JAPONESQUE is Koda Kumi's tenth studio album. It reached #1 on oricon in its first week and sold 92,000 copies. It has a japanese theme, though hardly any of the tracks sounds japanese. I am only reviewing the tracks not the interludes.
1. So Nice feat Mr. Blistah- Koda starts the album with this interesting and catchy track. It has arabian instruments and sounds like a mix of Amai Wana and Candy ft. Blistah. A strong track, it somehow draws you in. Kumi's voice is sultry on this one, which adds a nice touch. She looks gorgeous in the pv.
Rating-4.5/5
2. Boom Boom boys- A rock track. Not a particularly good one though. It seems to go in no particular direction and appears to have been cut-paste from various sources.
Rating-3/5
3. VIP ft. T-PAIN- There is hardly any difference between the orignal VIP and this one except it includes rapping by T-PAIN. A catchy dance track, thought she has done better ones in the past.
Rating-3/5
4. Slow ft. Omarion- A sleek r&b ballad, the chorus cathes on pretty fast. I found myself humming this song not before long. It is like PASS ON BY from her Dejavu album. The promotional video features her in a black dress, singing in front of a fountain.
Rating-4/5
5. Brave- A pop ballad, though it sounds more like soft pop. I liked it more when she used to do piano ballads like Yume no uta, ai no uta and moon, crying. It is an above average track, I guess.
Rating-3.5/5
6. Everyday- A below average pop track.
Rating-2/5
7. IN THE AIR- This was on her 4 times single. A slow pop track that really doesn't deserve to be on this album and was a filler in the single, too. The quality of her pop tracks and ballads is really going downhill.
Rating-1/5
8. You are not alone ~acoustic version~- When is she going to stop torturing the listeners with sub-standard poppish ballads? Her powerful voice and amazing vocal delivery are the only things that saves this track from being a filler.
Rating-3/5
9. ESCALATE- Finally! A real dance track. A bit dark sounding and full of electric guitars, this is what Koda kumi does best.
Rating-4/5
10. Love me Back- I heard this first on Nazotoki. The chorus is fine, but when you join in the verse and the 'diamonds and sapphires and you oh my' part, it starts sounding like a disjointed mess. No wonder the single didn't sell. There is a lack of continuity and connection. Still, not really bad and a little funny.
Rating-3.5/5
11. No Man's Land- I'm not really a fan of the rap. Otherwise, a rockish track with strong vocals and a catchy enough melody.
Rating- 3/5
12. Ai wo tomenaide- Her voice is full of emotion, but the tune seems to be a mass manufactured acoustic ballad in the style of suki de, suki de, suki de.
Rating-3/5
13. KO-SO-KO-SO- A really outstanding track. I loved it as a single and love it even more on the album. It has a mysterious tune. It's a mix of rock, pop, r&b and dance. It's really easy to get hooked on to this track.
Rating-4.5/5
14. Lay Down- A eurodance track. More like something you would hear on an album by a western artist. A reasonable good track with catchy beats and electronic sounds.
Rating-3/5
15. Love technique- A pinku-diva type of song. The song sounds sugary and average, but Kumi's vocals sound too artificial. She's trying to be too cute here and it's not working. This is really quite a so-so track which I would skip.
Rating-2/5
16. Poppin Love cocktail ft. TEEDA- A high-energy track. It sounds full of optimism and the upbeat arrangement adds to its energy even more. Her voice is very powerful. A great pop track.
Rating-4/5
17. All for you- This is a song for her fans. She looks simple but stunning in the video. With a simple guitar accompaniment and heartfelt vocals, it is the perfect ending for this album.
Rating-4/5
There were a lot of different genres on this album. It pales in comparison with her earlier works, though. Her quality has been on a downward trend recently, especially the quality of her ballads. There were a few good tracks on this album (mostly single tracks), but overall it is not a great album. The music videos and worth watching.
The tracks sound so manufactured, written without any feeling, just to produce a hit record. The first week sales were pretty low by her standards, so let's see what this album does.
Pros
Amazing cover
Versatility
Catchy dance tracks'
Cons
Quality of songwriting of album tracks is not very high
Overall rating-4/5
NOTE- All images were screenshoted by me from youtube except the covers.
