BONNIE PINK – ONE

June 7, 2009 at 10:24 PM | Posted in BONNIE PINK | 6 Comments
Tags: albums

ONE is BONNIE PINK’s 10th studio album and it was released on May 13, 2009. The album reached #5 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 31,730 copies.

♦ ♦ ♦

The album starts off in a peppy fashion with Won’t Let You Go, a mid-tempo track that’s like a throwback to BONNIE PINK’s older songs. The music has a retro vibe going on thanks to the upbeat brass and I liked the thumping drums next to the electric guitar chords. The chorus is catchy since she adlibs and sings the line I won’t let you go. She repeats that line a lot near the end too.

The next track shows off BONNIE PINK doing a little bit of reggae! Fuschia Fuschia Fuschia features those familiar, repetitive guitar chords next to a dissonant accordion (at least I think it’s an accordion lol) to create a breezy, almost island-like atmosphere.

I really like Princess Incognito, a quirky and bouncy song about being frustrated over a relationship. Being entirely in English, the lyrics are really creative and my absolute favorite line is from the chorus:

Can’t believe you chose your friend over me. Just because I’m not a guy.

Then we have the sweet acoustic track Joy. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the album because it’s catchy and has a very heartwarming atmosphere. It always puts me in a good mood, even with the air of sadness surrounding the lyrics. Yes, it gives me joy. ;D

A sleek song with jazz undertones follows. Mousou LOVER is a cool track, indeed. I liked the whiplash beats mixed with the low bass in the background. BONNIE PINK’s vocals are pretty sharp as well, especially when she sings the chorus.

Kane wo Narashite seems a teensy bit out of place on this album for some reason. It must be how upbeat and “poppy” it sounds compared to the rest of the tracks. Oh well, it’s still a good track.

Let’s move on to One Last Time, which is the longest song on the album. It clocks in at well over 6 minutes and it kind of drags because of this. It’s probably because the verses are too long while the chorus, the best part of the song, feels too short. The music is nice for the most part and it features a nice combination of melancholy electric guitar and piano.

Here is something more interesting. Rock You Till the Dawn is an upbeat track that is full of attitude and spunk. The electric guitars and beats are great and I enjoyed BONNIE PINK’s lively vocals. The bridge is a memorable highlight thanks to the background vocals repeating “I’ll rock you”.

The next two tracks represent the album’s most surprising songs. Originally released as a digital single, Fed Up feat. Craig David includes some R&B elements like clapping beats next to blaring horns. While BONNIE PINK sings in Japanese during her solo parts, British singer Craig David performs in English. They sing the main line of the chorus, Just because you’re fed up, together. Overall, I think it’s a good collaboration.

PLAY & PAUSE is pretty awesome! It’s kind of similar to the previous track, but more electronic sounding with the synth it incorporates. The upbeat vocals are nice and that little “mini-rap” she does during the bridge was quite surprising. It would have been very cool if the album had more songs like it but whatever. Pump It Up! would have been perfect after this track.

Now we’re back to the rockish songs with Himitsu, a peppy song with a positive atmosphere. The music is bright and cheery with a emphasis on the elevated chorus. To me, it’s a standout amongst the new tracks.

Opening with a campy, offbeat sound is Try Me Out. Like Princess Incognito, the lyrics are in English and I find them quite endearing. Music wise, it’s a simple tune that is mostly comprised of acoustics and percussion. It’s the vocals and adlibbing that make the song shine though.

Happy Ending is next and sounds pretty good at this stage of the album. It’s a strong alternative inspired song and even though I liked Joy a lot more on its respective single, it’s still a high quality track.

At first, PLAY & PAUSE was my favorite new track on the album, but now I can honestly say that it’s Get on the Bus now. Initially, I overlooked this hidden gem. Seriously, it’s a wonderful song despite being more laid back compared to most of the other tracks. The pleasant guitar and drum arrangement is lovely and I absolutely adore the chorus. It’s pretty catchy and the calm vocals are excellent. A fantastic ending track for this album!

Included on the album as a bonus track is Ring A Bell, which finally makes an appearance in physical format. It’s the original English version of Kane wo Narashite and it was also BONNIE PINK’s first international digital single. I couldn’t tell you which version I like more since I think they’re both good, but also have their share of faults (based on the lyrics, of course).

So…how does BONNIE PINK’s milestone 10th studio album compare to her previous releases? Honestly, I would say it fares quite well. ONE was definitely a grower though and it took me longer to appreciate this album than Even So or Thinking Out Loud, albums which instantly clicked with me. ONE is more of a reserved package as well but it does have its share of unexpected moments. Like with her previous album Thinking Out Loud, I heard a mix of the old with the new and everything seemed to blend nicely. The overall flow between each track was pretty coherent too. In the end, this is a high quality album that once again proves BONNIE PINK’s expertise in making great music.

Overall Rating

 4½ stars

Tracklisting

1. Won’t Let You Go
2. Fuschia Fuschia Fuschia (フューシャ フューシャ フューシャ)
3. Princess Incognito
4. Joy
5. Mousou LOVER (妄想LOVER)
6. Kane wo Narashite (鐘を鳴らして)
7. One Last Time
8. Rock You Till the Dawn
9. Fed Up feat. Craig David
10. PLAY & PAUSE
11. Himitsu (秘密)
12. Try Me Out
13. Happy Ending
14. Get on the Bus
15. Ring A Bell

Note: My favorite tracks are highlighted in blue!