倖田來未 – JAPONESQUE

Posted by Alvy on 2012.01.24 · 5 Comments 

Artist: 倖田來未 (Koda Kumi)
Album: JAPONESQUE
Release Date: 01.25.2012

I have to admit that ever since Koda Kumi released her 9th studio album, Dejavu, I had been very uninspired by her releases. I really enjoyed the album for a while, but despite the tracks being very good, the album itself lacked a good concept that would bring such diverse songs together. Ever since secret, Kumi appears to never have focused on herself as a concept, causing a huge contrast between that first stage of her career and the second one (which we are currently experiencing), and I would love to have heard an album that shows us more of Kumi’s personal and raw side like the ones she made before. ETERNITY ～Love & Songs～ definitely followed down that personal path because it compiled covers of songs Kumi kept close to her heart, but I definitely miss an original album with that Kumi flair we all know and love. The singles she was coming out with this year were definitely enjoyable, but when she introduced us to the album’s concept and all its different versions, it really felt like a milestone in her career, so my curiosity was restored 100% and I was on full-anxiety mode! Even though JAPONESQUE‘s sound is not as Japanese as the concept makes it seem to be, the material is full of quality, style and a strong showcase of personality and identity from Kumi! I’m still deciding wether it lived up to my expectations or not, but I’m definitely enjoying the record.

Introduction ～JAPONESQUE～ is gorgeous! Following a traditional japanese route with some contemporary charm, Kumi plays role of an oiran welcoming you into her world. This song also has some arabesque charm, but it’s a gorgeous introduction that really makes you curious to dig deeper into the album. The allure of orian Kumi is very seductive!

So Nice is by far one of my favorites on the album! I’ve been waiting for another Arab-inspired Kumi song since forever and I’m so glad she came out with this absolutely sexy number! So Nice is a midtempo covered in sexuality and seductiveness and a delicious display of Kumi’s vocal range. I love it how this track’s intro opens up the album because it really takes care of that curiosity evoked by the introduction. Oiran Kumi truly shows us what she’s all about with this contagiously smooth and sexy track!

I was really worried when I read one of the songs from JAPONESQUE would be called Boom Boom Boys since I wasn’t a fan of the title at all. When I got to listen to the preview, though, I became really excited to listen to it in full! This song is a very intense hybrid between rock and electronic music with a very feminine touch that’s very aggressive and empowering. I think this is the first time Kumi explores this type of mixture and it really became a unique song and I hope she does more mixing and matching like it in the future! Definitely a strong track.

The version of V.I.P. present on JAPONESQUE features T-Pain ruining the song  rapping to the song. I personally really enjoyed the original song, though I admit it’s a bit messy (even if that’s mostly its charm), and T-Pain just elevated that hot mess quality to a whole new level of terrible… or borderline dangerous. I get the image of Kumi recording the song and T-Pain wanting to be funny, coming in, taking her microphone from her and recording a terrible rap over her and running off before security catches him. Kumi has had an unfortunate sequence of collaborations with western artists and T-Pain takes the cake as the worst one by far. At least it’s short enough to become ignorable.

The album then goes on to show us how a truly successful collaboration works with Slow, featuring Omarion. This song is one of my favorites because it sounds like a 2.0 version of Passing By (which was one of the tracks I most enjoyed from Dejavu!), though slightly more synthesized and heavier-sounding. I love Kumi’s autotuned vocals (there’s just something about the amazing mixture of autotune and Kumi’s voice that works magic) and Omarion’s as well! Their chemistry shows in the song and it really feels like Omarion participated in the song, ad-libbing through the song when he isn’t rapping. An emotional, delicious track that’s very refreshing!

Brave was my greatest surprise from the album. Judging by the preview that came out a while before the release of the album, I thought it would be a generic ballad  with boring and artificial instrumentals that could barely stand its own as one of the album’s few ballads… but it’s really quite gorgeous! Obviously it’s not on the same level as 好きで、好きで、好きで。 and あなただけが, but considering it’s an album track, it’s quite gorgeous! The instrumentals mix R&B elements with organic instrumentation, Kumi’s beautiful range and a gorgeous instrumental break. I was really surprised by how much I loved this song!

Everyday is a very adorable and happy R&B track. I really like it when Kumi comes out with songs like these because they just feel like innocently precious jewels within the album, with no intention to overshadow any other tracks but still not sounding like filler. Everyday is a sweet song that positions itself as kind of a modern-day 恋の魔法 in the album, but because there is only one other cute track on JAPONESQUE, it’s a lot more refreshing. I really enjoy listening to this song simply because it’s so lovely.

IN THE AIR is the refreshing afternoon-themed love song we were introduced to through her summer maxi. This song is also very unique because of its sweet composition sprinkled with rock-ish elements. I guess this very essence is what brings forth the afternoon feel, in between the energy of day and delicacy of the night. I think this is a very interesting song that stands out among the other ones on the record and never grows old!

