Beyond the Sea ~ The Style. Edition

Zutto Futari de (ずっと二人で) is BENI’s 12th single and it was released on August 12, 2009. The single reached #67 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 1,251 copies.

BENI continues her trend of ~classy side portraits~! Even though she is sporting one of those fake flowers with the fake water droplets, it’s an elegant cover.

♦ ♦ ♦

Like her previous single Koi Kogarete, we are presented with another mid-tempo, borderline ballad. To clear things up, I don’t think Zutto Futari de is bad by any stretch and I think that it’s a little better than Koi Kogarete. This song is quite pretty actually, but I am starting to get bored of her releasing these types of songs as A-sides.

Once again, the B-sides are upbeat tracks that could have easily passed as A-sides. The first two are stardust and With U, which were kind of unmemorable for me at first. I’m warming up to them now, especially With U because of the bright acoustic pop sound, but it’s taking more time with stardust even though it has a better overall rhythm. That song will appear on her new album Bitter & Sweet so I’ll be hearing more of it.

The surprise of this single was the cover of The Boy Is Mine, the popular duet that was originally performed by Brandy and Monica. I remember this song fondly when I was younger in the late 90s (oh memories! LOL). R&B singer Tynisha Keli joins her as “the other girl” and I was thrown off by her voice when I first heard it. It’s kind of nasal, but she definitely has good tone and control. I liked this collaboration despite my initial worries that BENI’s husky voice wouldn’t go well with Keli’s.

Pros: The A-side is nice and I really liked the cover of The Boy Is Mine.
Cons: The B-sides aren’t exactly up to snuff. They might be my least favorite from her yet.

BASICALLY…Bitter & Sweet is out next week! GIMME THAT NOW.

Overall Rating

 3½ stars

Tracklisting

1. Zutto Futari de (ずっと二人で)
2. stardust
3. With U
4. The Boy Is Mine feat. Tynisha Keli

Tracklisting
1. Koi Kogarete (恋焦がれて)
2. CRUISE the WORLD
3. FOREVER 21
4. Koi Kogarete (Instrumental)

This is BENI’s 11th single and it was released on June 10, 2009. The single reached #70 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 1,266 copies.

Koi Kogarete is another mid-tempo A-side from BENI. Basically, it’s like her previous single Kiss Kiss Kiss but in a melancholy form. Rampant with tinny beats and acoustics, the music tries to remain at a steady pace for the most part. I have given this song multiple listens but I just wasn’t feeling it like I did with Mou Nido to… and Kiss Kiss Kiss. It’s still waaaaay better than her avex stuff though. ;D

However, the B-sides show more promise. The first one is CRUISE the WORLD, a sleek and futuristic sounding electropop track. The beats and synth riffs are pretty hot and it seems that BENI has been on a roll when it comes to her upbeat songs. Vocally, I thought she did very well and I liked the occasional electronic distortions in her voice. In my opinion, this should have been the A-side.

FOREVER 21 is on the other side of the pop spectrum since it has that overall “cute” feel to it. The music isn’t as energetic as the previous track’s but I thought the melody was catchier. The chorus is memorable thanks to that ”Forever loving you” line as well. In the end, I liked B-sides more on this single and they balance out my indifference towards the A-side, which will take more time to grow on me.

Overall Rating

4 stars

Tracklisting
1. Kiss Kiss Kiss
2. Signal
3. Mou Nido to… DJ HASEBE REMIX
    (もう二度と・・・ DJ HASEBE REMIX)
4. Kiss Kiss Kiss (Instrumental)

This is BENI’s 10th single and it was released on April 8, 2009. The single reached #40 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 2,945 copies.

We’re only 2 singles in and I’m already starting to see a big improvement in the quality of BENI’s music since her label change. Just like Mou Nido to… and STAY, Kiss Kiss Kiss wipes the floor with the stuff she did as an avex artist. Even though I think the song has a typical Western R&B sound, it’s pretty good and not to mention extremely catchy. The chorus was the most infectious part for me. I especially liked the vocals that repeat “kiss kiss kiss” and “oh baby oh baby” in the background too.

The B-side is a more aggressive song with a slightly faster tempo. Signal shows off the huskier side of BENI’s voice and she gives off a lot of attitude when she sings, which I thought was great. The music has a hasty arrangement that mainly mixes various types of dance beats with background vocals. This song is a good compliment to the A-side, which was a calmer track in comparison.

