Beyond the Sea ~ The Style. Edition

Tracklisting
1. Beautiful
2. wana
3. Beautiful -instrumental-

This is Mai Kuraki’s 32nd single and it was released on June 10, 2009. The single reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 33,344 copies.

I really like Beautiful, a gentle pop ballad with some R&B undertones. The song has a tranquil, peaceful vibe to it thanks to the light piano and strings but an assertive beat is present as well. Kuraki’s vocals also fit the part and she sounds lovely, especially next to the catchy melodies of the arrangement. For me, the chorus is the most memorable part of the song.

Mai-K has gone ~old school~ with the B-side. wana has that early 90s R&B sound like some of the new tracks on touch Me! and it’s pretty slick. Some people have said it’s similar to her older songs as well, which I can agree to. Anyway, the music is aggressive and is heavy with the synth riffs. There’s also some parts of the song that have background vocals yelling “AY!”, which I got a kick out of.

Overall Rating

4 stars

Tracklisting
1. PUZZLE
2. Revive
3. The ROSE ~melody in the sky~
     “Live Rehearsal Session”
4. PUZZLE -instrumental-
5. Revive -instrumental-

This is Mai Kuraki’s 31st single and it was released on April 1, 2009. The single reached #3 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 48,328 copies. PUZZLE was used as the theme song for the 13th Detective Conan movie and Revive was the 25th opening theme song in the anime.

Eh, I tried to like PUZZLE but it gets annoying after a couple of listens. I don’t have a problem with this sleek and aggressive pop track, but good lord the English rapping is awful. I seriously cannot stand the rapping because it’s so corny and it literally keeps me from enjoying the song. To be perfectly honest, it’s a MAJOR turnoff. Mai Kuraki has had rappers in her songs before, but this has got to be the worst I’ve heard. Aside from that, the song is decent.

I thought the other A-side, Revive, was much better (it has a better cover too lol). I loved the Spanish atmosphere in this song and it certainly gives the music a dash of flavor. The salsa influenced acoustics and castanets go well with Kuraki’s vocals, and as always, she sings with a lot of character. The bridge even includes a guy talking in Spanish!

On the regular edition, a live version of The ROSE ~melody in the sky~ is a bonus track. Veteran fans of Kuraki will remember it as the final track on her 2nd studio album Perfect Crime. The original song is a short 2 minute piano ballad that’s entirely in English and in this live it’s performed with an acoustic guitar instead. She sounds very good and surprisingly, better than the studio version.

Overall Rating 

3½ stars

Tracklisting
1. 24 Xmas time
2. All I want
3. 24 Xmas time -Grinch remix-
4. 24 Xmas time -instrumental-
5. All I want -instrumental-

This is Mai Kuraki’s 30th single and it was released on November 26, 2008. The single reached #7 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 24,343 copies.

24 Xmas time is quite different from your conventional Christmas themed song. For starters, this is an upbeat pop track that mixes in some slight R&B elements, which come from the beats in the background as well as the rapping provided by hip-hop artist KEN-RYW. The song is a little on the predictable side but it’s pretty catchy nonetheless. Kuraki’s vocals are great as usual and the rapping by KEN-RYW is actually not bad at all.

The B-side is the touching ballad All I want. The song is beautiful and Kuraki sings with a lot of emotion, perfectly matching the longing feeling that the music presents. The sweeping strings, light percussion, and melancholy piano create a sad winter atmosphere as well. Overall, this is a fantastic B-side and Kuraki doesn’t disappoint when it comes to ballads either.

On the CD only edition, the Grinch remix of 24 Xmas time appears as track 3. Compared to the original, the remix features a stronger R&B sound and there is defintely more focus on the beats. The overall arrangement is a lot more interesting than the original’s too, especially with the different changes in tempo and during the funky ending sequence.

Overall Rating

4 stars

Tracklisting
1. Ichibyou Goto ni Love for you 
    (一秒ごとに Love for you)
2. Zutto… (ずっと…)
3. Ichibyou Goto ni Love for you -instrumental-
4. Zutto… -instrumental-

This is Mai Kuraki’s 29th single and it was released on July 9, 2008. The single reached #7 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 29,640 copies. The title track was used as the 23rd opening theme song for the anime Detective Conan.

Ichibyou Goto ni Love for you is one of those few Mai Kuraki songs that is driven by the electric guitar, making it a more unique offering from her. It’s the most prominent instrument heard in the song but there is also a great percussion beat as well. The music has a lot of energy and I liked Kuraki’s upbeat vocals as well. The chorus is the highlight of the song because I think it’s very catchy and uplifting.

The B-side is more like what you would expect from Kuraki…but that’s a good thing! Zutto… is more laid back than the A-side but it has a good acoustic pop sound with some light beats. The chorus is simple, but I thought it was fantastic thanks to Kuraki’s vibrant vocals. She always seems to make great B-sides and coupling tracks so I would definitely add this one to that list.

Overall Rating

4 stars

Tracklisting
1. Yume ga Saku Haru (夢が咲く春)
2. You and Music and Dream
3. You and Music and Dream -another ver.-
    [Limited Edition]
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. The single reached #5 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and 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

Tracklisting
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. The single reached #9 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and 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

Tracklisting
1. Season of love
2. Season of love -Latin lover remix-
3. Shiroi Yuki -Orgel Version-
    (白い雪 -オルゴ－ルバ－ジョン-)
4. Season of love -instrumental-

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

Tracklisting
1. Shiroi Yuki (白い雪)
2. Omoi no Saki ni… (想いの先に…)

This is Mai Kuraki’s 25th single and it was released on December 20, 2006. The single reached #4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and 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