Long Overdue Reviews~!

REVIEW(s): So I haven't really found the time to write all the reviews I had hoped so I may as well bunch them all together in my MEGA SUPER REVIEW TIME CORNER. This will hopefully not be a regular feature on the blog, only if I fall behind again ;)

Hitomi ga Kirakirara Canaria Club

Hitomi ga Kirakirara

Hitomi ga Kirakirara is Canaria (yes I was ALWAYS call them this) Club's 5th single and by far my favourite of the lot. CC's single have tended to be very happy go lucky, choirish type idol stuff which worked for them at the time but as they are gaining in popularity they seem to be changing their image, becoming slightly edgier and this single reflects this change.

The song is an upbeat dance song with trance styled elements and edgy rock influences. Mana is the lead on this song which she always has been in CC, however because this single has more solos than previous singles it is far more obvious this time around. I have no complaints though, Mana rocks majorly! Ayu and Yurie also have solos while Rippon, Reiko, Miki and Ikucchi have duo lines. Erina and Ucchi hardly sing at all which pains me but whatever.
The verses and bridge are really dramatic which contrasts well with the chorus which is upbeat and fun "OH YAY! OH YAY!" etc. I love Mana's scream, leading onto an awesome guitar solo. Awesomely, fun song. The dancing in the PV is great too!

Lonely Moon

The B-side is a solo song from Mana titled Lonely Moon and is a really nice ballad. Mana once again shows that she can pretty much sing anything. The verses aren't too special but are saved with their "moonlight" intro. The bridge is really, really lovely and the chorus is just awesome. The emotion of the lyrics is reflected in Mana's vocals, the desperation, feeling lonely; She's very talented. The only downside is that Tsunku's backing vocals are sometimes too intrusive. Seriously, shut the hell up Tsunku! :p

Hitomi ga Kirakirara: A-
Lonely Moon: B+

Ijiwaru Crazy Love THE Possible

Ijiwaru Crazy Love

Tsunku must be saving all his best songs for TNX because THE Possible's new single is ALSO my favourite of theirs. This is their tenth single and their second to chart in the top 10, a VERY deserving feat!
Ijiwaru Crazy Love is another trance dance track which is undeniably catchy. It's less rocky than CC's single and more pop which makes both tracks distinguishable enough since they were released rather close together. The "let me know crazy love" beat is repeated throughout the song which works due to its infectiousness.
Robin, Aina and Yurika are the leads on this song as they usually are. Yurika really surprised me as she recently hasn't had as much attention as Robin and Aina and I was pleasantly surprised with her voice. The other 3 girls are utilised still in the chorus (and with lots of ah~s!), with Yuki having a couple of speaking roles. Oh Yuki.. be still, my beating heart! *ahem*
I have always loved THE Possible, but to be honest their last single wasn't amazing to me. It was good and the girls are always great but this style definitely suits them much better. Ijiwaru Crazy Love has all the makings of a hit, better than most H!P releases currently. Please check it out if you haven't, you'll be glad you did.

Koi no Rung Rung Paradise

The B-side on this single is Koi no Rung Rung Paradise and is very different to the A-side. It's kind of a cutesy pop track, pure sugar. It's hard when comparing it to Crazy Love which I loved, this doesn't quite live up to the previous track. It's still a really cute b-side and the production is pretty awesome. The chorus could have been better.

Ijiwaru Crazy Love: A
Koi no Rung Rung Paradise: B-

Gachinko de Ikoi Buono!

Gachinko de Ikou!

Now to some H!P: Gachinko de Ikou, Buono!'s 4th single continues the rock-pop edge of their previous endeavours while continuing to remain fresh and new. The track starts with a really nice intro, setting the rocky mood of the song from the get go. It isn't a hard rock but a light, upbeat rock which is perfect for Summer and anime. As I mentioned, the song is the same style as their previous tracks and there was a chance Buono! would fall down the path of all their songs sounding the same. I admit at first I did think this single was a bit too similar to previous ones but after a few listens you can really appreciate the uniqueness of this track despite it not being too different to what they've done before.
I've always disliked Momo's voice but on this song she is actually pretty decent. Somebody has obviously mentioned to her that her usual high pitched squealing was extremely annoying and she sings in a more mature voice for Gachinko de Ikou. It isn't up to par with Miya & Airi who are the top singers of both Berryz & C-ute, but it's not bad enough to ruin the song.
The song induces small bouts of cuteness in random squeals and "oh yeah!"s reaffirming that this is an anime track and the instrumental is very anime with all the overlapping vocals. It's a typical anime track, but it's a pretty good one!

Lady Panther, the single's b-side is a rock infused swinging style of a song which is a nice contrast with the A-side. The instrumental is very upbeat and has some nice big band sounding elements. The girls all sound great and the chorus sung all together is cute. It isn't the greatest song, but for a b-side it is pretty good.

Gachinko de Ikou: B+
Lady Panther: B