Included on the single is a remix of Mou Nido to…, her previous single. The remixer DJ HASEBE added many different R&B elements to the original song, which was a pop ballad, to make it a lot more upbeat. The looping male background voice and the extra beats were the most noticable to me. Also, the tempo has been sped up.

Overall Rating

4 stars

Tracklisting
1. Mou Nido to… (もう二度と・・・)
2. STAY
3. Mou Nido to… (Instrumental)
4. STAY (Instrumental)

This is Beni Arashiro’s 9th single, but the first under her new stage name “BENI” (which is what I will call her from now on). It’s also the first single with her new label Universal Records and it was released on December 10, 2008. The single reached #20 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 13,064 copies.

Before BENI’s switch to Universal Records, she collaborated with rapper Dohzi-T for the bittersweet love song Mou Ichido… feat. BENI. The song proved to be a success and BENI released a “response song” titled Mou Nido to… as the first single on her new label. The stage name and label change proved to be a good thing for her because this song is excellent. Even though I did like the original Dohzi-T song, this track is even better. Since it’s a response song, it borrows the chorus of Mou Ichido… feat. BENI and incorporates it into a completely new arrangement. Also, the original was a piano ballad that included light R&B elements while BENI’s version is more acoustic based. I have to comment on her vocals too because she has never sounded better.

I was equally impressed with the B-side. STAY definitely has a Western sound to it and BENI delivers an amazing performance. It’s more upbeat than the previous track and features a stronger R&B influenced arrangement as well. Just by listening to both of the tracks on this single, they are a huge improvement over the mediocre songs she made on her previous label avex trax. With more new material coming out in the new year, I’m looking forward to seeing what BENI can really do because she is finally showing her true potential.

Overall Rating

4½ stars

Tracklisting
1. Luna
2. No pain, No gain
3. Diggin’ on you
4. Luna (Instrumental)
5. No pain, No gain (Instrumental)

This is Beni Arashiro’s 8th single and it was released on February 28, 2007. The single reached #77 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 1,558 copies. The title track was used as the theme song for the drama Warui Yatsura.

Luna is one of Beni Arashiro’s better performed ballads. Heck, it’s also one of her better songs period. Besides the heavy beats, this is a sweeping string based ballad that’s quite dramatic in its overall presentation. Arashiro’s vocals are a little choppy at times, but at least she doesn’t anywhere near as horrible like when she first debuted in 2004.

The beginning of the first B-side No pain, No gain was promising with its use of electric guitars, but Arashiro’s singing style turned me off from this song. She’s tries to sing in a more aggressive, lower-pitched tone but it doesn’t work for her in the end. An English version of this song appears on the GEM album.

I wasn’t too fond of her cover of TLC’s 1994 hit song Diggin’ on you either. While she performs the verses and the bridge quite well, the chorus is disappointing. I liked the music though, which was more laid back compared to the original version.

Overall Rating

3 stars

Tracklisting
1. How Are U?
2. Surrender
3. Time After Time
4. How Are U? (Instrumental)

This is Beni Arashiro’s 7th single and it was released on September 20, 2006. The single failed to make an appearance on the Oricon Weekly Charts.

How Are U? is a cheerful and uplifting song that turned me into a Beni Arashiro fan after multiple listens. The more I listened to the song, the more began to like it. I loved the song’s upbeat piano arrangement that also included light, but constant beats and turntable scratches. Arashiro’s vocals are very crisp and sound clear throughout the entire song as well. Even though her voice gets kind of muffled during the chorus because of the backtrack, it’s still pretty well done and the chorus is quite catchy so it evens out.

I thought the first B-side, Surrender, was okay. The song is mostly in English with a little Japanese in the chorus. The lyrics weren’t anything special though. However, I did like the pace of the music and the mix of upbeat acoustic guitar and percussion.

On most of Arashiro’s singles, the 3rd track is a cover of a popular American song. I enjoyed her cover of Cyndi Lauper’s 1984 classic Time After Time. She performs the song very well and with nice emotion too. Arashiro’s version is a little slower but it has a stronger acoustic arrangement along with a steady drum beat .

Overall Rating

4 stars