- 散歩に行こう
- 未来
- 小さな優しさ
- ベンジャミンベンジャミン
- Cheaters
- Y&I
- 二階の奥の部屋
- 0453
- 出会い
- この子達のために
- ビLOカナVEナスエル
- 366日
- 青い地球
I first looked into HY after hearing about their charting success despite being an indie band. To say the least, I was intrigued. Most of the time, when a band makes it big, they sign big contracts and live happily ever after. But not HY. Apparently, they’re still signed onto a small, independent label and are continuing to rock on in their own way. So admittedly I checked out their latest album, HeartY, in hopes of discovering their secret. What I found instead was a strange combination of soft rock, ballads, jazz, and R&B. Needless to say, I was taken aback.
In all honesty, it took me about a week to get through the album, listening to it a few tracks at a time. The problem was that the slew of ballads were putting me to sleep (my fault for shuffling the tracks). And maybe more importantly, I was sorely disappointed. I was expecting something more erratic, more outlandish, to explain the band’s decision to remain indie. Their music, though of high quality, is something, I feel, not uncommon to the Jpop scene.
So why have I bothered with this entry if I’m not feeling their songs? The answer: Izumi Nakasone. All those who label Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, Namie Amuro, or BoA as best female vocalist need to sit down and listen to Izumi. Her voice is simply amazing — strong, versatile, captivating. I didn’t so much listen to the songs as I did listen to her voice.
That said, in addition to the various ballads showcasing Izumi’s voice — “Y&I”, “366日” — I quite enjoyed the soft rock track “この子達のために” and the R&B/rap track “Cheaters”, if only for its breath of freshness from the slower songs.
Watch (or listen? I can’t tell, YouTube is crapping out on me at the moment) Izumi strut her stuff after the jump.
