Beyond the Sea

SINGLE REVIEW
Mai Kuraki - Yume ga Saku Haru /
              You and Music and Dream

1. Yume ga Saku Haru
2. You and Music and Dream
3. You and Music and Dream -another ver.-
4. Yume ga Saku Haru -instrumental-
5. You and Music and Dream -instrumental-

This is Mai Kuraki’s 28th single and it was released on March 19, 2008. This single reached #5 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 28,172 copies.

I liked how “retro” Yume ga Saku Haru sounded. Everything from the bass, drums, and strings have a groovy rhythm to them, almost showcasing a classic disco feel. It also reminded me of her 2005 single P.S♡MY SUNSHINE, which had a similar style. Mai Kuraki’s vocal performance is fantastic as usual and she adds an interesting huskiness into her voice which goes along with the music very well.

The next track is the uplifting ballad You and Music and Dream. The pop yearnings of this song come from the various synthed up beats and percussion next to the gorgeous piano. Kuraki’s ballads are always sung beautifully and it is no exception here since she sings with such great emotion.

On the limited edition, there is a slightly rearranged instrumental version of You and Music and Dream included. It’s less than 3 minutes long, but I found it to be extremely soothing to the ears. The piano takes center stage and performs the main melody alongside some backing vocals.

Overall Rating

4 stars

ALBUM REVIEW
Mai Kuraki - ONE LIFE

1. One Life
2. I Like it Like that
3. one for me
4. Born to be Free
5. Shiroi Yuki *
6. Silent love ~open my heart~ *
7. everything
8. Season of love *
9. secret roses
10. Wonderland
11. BE WITH U *
12. Over The Rainbow

♦

Note: Songs with a (*) at the end of their titles have already been reviewed. Click on the links to see their reviews.
Songs in bold are new tracks and will be reviewed.

♦ ♦ ♦

This is Mai Kuraki’s 7th album and it was released on January 1, 2008. This album reached #14 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 89,017 copies.

Many of the album’s new tracks are a throwback to the music of when Mai Kuraki first debuted: pop with a R&B tinge. One Life, being the album’s promotional track, is a great introduction for what’s to come. It’s a stylish and assertive song with fast beats and simple guitar chords. The use of synth is pretty strong too. The chorus is pretty catchy and Kuraki sings it very well.

Track 2 opens with ethnic acoustics and light beats. I Like it Like that is another song full of style and the music has an “attitude” to it. The chorus is spunky and the background vocals singing I like it, I like it go along very well next to Kuraki’s voice.

The R&B themed ballad one for me is up next, and the mix of beats and piano open the song with a strong presence. Kuraki’s lower pitched voice is perfect for this kind of song and they go flow very smoothly. She always puts emotion into her music, especially her ballads since her voice seems more soulful.

Musically, Born to be Free is the most aggressive song the album. There’s a lot of stuff going on this song like tribal themed drums, funky synth, whistles, and elongated notes followed by Ole ole!.  It’s also an inspirational song that features liberating lyrics and upbeat vocals backed with thumping percussion. It’s definitely a song that’s supposed to get you up on your feet.

This is the album’s “winter ballad” phase, I like to call it. Starting with Shiroi Yuki, which is more of an unconventional ballad because of the synthed up instruments. It’s still a pretty song that’s gentle to the ears.

I thought it was the best choice to place Silent love ~open my heart~ right after Shiroi Yuki since it’s a similar type of song, but it’s a much more traditional ballad. It’s beautifully sung and I loved the heartwarming, yet calming feeling that the music presented. Like I said when I reviewed the single, it left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

The tempo suddenly changes to upbeat for the next track, everything. With a recognizable synth line and fast, rhythmic beats, I thought this song simply acted as a precursor for Season of love, which is exactly what it does. However, it’s one of the strongest and more memorable tracks on the album too.

I thought the transition from everything into Season of love was flawless, as it goes right into the Hispanic flavored guitar and lashing beats of the intro. I like this song a little bit more as a track on the album, despite those boy band vocals.

Here’s another slow jam, but it’s incredibly smooth to the ears. secret roses has a complex guitar arrangement and it has an interesting use of strings that add a somewhat dramatic effect to the music. I thought it was one of the most unique songs on the album because of Kuraki’s sensual vocal style and the abstract use of different instruments.

I loved the intro to Wonderland. It’s so calming and it sets the jazzy, laid back tone of the song. Kuraki’s vocals are full of life and soul and she really knows how to make it compliment the music. I felt like this was a modern take on one of her older tracks since it has that R&B like atmosphere.

Even though album is drawing to a close, BE WITH U comes in and makes things exciting again. I thought it was genius to place it near the end because it’s like a sudden burst of happiness and it shows that Kuraki isn’t exactly done yet.

