Beyond the Sea ~ The Style. Edition

Tracklisting
1. CHU-LIP
2. Kimi ni Kaeru. (キミにカエル。)
3. CHU-LIP (Instrumental)
4. Kimi no Kaeru. (Instrumental)

This is Ai Otsuka’s 14th single and it was released on February 21, 2007. The single reached #3 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 120,779 copies. The title track was used as the theme song for the drama Kirakira Kenshuu I.

Here it is folks, the triumphant return of the classic, upbeat Ai Otsuka song. CHU-LIP is a fun song that uses a lot of brass and very catchy vocals during the chorus. Even though it’s not as crazy as songs like SMILY or Sakuranbo, it does show a mature side of her and doesn’t go on the verge of being TOO cute, if you know what I mean.

I have always been a fan of Otsuka’s more mellow B-sides and Kimi ni Kaeru. is a another great example of this. Otsuka’s vocals are calm and controlled and she reaches the high notes of the chorus extremely well. I really liked the mix of acoustic guitar with the fingersnap sounds in the music too.

Overall Rating

4 stars