ROSE ALBUM (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)
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Customer Review of "ROSE ALBUM (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)"
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Peter
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August 29, 2006
See all my reviews
August 29, 2006
A new muscial direction,
|
The Rose Album moves Rie Fu in a new musical direction. Whereas the 2005 self-titled Album was featued simple melodies and love-related themes, Rose Album is more diverse in sound as well as lyrical topic. The Rose Album has Rie Fu with several english-only songs that may or may not work with fans. In addition, "5 minutes" and "funny dream" are both quirky, overproduced pieces that are a departure from Rie Fu's signature acoustic sound. Nonetheless, there are some gems like "Conversation" and "ROSE". Track 9 "Kiss You Goodbye" has a very Country-Western sound to it unlike any other Rie Fu song. Overall, the album is more lively, with more english lyrics. I had no problem with that since I know 0% Japanese, but I could understand why certain people would be bothered by it. Overall, an excellent album compared to most J-pop and HK-pop fluff. |
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~vanessa.anne~
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April 1, 2006
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April 1, 2006
5 people found the following helpful
Depends on your perspective...
Depends on your perspective...
| #1...I adore Rie Fu. #2...I rate this a solid 10-out-10 stars. With those disclaimers, I will begin with my criticisms: While I find Rie Fu refreshing in the Japanese music market and her English flawless (with a few grammar problems...), I honestly think she went a bit too far with the English content on this release. Part of what made her a stand-out in both Japan and America was her seamless blend of Japanese and English songs and even languages within songs. But now that this new CD is basically 90% English, she's still unique in the Japanese market, but no longer in the American market. She sounds great, but her style is basically that of many other well-known English singers like Lisa Loeb, Alanis Morrisette, the Sundays, the Cranberries and Vanessa Carlton. I am sad that part of what made her special seems to be lacking from this release. BUT: on to the praise. I find her vocals to be MUCH stronger on this CD and she seems to really be involved in her music more (writting most of the songs herself). I enjoy the style, but then I also enjoy the singers listed above too. Here's my break-down assessment of content: Track 1...50% English and truly an excellent and amazing way to begin the CD. A favorite. Track 2...100% English and my least favorite because there are some strange arrangements on this song and odd beats. Track 3...100% English and more odd beats with a melody that never seems to catch up to any pattern or flow. Track 4...75% English and it's OK with a lot of strings and a melodic sound. Track 5...100% English and yet, my favorite of the entire release. It's excellence completely and has a phenomenal rythmn and tone. Track 6...90% English and it's nice in that it is extremely catchy. Reminds me most of any track of Lisa Loeb's style. Track 7...100% English and great in it's lush and awesome musical arrangement. Totally catchy and memorable. Track 8...90% English and nicely hypnotic. Reminds me of earlier works by the Cranberries. Track 9...100% English but great as a major rock track with some of the most powerful vocals yet. This song totally reminds me of Vanessa Carlton's heavier tracks. Track 10...95% English and nice with lots of ecclectic piano. Track 11...50% English and I vote it most uniquely Rie Fu with awesome drums and meticulous guitar work. Track 12...90% English and it's nice in it's melody and almost trance-like ethereal sound that reminds me of some of the Sunday's earlier works and tunes. Track 13...100% Japanese FINALLY. Yet oddly, this song is a bit dull and boring. It is relatively lifeless after the passions of the rest of the disk. All in all, I still adore Rie Fu and will no doubt play this CD quite often. But my advice to her would be to keep the ratio of Japanese-to-English closer to 50%. This CD, unfortunately for American listeners isn't much different from what we hear on the radio every day. Even my husband says he thinks this CD sounds like a mellower Alanis Morrisette vocal with Lisa Loeb-style lyrics. And all the piano and guitar is extremely similiar to both Vanessa Carlton and the Sundays. It's still a wonderful CD and I recommend it to everyone. But, expect a mostly English release and if you are an American, don't look for that distinctive Rie Fu blend of Japanese with English that her debut CD contained. Hopefully, her next CD will contain more Japanese... In the meantime, she's a brilliant songwriter and a talented lady. I think she just needs to pick a course (singing in Japanese, English or both) and stick with it, rather than changing so drastically. Her charm for me (other than the fact that I do greatly adore her music...) was the blending. This almost all English release to me is more of my usual style...and I can buy that here in the United States. Still, for Rie Fu fans...you will love her less-than-typical lyrics and her lovely voice. She's a talent regardless. And I am not bashing her for the English content...if that is what she wants to do, great. But it would be nice to know what to expect. And with Rie Fu, I think she has proven that can be anybody's guess. I wish her the best and continue to be a fan. Still, as my title says: your ultimate enjoyment of this CD will depend on your perspective. If you don't generally listen to this type of music you will be blown away. If you are a fan of Vanessa Carlton, Anna Nalick, Lisa Loeb or Sara Groves...well, honestly, this is more of the same. A nice addition to any collection though. Just put it in the "English" section and enjoy her delights! |
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