Reviews written by Sachiko
-
Koishi Koishi ya (Japan Version)
Koishi Koishi ya (Japan Version)
(1)Our Price: US$21.49Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:March 9, 2007 Beautiful. Soulful.This debut mini-album is beautiful and totally shows what potential does Anna have. Her voice is clear and strong, and it has such a wide range that Enka seems to come so naturally for her. The instrument used are primarily biwa, koto, flutes, drums, along with piano and subtle electrical arrangements. Practically every track in here is worth listening to, primarily 恋し恋しや, 月の足跡 (my favorite), and ふるさと. One can truely feel and appreciate the spirituality and tranquility of the traditional Japanese culture through this CD. If you're a fan of healing or New Age music, this must be part of your collection. Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Prima Rosa (ALBUM+DVD)(Japan Version)
Prima Rosa (ALBUM+DVD)(Japan Version) DVD Region 2
(3)Our Price: US$44.25Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:2 people found the following helpful
March 9, 2007 Versatile.This album has a little of every genre she has experimented with - exotic, pop, latin, oriental, and of course her unique Crossover (classical) style. As the Staff's page noted, the temporary album title was "Gate&Symphony", combining her old works with her new. Because of this, the songs don't seem to "stay on the page" with the versatile genres. Those who enjoyed her Crossover genre -especially those who were introduced to her by the Crossover songs- will probably take a while to adjust to the pop songs.
There's a lack of transitions between the different genres, but they are grouped as so: pop -> crossover -> exotic/latin -> pop again. Probably interludes aren't her style. It's consisted of strong single tracks, so some of the album tracks are overshadowed by them. Overall, I think PRIMA ROSA is quite dynamic, and the staffs seem to have worked really hard to package this album. Some of the pop tracks do have string instruments, which kind of unites the pop and classical styles together. The photography is a huge improvement from H&S. Though, so many thinks that PRIMA ROSA still doesn't quite meet up with H&S yet in terms of the song qualities. I personally also think this way, primarily because I loved every track in H&S equally without a doubt. If H&S received so many praises, why the sells were so low, I will never figure it out.
Unlike the dramatic atmosphere H&S had, PRIMA ROSA is more lighthearted. The songs are quite cultural too (i.e. Puraha no Onna has a medieval touch to it).
(Note: This might be cross-posted elsewhere.)Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This)
-
Special Live " crossover 2 " (Japan Version)
Special Live " crossover 2 " (Japan Version) DVD Region 2
(3)Our Price: US$58.75Usually ships within 7 - 14 daysRelated promotions:February 4, 2007 One word: breathtaking.I can't compare it to the first concert, as I have never seen that DVD, but Crossover II is a must-see concert. While I enjoy every concert of hers, I feel that I enjoyed her performance in here the most. Since Crossover is the theme, the concert was pretty formal and very sophisticated. The people clapped for most of the songs, and they only stood up and shouted during her encore.
The song list is golden, and Hitomi's vocals are just beyond amazing in here, though I daresay just listening to the performances won't do justice. Watching her performance really adds a lot more flavor to the song. She did a few cover songs in here, as most know already, and I just fell in love with her version of "有罪" (yuuzai, "guilty"), originally sung by THE BOOM. Along with -kuon-, watching her performance of Yuuzai made me really sad because she seemed so into the lyrics, her voice and motion are almost ones of pain.
The camera occasionally had some special effects like blurring, along with the lighting, to bring out the essence of the song. I'm sure everyone who hears Kaze ni Furu Sora would automatically think of hues of blue, and they totally brought that feel of the song out. Overall, nothing extremely fancy was inputted to the stage. The orchestra and Hitomi were the beauty of it all. I really loved every single song in here, and I think whoever watches the concert will fall in love with Hitomi all over again.
It's a gem for those who love her Crossover genre.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Destiny -Taiyo no Hana- / Koimizu -Tears of Love- (Jacket A)(SINGLE+DVD)(Japan Version)
Destiny -Taiyo no Hana- / Koimizu -Tears of Love- (Jacket A)(SINGLE+DVD)(Japan Version) DVD Region 2
(3)Our Price: US$21.25Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:1 people found the following helpful
June 16, 2006 Stunning.This single is packaged with two powerful songs, a dramatic and orchestra one, and a very beautiful strong ballad. When I first saw the Destiny PV, I was blown away, as it felt like something Shimatani Hitomi has never done before. She was actually quite haunting in the PV, and everything about it is just stunning. And although the Koimizu PV is basically one-angled at her face for the entire song (could have been better), maybe it's so we can concentrate on the song and its artist more. Besides, Shimatani wrote the lyrics to Koimizu, so it's very soulful at the same time. I can really say nothing bad about this single at all. Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Haru Machibito / Cemellia (Japan Version)
Haru Machibito / Cemellia (Japan Version)
(5)Our Price: US$13.49Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:1 people found the following helpful
March 5, 2006 Beautiful.After seeing the PVs and hearing what the songs have to offer, I must say this is a promising single to start the year with. Beautiful cover, beautiful songs. This single is like a great package to witness Shimatani's older music style and her current newer style. Harumachibito is a mellow pop song that isn't particularly catchy, but it slowly grows on you, and as I said, it resembles her older works. Camellia, on the other hand, is a really beautiful upbeat song that resembles her Crossover era (that's right, blends of classical musics and techno).
The only downside is that Sky High is included even though it appeared in her H&S album already. In my opinion, it's pretty much a space filler and doesn't serve much purpose to the item. Sky High is still a wonderful song though. All in all, this is a must-buy single.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
(miss)understood (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)
3 people found the following helpful
March 5, 2006 Improvement.I must say this is an improvement compare to My Story. Ayu's voice has grown much deeper ever since... I'd say, RAINBOW album. When her voice was still higher pitched in her early career, I actually thought her "happy cute" voice was totally fine, but I do not prefer her using the voice she uses in Honey now that it's gone deeper.. Her voice felt like it began to lose power in a sense, but she regained that power again in (miss)understood. Although her vibrato is less consistent than her 2001 - 2003 era, it is still better than what she had in 2004. That's another reason why I really liked her 2005 releases throughout, because the songs really suit her current voice.
Overall, although it lacks a conceptual title, miss(understood) is an abundant album, mostly because of the strong singles.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Heart & Symphony (CD+DVD)(Limited Edition)(Japan Version)
Heart & Symphony (CD+DVD)(Limited Edition)(Japan Version) DVD Region 2
(3)Our Price: US$38.25Related promotions:2 people found the following helpful
October 24, 2005 A very heartful album.Despite the small quantity of tracks, Shimatani Hitomi has outdone herself in this album... it's conceptual, powerful, and serious. I really love how the imaginative titles of the songs, as well as the common orchestral compositions, really tie the album together and create this untouchable magical atmosphere to it. Every single song is worth listening to, and every track conveys a different emotion. They're all really visual too... as if each song brings me to a different part of the world and different time of the world. From Europe to Asia, from Renaissance to distant future, from nature to people. It has done all to me. If you are looking for an album with a beautiful voice and potential songs, you won't regret buying Heart and Symphony. Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This)
Showing: 1-7 of 7 items
Page:
1
Bookmark & Share