Reviews written by L.T.S.
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Ai am Best (ALBUM+DVD)(Japan Version)
Ai am Best (ALBUM+DVD)(Japan Version) DVD Region 2
(4)Our Price: US$50.25Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:February 29, 2008 An unbalanced retrospectiveWhile Otsuka Ai's popularity has not equalled the massive influence other female artists, such as the ubiquitous Hamasaki Ayumi, or the provocative Koda Kumi, have had, Otsuka has still enjoyed considerable success, espescially when one considers the fact that she has only been in the industry since 2003. Ai Am Best, Otsuka's first best-of collection, attempts to sum up the path her career has taken in those few years.
Otsuka, an accomplished songwriter who composes all her songs, has a wide variety of songs to her repertoire. Tracks vary from the quirky debut single Momo no Hanabira, to the massive karaoke hit Sakuranbo, to the sexy and slightly perverted Kuroge Wagyuu Joshio Tanyaki 680 Yen.
Otsuka's standout tracks are undoubtedly ones in which she defies all conventions of pop songwriting, from which we see spectacular results, such as in the ballad Kingyo Hanabi, in which a gradual buildup through the song's entirety climaxes in an explosion of drum and bass, and in Cherish, where layered guitars and strings are placed over a skittish beat and combined with moving lyrics.
Of course, Otsuka is not without her flaws. While she can undoubtedly write a mean hook, her major downfall is in her voice; her range is surprisingly small, causing her tone to become increasingly more nasal as she approaches higher notes. While in the ballads and mid-tempo tracks, this comes off as a mere quirk found in several Japanese singers, it makes songs such as Smily and Happy Days borderline unlistenable. There are also occasions where Otsuka comes very close to a knock-out, but narrowly misses it, such as in the traditional Japanese styled Planetarium, which, while being extremely pleasant to listen to, never seems to reach the emotional peak it builds towards.
Ai Am Best's biggest problem is the way in which it has been compiled; instead of being a true best-of, including an mix of singles, album tracks and b-sides, all of Otsuka's promotional songs from 2003 to 2005 have been included in chronological order, with no regard for album flow. As perhaps a side thought, Love Music, an album track from Otsuka's last record, has been included; an odd choice considering that Love Music, while having charming lyrics, is not one of Otsuka's strongest works musically. Add to this the fact that half of the collection is made up of songs from the same album, and all of a sudden, it doesn't look like Ai Am Best is doing a great job of summarising Otsuka's career.
Make no mistake, these are twelve great songs that stand well both together or on their own. However, when you consider the vast wealth of amazing album tracks and the mis-steps Otsuka, or more likely, Avex have taken in terms of song choice, it would be more recommended to pick up one of her studio albums. Ai Am Best is strictly a gateway; it fails to define Otsuka Ai as an artist.
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Missile Innovation (Japan Version)
Missile Innovation (Japan Version)
(1)Our Price: US$20.25Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:February 29, 2008 Fun, but generic pop-rockOwatari Ryo, guitarist of the now defunct band Do As Infinity, begun his new project, the three-piece grouop Missile Innovation interestsingly before D-A-I had even broken up, with their self-titled debut EP. Fans were first treated to Owatari's vocal stylings with D-A-I b-side Tsurezure Naru Mama de, and his works as the lead singer and guitarist of Missile Innovation are much in the same vein.
The five track EP, while providing a collection of loud, fun rock tunes with sing-along choruses, does little to distance itself from the several similar groups populating music charts today. While we do see some hints of blues in Moroheiya Dandy and a very faint electro influence in the title track, the signs of originality quickly fade away as the respective songs fall into traditional power-pop conventions. The sole English song, a cover of the Bangles' Manic Monday, is a straight down-the-lines pop-punk transformation. Azayaka na Hana, a Do As Infinity song Owatari had penned, is also included, but in this reinterpretation, the song's reggae-stylings are completely stripped and it sound much like the rest of the EP. The strongest track is ballad Suna no Oshiro, but it too is heavily flawed, meandering on for at least two minutes past its welcome; a problem that plagues all the songs on the EP, albeit to a lesser extent.
Missile Innovation's debut is admirable; Owatari's song writing is not abysmal, and the four original soungs all have incredibly catchy hooks, but the lack of variety and the repitition do not make for a particularly interesting listen; this is something best listened to at parties or in the car with friends.
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Do The Best 'Great Supporters Selection' (Japan Version)
Do The Best 'Great Supporters Selection' (Japan Version)
(1)Our Price: US$43.99Related promotions:2 people found the following helpful
April 11, 2006 D-A-I for dummies."Great Supporters Selection" is Do As Infinity's third best-of album, and is one of the handful of items belonging to the "Do The Last Item" series. What makes this album unique is that its tracks were chosen through a fan poll on DAI's official website. The thirty highes scoring songs are included, and run in order from first to thirtieth. Being a fan-chosen album rather than a dictation from avex, all the tracks on "Great Supporters Selection" have some significance to the history of DAI and it's fans. Whether it's the Irish-influenced "Ai No Uta", famed for it's status as closing song during all of DAI's concerts, the fan-favourite "SUMMER DAYS", which was merely a coupling song yet easily overtook the a-side in popularity, and the dual-combo of "Kagaku No Yoru" and "Yotaka No Yume", two songs that deal with war from different points of view, the "Great Supporter's Selection" as something for everyone. There is an even mix of a-sides and b-sides, and even two rarities; "nice & easy", which was an exclusive on DAI's first best-of and "I miss you?", a track recorded specifically for the tribute album, "LOVE FOR NANA". While "Great Supporters Selection" may not be such a great purchase for hardcore fans who already own anything and everything DAI, a casual listener or a DAI newbie will definitely find this a worthy purchase. Highly recommended.
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Frienger (Japan Version)
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April 10, 2006 A typical single from Otsuka Ai."Frienger" is Otsuka Ai's first single release for 2006. It consists of four tracks - the title track, a b-side and two instrumentals.
The title track, "Frienger", is an upbeat pop-rock song. While it doesn't enter the extremes of cute like in "SMILY" or "Sakuranbo", "Frienger" is still a very happy song. One thing that Otsuka Ai hit smack on the head with "Frienger" is that she wrote the song within the capabilities of her voice. In many of her upbeat songs, the melody consists of very high notes, and Otsuka Ai's voice changes to a shrill squeak the higher it gets. This problem is not in "Frienger". However, the song itself is so-so. While it is good, it sounds more suited to be the opening track for an album rather than a single.
The b-side, "Amai Kimochi Marukajiri", is a mellow, laid-back mid-tempo guitar pop song. It moves along at a steady rate, and in my opinion, is actually better than "Frienger". Otsuka Ai's voice sounds very relaxed. However, the song is also quite unmemorable.
"Frienger" is not a great release, and neither is it a bad one. It's a very 'blah' single, and it feels that she was somewhat lazy in it's creation. If this were merely Otsuka Ai's second or third single, this would be quite forgivable, but compared to recent works such as "Planetarium", "Neko Ni Fuusen" and "CHERISH", "Frienger" is merely mediocre.
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