never expected of him. He does however deliver what he has in the past; catchy beats and top-tier features. The first single “100 Million” caters more to the streets with its hustle hard feel courtesy of Wayne, Young Jeezy and Rick Ross. Cool & Dre utilize heavy synthesizers for the four to rock over as DJ Khaled hypes it up with his signature call outs.
The production recipe does somewhat save the album from being a total loss. The ingredients include the standard gun cocks, birdcalls and handclaps. For the clubs Baby does it big on “Pop Bottles.” With a Jadakiss sample used as the hook, the song has a similar feel to “Diamonds” by Fabolous. Additionally, the faint soul sample and moving keys found on “Believe That,” add some authenticity to his empty bars. In fact, if you’d just listen to the tracks minus the words you would almost anticipate an album of in-depth anecdotes laced with complex lyrics.
When all's mixed and mastered, lyrically, the quote “Like Father Like Son” doesn’t apply. In other words, don’t expect Birdman to sit amongst the greatest rappers of all time. While diehard fans won’t be completely disappointed in 5 * Stunna, those who enjoy true lyricism may be a bit unenthused.
Buy Birdman - 5 Stunna
01 INTRO
02 FULLY LOADED
03 I RUN THIS feat. Lil Wayne
04 THE MONEY
05 INTERLUDE -- "THE OLD MAN" #1
06 100 Million (feat. Lil' Wayne, Young Jeezy, & Rick Ross)
07 BELIEVE DAT feat Lil Wayne
08 DO THE THANG
09 Grind (feat. Lil' Wayne & Brisco)
10 BIG MONEY TALK
11 INTERLUDE -- "THE OLD MAN" #2
12 HEAD BUSTA
13 POP BOTTLES feat. Lil Wayne
14 I'M A STUNNA
15 LOVE MY HOOD
16 INTERLUDE -- "THE OLD MAN" #3
17 Make Way (feat. Fat Joe & Lil' Wayne)
18 SO TIRED feat. Lil Wayne
19 OUTRO
20 We Gangsta (feat. All Star & Yo Gotti)
21 BOSSY (BONUS TRACK)
22 WET PAINT (BONUS TRACK)
