For my first review, I chose someone as flopping as I am right now: Kaori Oda.
Miss Oda is a talent, she's not just another good looking chick trying to make a living of her face and/or body. With more than a couple of years on the industry, having released an original album already, a couple of singles, and worked with Sound Horizon and the extremely talented Yuki Kajiura, she's someone to be taken seriously.
Hana Wa Utsutsi Ni is her 5th solo single and the last one before her brand new album Colors. Onto the review then!
The single opens up with the lead track Hana Wa Utsutsu Ni, which happens to be the OP theme of the PSVITA/PSP game "Shinobi: Koi Sutsu".
It starts off with some enka-ish sounds, followed by Kaori's sweet voice, until it turns into a popish song with traditional japanese sounds into it. While the verses and music itself are really enjoyable, is the chorus where things get messy, it's weak and pales in comparison to the verses. But the bridge is where things get ugly, out of nowhere the music takes an unexpected change of pace and Kaori struggles to follow it. But only 10 seconds later you'll find her in charge again, leading up the final choruses, where things stay messy. Such a shame, because the song started really well. Still an enjoyable song.
The second track is Kimi To Yume Mite, the ED theme of the same game. Now this song features a few instruments going on, from keyboards to a harmonica in the choruses. Kimi(...) starts off in a calm way, something that really never changes throughout the whole track. Kaori delivers a sweet vocal performance that is very well suited for the whole acoustic guitar/keyboards going on form beginning to end. A laid back, popish song that I enjoyed.
And the final track in this single is Ai Ga Kikoeru, opening theme for the Amnesia 'Later' iOS game.
Now, this is the standout in the single. A pop-ballad in all senses, with the dramatic vocals and powerful instruments. While I believe Kaori's vocals are super sweet for what this song needs, it doesn't really take anything away from the whole package, which turns out to be a track that drags out more that I thought it was going to (Clocking at over 5 minutes). Musically, it is well produced and arranged, minus that electric guitar that sounds out of place in the choruses next to the beautiful keyboards. My favorite track of the single.
OVERALL, this a step forward for Kaori, while her previous singles in this era were generic J-Rock songs, they were strong enough to work by themselfs, Hana Wa Utsutsi Ni feels like it can only work if it's together to the B-Sides in this single, since they are a up/mid/down tempo songs in that order. Yet she took a different sound and made it work, tried a different concept and made it work, it all just goes out to further show that this chick CAN SING. She has the potential and seems like her label has hope in her aswell. Hopefully she won't be dropped after Colors, which is fated to flop hard, just like every solo release of hers... If you're tired of the whole EDM, Dubstep, and overall mainstream sounds on the J-Pop industry right now, give Kaori a chance!
*Here's a small preview of the main track:
Hana Wa Utsutsu Ni
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