Tracklisting
1. Kanashii Uso (悲しい嘘)
2. Promise
3. You’re My Heart
4. Kanashii Uso (Instrumental)
5. Promise (Instrumental)
6. You’re My Heart (Instrumental)

This is Tiana Xiao’s 3rd single and it was released on May 20, 2009. The single failed to make an appearance on the Oricon Weekly Charts.

I get an 90s R&B vibe from Kanashii Uso, a mid-tempo track that features prominent acoustics and light beats. The verses have Tiana Xiao singing in a neat, low pitched manner until her voice becomes stronger when the catchy chorus arrives. I think she sounds her best when she sings at full capacity. The chorus is definitely the focal point of the song since you hear it A LOT near the end but some things are added like Xiao talking in English and a little adlibbing.

Both of the B-sides on the single are ballads and Promise is the ”poppier” song of the two. Starting with a nice piano, the music later adds chimes and ambient beats, but I liked those solo piano bits the most. This is a pleasant song and makes for a good B-side.

However, I thought You’re My Heart was much better. Plus, this is Xiao’s first epic ballad! Her debut album didn’t have any tracks like this one so it was nice to hear. The strings and drums in this song are well done and they build up into a sweeping, grandiose chorus. While the verses are in Japanese, the chorus is mostly in English and I thought Xiao sang with a lot of emotion. I’ll go ahead and say that this was my favorite track on the single.

Overall Rating

3½ stars