>>> READ THIS updates will be made on Fridays from here on.  The first few entries were just a test.  I am still working on the formatting.  Anyway, I just want to say that I'm disappointed with the lack of comments in correlation with the download counts (click here to see what I mean).  If people are just going to leech and not leave a simple comment, which does not even have to be long or detailed, then I do not see the point of this blog.  I take a lot of time to research and then update so I doubt I'm asking for too much in return.  I really do enjoy music, talking about and sharing it.  Don't abuse my kindness.

SERIOUSLY COMMENT IF YOU DOWNLOAD PLEASE!

Aly & AJ . 「Like Whoa (Single Version)」 Like Whoa 2008 English Dance, Electronic, Pop DOWNLOAD @ [MF] MUSIC VIDEO @ [YT]

LYRICS & MUSIC Aly & AJ

♪♪♪ Sisters Alyson Renae "Aly" Michalka and Amanda Joy "AJ" Michalka formed a duo after learning to play the guitar and write their own music.  Prior to singing, Aly was an actress best known for her role on Phil of the Future.  The two's first album, Into The Rush, came out in 2005 and was a sleeper hit.  However, their 2007 album Insomniatic features their first top twenty hit "Potential Breakup Song". />I'm glad that Aly & AJ have escaped that typical girl pop rock most Disney Channel alums start off with.  "Like Whoa" is just asking for some club remixes, but this new single version seems to be a little poppier than the album mix.

Shimatani, Hitomi . 島谷ひとみ . 「ilusion~ILLUSION~ / イルシオン」  Akai Sabaku no Densetsu 2003 Japanese Pop DOWNLOAD @ [MF]

LYRICS kenko-p  MUSIC Kazuhiro Hara

♪♪♪ Shimatani, Hitomi (b. 1980) auditioned for for avex trax at age seventeen, winning out of 200,000 contestants.  Her first single, Osaka no Onna, had a contemporary enka sound.  However, her singles from then on were more pop sounding and abandoned that early style.  Her third single, PAPILLION ~papillon~, featured a cover of Janet Jackson's "Doesn't Really Matter" and sold over two hundred thousand copies.  Her first album, PAPILLON, hit number seven on the ORICON charts.  Shimatani's success increased with her second album, SHANTY, which rose to number one.  As her career progressed, Hitomi became more popular and was known for her covers.  In 2003, her first compilation became her best-selling release with over four hundred fifty copies sold.  Shimatani remains with avex trax today and is very active musically. Yes, that's how the song is officially spelled.  Anyway, "ilusion" incoporates the typical ethnic trademarks like most of Shimatani's music.  Quite frankly, I haven't really listened to her since "Neva Eva" (which I loved) so this is a small step backwards.  "ilusion" is nowhere as cheesy as the title song from the single it hails from, and is comparatively quite pretty even if overproduced.

BOBO . 「Neut Eun Hoo Hee / 늦은 후회 / Late Regret」  BOBO 2001 Korean Ballad, Pop DOWNLOAD @ [MF] MUSIC VIDEO @ [YT] | LIVE @ [YT]

LYRICS & MUSIC Kim, Hyeong-Seok

♪♪♪ BOBO (Bourgeois Bohemian) was the stage name for South Korean actress and singer Kang, Seong-Yeon.  She made her music debut in 2001 with the hit "Neut Eun Hoo Hee" off her self-titled album.  She returned in 2002 with her second and last album, The Natural.  Kang decided to give up singing and concentrate on acting. This is a gorgeous "what just happened" ballad sung by a surprisingly talented girl who went under the radar over here.

Hayashibara, Megumi . 林原めぐみ . 「Touch and Go!!」  Touch and Go!! 1995 Japanese Pop DOWNLOAD @ [MF]

LYRICS & MUSIC Yuki Matsuura

♪♪♪ Hayashibara, Megumi (b. 1967) is one of the most well known seiyuu in anime nowadays.  She attended the Arts Vision acting school while studying to be a registered nurse.  Her first job as a seiyuu was in Maison Ikkoku, but she would go on to be main characters in popular series such as Ranma 1/2, Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Slayers and Pokemon.  Aside from acting, she also writes books and music and sings.  Hayashibara was married in 1998. This is a classic Megumi song from the anime Blue Seed.  It's a really sweet pop song.

