Album Review- Koi no Uta

Koi no Uta is a compilation of jpop tracks that was released in 2008. It charted well on the oricon. It can be found on almost all major jpop selling sites.

Soba ni iru ne- This song was very popular when the album was repeased. It is an R&B track. It is pleasant but nothing spectacular. Soulja only raps in between and has no major lines. Thelma's vocals are airy. The beat is quite prominent.
3.8/5

Ai no Uta- This song was released by Koda Kumi. It is am emotionally charged song with a powerful chorus and touching lyrics relating to heartbreak. Only piano chords are striking in the background. Koda Kumi's sandy vocals carry off the song pretty well. A nice pop ballad to listen to.
4.5/5

Nando demo- This was a Dreams come true release. The chorus is catchy. A guitar
is prominent in the background. Miwa's oldish vocals are tolerable in this song. 4.1/5

Katachi aru mono- This is a very famous single by Kou Shibasaki. I find it very boring and plain with Kou Shibasaki's vocals not helping the song out of the its boring atmosphere. The chorus goes up slightly but I felt the song lacked in arrangement.
3.4/5

Koisuru Otome by Ikimono Gakari is up next. It is a ballad with some guitars joining in the chorus. Kiyoe sings okay. The song is pleasant.
3.4/5

Koisuru Kimochi- This is an early ballad by Mihimaru GT. The arrangement is okay and the vocals are good. Sounds like a summer pop ballad.
3.7/5

ONE by AI. This is a ballad again. I find it very soothing with AI's contralto vocals. It reminds me of her other song, Story. The song is one of the good tracks on this album. I find AI's ballads good and urban pop songs terrible.
4.2/5

Fantasy by Chara- I lent this CD to my friend who described Chara's vocals as a child singing with a sore throat. She hated the song completely and so did I. With great releases like Swallowtail butterfly, Chara could've done better. Her voice nevertheless, is nothing great.
2/5

Kimi no te- This one is by Every Little thing. I wonder how ELT became popular. I've heard almost all of their songs and they sound pretty average and nothing special. Fragile and Time goes by are better than the others but the others are just average pop songs. This one has a sad atmosphere and minor notes. A very dull and boring song.
2.3/5

Genki wo dashite- This is a cover by Hitomi Shimatani. With her mellow, thin vocals and unattractive arrangement, the song just fails to stand out. It doesn't sound very happy or cheerful. Avex could've fitted one of Hitomi's good songs here. A good song that doesn't sound great in the cover version.
3/5

My Love- by Ai Kawashima who was the vocalist of iwish. Her vocals are good and the song starts out very high pitched and optimistic. The chorus is good and so are her vocals. I remember hearing this in the Hanakimi drama. However, I find that ballads suit Ai Kawashima better. This one is still a decent song.
3.7/5

Kimi ni kiss by Hitomi- Hitomi is produced by Tetsuya Komuro and is very popular. Kimi ni kiss is okay. Much like the previous track, it starts out cheery and optimistic and goes down and gets boring.
3.5/5

Kagefumi- This is by Hitoto Yo. Hana,mizuki was nice but this is just a below average release. With her thin vocals and not-so-good arrangement, this sounds like a messed up folk song. Has lots of ringing, chiming instruments in the background.
3.6/5

Go my way- I HATE Yaida Hitomi's vocals. Guitar rock is the last thing she shold try with her voice. Nothing great again. Tracks 9-14 are just below average pop songs that sound similar.
3.5/5

come again- M-flo with Lisa. Best described as a summer weekend j urban song. Lisa's vocals are light and airy and the songs has a refreshing and light atmosphere. Pleasant to listen to.
3.7/5

Blue Bird- Many Ayu fans describe this as her worst summer release however, I didn't find it all that bad. It is composed by DAI. The chorus is powerful and cheerful. A good summer song (much better than glitter).
4.1/5

Overall, a pretty average album filled with average pop songs and ballads. Something you can afford to spend money on when you've heard everything good in the jpop industry and are getting terribly bored. However, there are too many great albums out there so you can save your money to spend it on those.

Overall- 3.8/5