The final track is a fantastic cover of Over The Rainbow, the iconic song from the movie The Wizard of Oz. This is a blues and jazz take on the song and it uses the piano, organ, and a gentle electric guitar. Kuraki’s English is better than most other J-pop artists and she performs the song extremely well. There’s a few pronunciation problems here and there, but aside from that, she’s got the song down.

ONE LIFE is a departure from the dominant pop sound of her previous albums FUSE OF LOVE and DIAMOND WAVE. She’s incorporating more classic R&B elements into the songs, with the exception of Shiroi Yuki and Silent love ~open my heart~ of course. It’s an enjoyable album and fans of her older works will most likely find it to be a pleasing listen. I personally think FUSE OF LOVE is her best album, but that’s me. It did take me a couple of listens to fully appreciate ONE LIFE too. This album is also a classic example of how the new tracks completely overshadow the previously released singles in the overall presentation department. They’re all very well done.

Overall Rating

4 stars

SINGLE REVIEW
Mai Kuraki - Silent love ~open my heart~
                              / BE WITH U

1. Silent love ~open my heart~
2. BE WITH U
3. Silent love ~open my heart~ -instrumental-
4. BE WITH U -instrumental-

This is Mai Kuraki’s 27th single and it was released on November 28, 2007. This single reached #9 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 30,625 copies.

The first track is the winter love ballad Silent love ~open my heart~. The music is kind of typical and has all the characteristics of a standard ballad, but Mai Kuraki’s vocals breathe life into the song. Her gorgeous, soulful voice makes up for everything else, which isn’t a bad thing at all. I will admit that the song will leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Plus, there’s no annoying background vocals like in Shiroi Yuki and Season of love!

Talk about a perfect contrast. BE WITH U is an extremely upbeat song with a nice beat and constant acoustics. The chorus is insanely catchy and I’ve gotten it stuck in my head on several occasions. The song is reminscent of her older works because of the constant beats but it has the twist of her recent pop tracks. It’s a fun listen.

Overall Rating

4½ stars

SINGLE REVIEW
Mai Kuraki - Season of love

1. Season of love
2. Season of love -Latin lover remix-
3. Shiroi Yuki -Orgel Version-
4. Season of love -instrumental-

This is Mai Kuraki’s 26th single and it was released on February 14, 2007. This single reached #6 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 29,295 copies.

Season of love is a throwback to the sound of Mai Kuraki’s early career, but with a little Hispanic twist. The light beats and acoustic guitar have an ethnic vibe to them and the tone of the music feels darker and more serious compared to her more lighthearted works. I absolutely hated the male background vocals in English at first because they’re everywhere in the song, but I’ve learned to tolerate them at least. Now I REALLY think that I’m listening to her older music.

The Latin lover remix of Season of love certainly stays true to the title because it features prominent Hispanic guitars and stronger beats. The music is considerably faster and Kuraki’s vocals have been heavily distorted to match this. The remix is nice because it does present a different sound that is very different from the original. However, it’s kind of long-winded and gets repetitive towards the end.

Also on the single is an interesting orgel version of Shiroi Yuki, her previous single. This is an instrumental version of the song that comprises entirely of music box chimes. The melody of the song is at it’s simplest and it’s a nice listen, but that’s all. I thought there was going to be singing too, but oh well.

Overall Rating

2½ stars

SINGLE REVIEW
Mai Kuraki - Shiroi Yuki

1. Shiroi Yuki
2. Omoi no Saki ni…

This is Mai Kuraki’s 25th single and it was released on December 20, 2006. This single reached #4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 43,721 copies. The title track was used as the 26th ending theme song for the anime Detective Conan.

Shiroi Yuki is such an incredibly pretty song and I really liked the heart warming, cozy feeling that the music presented. The song definitely has a Christmas atmosphere to it because of the organ that presents a music box sound along with festive choir vocals. For those who aren’t familiar with Mai Kuraki’s voice, it’s deeper and has a rich quality to it compared to other J-pop singers. The only thing about the song that bothered me, along with several of her previous works, were the English ”boy band-esque” background vocals that appear during the bridge. They feel really out of place and just come out of nowhere. It sounds pretty corny too.

The B-side, Omoi no Saki ni…, is more upbeat and has a mysterious quality to it. The beginning of the song threw me off because the actual arrangment doesn’t sound like it all. The quick but light beats during the verses are nice and Kuraki’s vocals are very vibrant. When she sings at this somewhat faster pace, you can really hear the fullness and strength of her voice, especially during the frequent elongated notes. This is a high quality track.

Overall Rating

4 stars