JEWELRY . 「Mune ga ippai kono ai wo  dare yori kimi ni / 胸いっぱいのこの愛を 誰より君に / There is More Love in My Heart For You Than Anyone Else 」  Mune ga ippai kono ai wo  dare yori kimi ni 2003 Japanese Dance, Pop DOWNLOAD @ [MF]

LYRICS U-Ka Saegusa  MUSIC Aika Ohno

♪♪♪ JEWELRY is a four member girl group based in South Korea.  They debuted in 2001 with the song "Ee Jen" (Now) off their album Discovery.  It was not a complete flop, but only Park Jeong-Ah would remain for the second album.  The other three girls were replaced with Seo In-Yeong, Lee Ji-Hyeon and Cho Min-Ah.  Their track "Again" was a big hit and interest in the group was renewed.  This member roster would stick until the fifth album.  In-Yeong and Jeong-Ah had brief solo careers prior to this release, and the other two girls left in 2006.  The new girls are Ha Joo-Hyeon and Kim Eun-Jeong, and the first single off the fifth album is "One More Time".  In Japan, JEWELRY released music through GIZA. Not too impressed with the new JEWELRY song so I thought that I'd retreat to this Europop influenced single from their Japanese discography.  It's a bubbly dance track arranged to sound a bit like the music by Steps and S Club 7.

CoCo Lee . 李玟 . 「Zu Hao De Ai / 最好的爱 / The Best Love」  Jin Tian Dao Yong Yuan 1999 Mandarin Pop DOWNLOAD @ [MF]

LYRICS Yu-Kang Wu  MUSIC Wei-Lun Sun

♪♪♪ CoCo Lee or Wen Li (b. 1976) was born as Ferren Lee in Hong Kong.  At age ten, she moved to California with her mother and two sisters.  Her father passed away before she was born.  After a post high school graduation, CoCo went to Hong Kong with her family.  There, she was the runner up in a talent contest.  Capital Artists approached her and had her sign a contract.  In 1993, she debuted with her first album.  CoCo would move on to Fancy Pie Records, and then Sony Music in 1995.  Through 550 Music, she recorded an international English album called Just No Other Way.  It was a flop and she would not record another English LP, Exposed, until 2005. In 2000, Lee sang the theme song to the hit movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - "Yue Guang Ai Ren" (Moonlight Lover) or its English version, "A Love Before Time".  After 2002, Lee took a hiatus that lasted until 2005.  Her seventeenth album, Just Want You, was released in 2006 and has been a successful comeback for CoCo in Taiwan.  She married in 2005 to millionaire Bruce Rockowitz. I can't get into CoCo's new material, but this album is gold and also my first forray into her music.  She really does have a nice voice, and it shows on this subtle pop-R&B track.

Younha . ユンナ . 「homegirl」  Te wo tsunaide 2006 Japanese Ballad, Piano, Pop DOWNLOAD @ [MF]

LYRICS Kani Kouzuna  MUSIC Younha

♪♪♪ Go, Younha (b. 1988) is of Korean heritage, but is best known for her Japanese music.  In South Korea, she snuck out of her house to go to an audition.  Despite claims that she was not pretty enough for some labels, she was finally signed to one.  Through Japanese dramas and music, she began to learn Japanese, and she is also a trained pianist.  A Japanese label took interest in Younha and she began to train for a Japanese debut.  A Korean single, Yubikiri (Finger Promise), was released in Japan in 2004, but its Japanese counterpart was released through Sony a month later.  It failed to chart, though.  Younha's second single, Houkiboshi (Comet), was a bigger hit, ranking at twelve on the ORICON.  Its success was due to its usage as a theme for the anime Bleach.  She would record a total of eight singles and one album before moving back to Korea.  Her first Korean album in 2007 contained the hit "Bi Mil Beon Ho 486" (Password 486). Younha won kudos for frequently performing live and very well while at it.  A special album was released, containing Korean covers of her Japanese work.  Younha promoted "Hae Seong" (Comet) for this album.  In early 2008, Sony will release a compilation of Younha's Japanese singles. I really wish Younha had achieved similar popularity to BoA while in Japan.  Vocally and musically, Younha is an amazing young girl.  "homegirl" is a self-penned ballad and possibly my favorite song by her.  Its simple melody aligned with Younha's honed voice is just wonderful.

FUZZY CONTROL . 「Kodou / 鼓動 / Heartbeat」  Kodou 2006 Japanese Rock DOWNLOAD @ [MF] MUSIC VIDEO @ [YT]

LYRICS & MUSIC FUZZY CONTROL

♪♪♪ FUZZY CONTROL is a three piece band that debuted in 2003. It is led by Juon, an Okinawan native born to musician parents. He moved to Tokyo with his family, and started to listen to his parents' record collection from the '70s and '80s. Juon developed a taste for rock, and debuted as a solo artist at only fifteen-years old. After a few releases, Juon moved on to forming FUZZY CONTROL. The other members include Satoko (drums) and Joe (bass). Their first release was the single, SHINE ON. FUZZY CONTROL's last album came out in May 2007, but it wasn't released through Victor like the singles that were left off.  "Kodou" is progressive acoustic rock laced with Juon's seductive voice.