You are not alone (Acoustic Version) sounds so much better than the previous version we got to hear! This version replaces the cute, cheap-sounding instrumentals with some simple acoustic instruments that make a world of difference. Though I feel the instrumentals are very simple and I would like a little bit more of an inspiring melody, I really enjoy how Kumi took a risk that really worked (since I hear some instruments in this song she doesn’t use very often). The backing vocals sound great too and overall the song is a sweet addition.

Interlude ～JAPONESQUE～ is definitely not a smooth transition from the previous song, and it starts off with an intense feudal Japan sound that is soon replaced by pulsating electronic beats which are interrupted by Kumi’s gorgeous adlibbing and a mixture of everything at once (except for Kumi’s voice), which ends the interlude on a really weird note… I like it though, the beginning is quite gorgeous and the confusion of it sounds interesting.

I don’t like the beginning of ESCALATE with Kumi’s lazy voice, which is a pity since overall it’s a really hot dance track. I really like the strong beat that graces the song with an incredibly solid dance foundation. The chorus is really strong, and really makes up for the many parts of the song where Kumi sounds lazy. Some parts are pure autotune goodness and Kumi sounds fantastic when she isn’t busy sounding lazy! This is definitely a huge club track that escalates itself into that climatic chorus.

Love Me Back, though an amazing song, feels a bit out of place on the album… it’s basically the only song of its kind and with so many electronic dance tracks it just loses all its sexy shine. This is a real pity since it’s a great song that was executed fantastically. Regardless, the track is still fun and playful as always and definitely worth a listen!

No Man’s Land, like Brave really impressed me because even though Kumi sounds pretty lazy here again, the instrumentals really make up for it! This is a powerful song that sounds like a battlefield, and it’s impressive how it was able to carry this impression forth without requiring crazy belting or booming instrumentals, rather it’s a very melodic song with deep, enjoyable vocals (despite the laziness!) and instrumentation that I really grew to love! This is Kumi’s first rock song in this style, I believe, and it sounds amazing!

I wish 愛を止めないで hadn’t been released as a single previously because it would have impressed me so much if it had been an album track! This song is gorgeous and I love it to death, though I’m not sure it was truly single material… it’s one of those songs that are way too strong to be a b-side but not career-defining enough to be an a-side, and that’s why it would have been so much more appealing if it had remained an album track. Regardless of its status as a single or not, I continue to love this one to death.

KO-SO-KO-SO is another song, like Love Me Back, that sounds out of place among the other tracks. Maybe if it had been included after So Nice it would sound more in its element, but because this song was so impacting last year it feels like it deserved more of a spotlight by being a part of a setlist that would enhance its contagious sexuality. KO-SO-KO-SO kind of falls a bit flat being among so many dance sexy songs but still remains enjoyable and a great addition to familiarize new listeners to the sexy artist that is Koda Kumi!

I like the placement of Lay Down because the beginning of the song kind of feeds off the raw sexuality of KO-SO-KO-SO and translates it into a dance atmosphere. I really love Kumi’s English on this song, she sounds absolutely fierce (though I hear

take you, rape you, make you mine

in the hook of the song and I really don’t think that’s correct) and this song is pure energy! Definitely one to look forward to if you’re into a really hot electronic song.

Oh my, Love Technique has got to be her best cute song yet! It’s catchy, absolutely sweet, fun, playful and so enjoyable! She sounds amazing and quite natural in all her adorable charms. Unlike many other of her cute songs, it’s not noisy or diabetes-inducing, and it sounds like the instrumentals work in perfect synthetic unison with her cute voice. Amazing and refreshing!

I kind of grew fonder of Poppin’ love cocktail after giving it some time to grow on me. It’s still not very enjoyable to me, but I think I understand it a bit more… I think the thing about it is its summer fun, though noisy and messy, and it feels like it would be the type of song someone would blast on the way to the beach, so Kumi and TEEDA are forgiven (besides, TEEDA’s rapping is really cute so I have to give him props)!

All for you is one of the highlights of the album because I never heard another song like it. Kumi dedicates this one to her fans and in order to capture all the feeling she wanted to convey, this was entirely done in one take with no editing (as you will notice through its quality) and it’s so beautiful she would do something so different and gorgeous for us! I love this song because it leaves me speechless and so glad to be her fan. It truly wouldn’t be the same if it had been covered in production… there’s just something about that rawness in her voice that is absolutely moving.

Overall, I really love JAPONESQUE! It feels like an improved version of Kingdom because of everything it involves; the great packaging, the super well-done music videos, as well as the great production and concept that ties everything up in a fantastic experience!

It feels like this is a very special album for Kumi not only because her now-husband aided her in its composition (possibly why this album has a lot of rock in it) but also because it really feels like she released this to her fans! The traditional Japanese motif really speaks out to international and Japanese fans alike and I’m sure it’s a huge reason for Japanese culture fanatics to fall in love with it already (the photography is gorgeous!), but the contents of the album are really solid and entertaining. I just miss the inclusion of some really gorgeous ballads or some traditional-inspired songs to really carry out the Japanese theme entirely, but that’s forgivable because I’m still in love with it!

This album makes me happy I’m a Kuu fan!

Final Score:

99 / 100

倖田來未 – So Nice

Filed under Koda Kumi · Tagged with J-Pop, Koda Kumi