Ai Otsuka – LOVE LETTER

Tracklist:
1. LOVE LETTER
2. Rocket Sneaker
3. Bye Bye
4. Kurage, Nagareboshi
5. Ningyou
6. Kimi Fechi
7. Creamy & Spicy
8. Do☆Positive
9. 360°
10. Shachihata
11. One×Time
12. Pocket
13. Ai

Ai Otsuka’s fifth album, LOVE LETTER, is definitely her most mature album to date. Usually, her album includes one crazy, out there song, but LOVE LETTER doesn’t have it. And she even included a title track! This was an album of many firsts, and unfortunately it her also her first to chart for only 4 weeks and sell less than 200,000 copies (some her singles sold more than this album!). But despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed LOVE LETTER.

MONKEY MAJIK – TIME

Track listing:
1. Tada, Arigatou
2. Aitakute
3. Together
4. goin’ places
5. brokedown
6. Closer to you
7. Bicycle
8. Akari
9. Fall Back
10. WEEKDAY
11. MORNING-EVENING
12. Hoshi
13. Utsukushii Omoide
14. Yakusoku

TIME is MONKEY MAJIK’s third major-label album (fifth overall), peaking at #2 on the weekly charts.

The album starts off with my favorite single, Tada, Arigatou, and the first song I ever heard by them. I think I’ve said this many times already, but I am in love with this song. The chorus is so catchy, the verses have a grade internal rhythm, the bridge is beautiful, and they manage to integrate the main solo piano line with a soul/hip-hop-esque beat. I could listen to it all day. The b-side to Tada, Arigatou, Yakusoku is also included in the cd-only version. It’s a beautiful piece against just a piano with gorgeous harmonizing by the two brothers.

YUI – MY SHORT STORIES

YUI’s first compilation album is strangely enough, all b-sides. For other artists, I might cringe at the idea, but it’s a different story for YUI. Some of her b-sides have climbed their way to the top of my favorite YUI tracks. But of course, that’s not the best thing about this album – that would have to be her new song. Which is very thoughtful considering the break she took (or is currently taking) after the release of the album.

OLIVIA – Trinka Trinka

Tracklist
1. Trinka trinka
2. Rain
3. Because
4. Collecting sparkles
5. Miss you
6. Your smile

One word that would sum up OLIVIA’s newest mini-album Trinka Trinka would be “cohesive.” Compared to her early albums syncronicity, which could go from jazz to alternative rock, and The Lost Lolli, which was pretty much a compilation of some of her most eclectic tracks from the preceding mini album, Trinka trinka;s tracks sound like they are part of an album instead of a compilation. Actually, it’s like Bleeding Heart expanded into a whole album. I wish Bleeding Heart was on this album! Rankings wise, it didn’t do too well. While it first debuted at a moderate #28, it fell to #76 on the weekly ranking, selling a little over 1,700 copies. What a shame! Especially since every track is well done and there is not a song I don’t like. Which is cool, because many times, there’s always one track on OLIVIA’s (mini) albums that I don’t like or like a lot less than the rest.

Kimura Kaela – +1

Tracklist
1. NO IMAGE
2. Jasper
3. Yellow
4. STARs
5. Famiredo
6. dejavu
7. Samantha
8. +1
9. No Reason Why
10. Kagami yo Kagami
11. Hayaru Kimochi Teki My World
12. 1115
13. Humpty Dumpty

Kimura Kaela’s fourth album was released on April 2, 2008. It peaked at #3, currently selling over 150,000 copies.

Rie fu – Tobira Album

Tracklist
1. 5000 Miles~Album version
2. Come To My Door
3. Tsukiakari
4. Kimi ga Ukabu yo
5. tobira
6. On It’s Way
7. Until I Say
8. SMILE
9. Feel The Same
10. dreams be
11. Sunshine of my day~Live version
12. London
13. Anata ga Koko ni Iru Riyuu

Rie fu is one of those artists that the first time I heard, I hated. It was many years ago before I really got into Jpop, when I still watched Bleach and the ending theme was “Life is Like a Boat.” Okay, well it wasn’t like I hated the thing more than anything else. It was more like if I didn’t have to listen to it, then I absolutely wouldn’t. Actually I hadn’t listened to that song in a long time, but I did recently to see if I still hated it. While it’ll never become one of my favorites, I don’t really understand why I hated it that time I heard it. It’s quite a pleasant listen, but it wasn’t became I listened to it again that I started to realize that I actually kind of like Rie fu. It was the single Tsukiakari that made me give her a second chance.

Utada Hikaru – HEART STATION

Tracklist
1. Fight The Blues
2. HEART STATION
3. Beautiful World
4. Flavor Of Life -Ballad Version-
5. Stay Gold
6. Kiss & Cry
7. Gentle Beast Interlude
8. Celebrate
9. Prisoner Of Love
10. Take 5
11. Boku wa Kuma
12. Nijiiro Bus
13. Flavor Of Life (Bonus Track)

HEART STATION is Utada Hikaru’s seventh album. It was released on March 19, 2008 and, of course, became a hit. HEART STATION has passed the 1 million copies mark, something very rare in today’s music industry.

ayaka – First Message

Tracklist
1. Start to 0 (Love)
2. Real voice
3. Sha la la
4. Blue Days
5. I believe
6. Stay with me
7. melody
8. Kimi no Power to Otona no Furi
9. Eien no Monogatari
10. Toki wo Modoshite
11. 1 2 3 4
12. Story
13. Rairarai
14. Mikazuki
15. message

I’ve been listening to ayaka for some time now. Every time I listen to her music, I am just in awe of her sheer vocal powers! I think the thing most surprising about it is just how she looks. When I see her, I wouldn’t think of her having such a soulful and deep voice, but it’s true. Even if I watch video of her singing live, I still can’t believe that this powerful voice is coming out of such a petite person. And speaking of lives, she sounds exactly the same as her studio version (amazing….seriously).

Yuna Ito – WISH

Tracklist
1. Power of Love
2. alone again
3. Anata ga Iru Kagiri
4. Urban Mermaid
5. HEARTBEAT
6. Colorful
7. Unite As One
8. Mahaloha
9. A Long Walk
10. Moon Rabbit
11. I’m Here
12. Wish
13. Tokyo Days
14. MY HEART WILL GO ON

WISH is Yuna Ito’s second album. Although her debut album sold and charted amazingly, WISH didn’t measure up. So far WISH has sold around 100,000 copies and peaked at #3 on the Oricon charts.

YUI – I LOVED YESTERDAY

Tracklist
1. Laugh away
2. My Generation
3. Find me
4. No way
5. Namidairo
6. Daydreamer
7. Love is all
8. I will love you
9. We will go
10. OH YEAH
11. My friend
12. LOVE & TRUTH
13. Am I wrong?

YUI’s third studio album was released on April 9, 2008, and despite some tough competition, I LOVED YESTERDAY managed to catch the #1 spot on the weekly charts. Currently, it has sold over 400,000 copies.