Park, Ji-Yoon . 박지윤 . 「Ya Sang Gok / 야상곡 / Nocturne」  Bicheonmoo OST 2008 Korean Ballad, Cover, Piano, Pop DOWNLOAD @ [MF] MUSIC VIDEO @ [YT]

LYRICS & MUSIC Kim, Yoon-Ah

♪♪♪ Park, Ji-Yoon (b. 1982) is a former model turned singer in South Korea.  She debuted with the song "Ha Neul Saek Kkoom" (Blue Sky Dream) in 1997.  After three albums with Seoul Records, she parted ways to be produced by Park, "JYP" Jin-Young and have her music distributed through Dae Young.  Her fourth album's lead single "Seong In Shik" (Adult Ceremony) had her cut her hair off and dawn a drastic makeover.  Ji-Yoon recorded two more albums with JYP, she left her producer and label.  Since 2003, she has not released a new album.  Ji-Yoon has focused on modeling and acting since then.  Her most recent drama was Bicheonmoo in 2005. This is a cover of Jaurim's Kim Yoon-Ah's song of the same name.  Both versions are quite beautiful, but it's just nice to see Ji-Yoon finally singing again.  Hearing her voice over this morose ballad just reminds me of how unique her voice is.

Saga, Yuuki . サガユウキ . 「Hatsuyuki / 初雪 / First Snow」  Hatsuyuki 2007 Japanese Acoustic, Ballad, Pop, Rock DOWNLOAD @ [MF] MUSIC VIDEO @ [YT]

LYRICS & MUSIC Yuuki Saga & Kouji Ide

♪♪♪ Singer-songwriter Yuki Saga (b. 1978) debuted as a solo artist in 2007 with the single Mizore -mizore-.  His first album came out in 2008. I don't know very much about this guy, but I loved "Mizore".  It's such a powerful rock ballad.  "Hatsuyuki" follows a very similar formula - pacing itself along delicately before exploding into a dramatic chorus soaked in Saga's emotive voice.

BENNIE K . 「MONOCHROME / モノクローム」  MONOCHROME 2008 Japanese Pop DOWNLOAD @ [MF] MUSIC VIDEO @ [DM]

LYRICS BENNIE K  MUSIC BENNIE K, SiZK

♪♪♪ BENNIE K is a female duo that released its first single, Melody, under For Life Records in 2001.  The vocalist is YUKI, who graduated high school in New Zealand, and rapper CICO is from Osaka.  They met in Los Angeles, California.  The duo did not see popularity until the single SUNRISE, which peaked at ten on the ORICON.  At this point, they had mostly abandoned their R&B style for something more mainstream.  From then on, the two have become well known and had a number one album in 2005. "MONOCHROME" is the opening theme to the drama Binbou Danshi Bonbii Men.  It's a really catchy and endeaing midtempo pop song with lovely vocals from YUKI.  She really does keep this duo together and CICO's raps are almost unnecessary.  Anyway, I like this song more than all the new J-pop I've heard this year so far.

B'z . 「TIME」  BLOWIN' 1992 Japanese Classic Rock DOWNLOAD @ [MF] LIVE @ [YT]

LYRICS Koshi Inaba  MUSIC Tak Matsumoto

♪♪♪ B'z is a popular rock duo made up of Koshi Inaba and Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto. They debuted in 1988 with the single Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite (So Let Go of That Hand). B'z has gathered numerous #1 hits over the years. Both Koshi and Takahiro have solo careers as well. If you enjoy anthem styled classic rock with awesome guitar riffs along the way, B'z is the answer.  I prefer their earlier songs, and "TIME" is an excellent B-side.

Tata Young . อมิตา มารี ยัง . 「One Love」  One Love 2008 Thai Pop DOWNLOAD @ [MF] MUSIC VIDEO @ [YT]

♪♪♪ Amita Marie Young (b. 1980), or better known as Tata Young, is the daughter of an American father and a Thai mother. She debuted at fifteen-years old as a singer, later becoming an actress, too. In 2004, she released her international English debut, I Believe. It was released all throughout Asia, including Japan where she promoted it for a while. She returned to Thailand in 2005 to release a Thai album, Dangerous Tata. In 2006, she released her second English album, Temperature Rising. Tata is back with this soft and inspirational pop number "One Love", which is nothing like her somewhat tacky English songs.  It's slower than her other promoted songs and is just a nice change of pace for Young.  Her limited range isn't as apparent either, and she comes off as very pleasant sounding.

Room2012 . 「Haunted (Radio Edit)」  Haunted 2007 English Dance, Pop, R&B DOWNLOAD @ [MF] MUSIC VIDEO @ [YT]

♪♪♪ Room2012 is the winning group of the sixth installment of the German incarnation of the singing competition reality show Popstars.  The members are Cristobal, Julian, Sascha and Tialda.  The quartet debuted in 2007 with the album Elevator. It's pretty obvious that Timberlake's "My Love" was the inspiration for "Haunted".  The boys sing in falsetto and the backing beat is familiar.  Regardless, "Haunted" is the kind of pop American radios would eat up.