Customer Reviews

Jpop CD

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

JPOP CD is the first comprehensive sampler of Japanese music to be released by a major label in the United States, and it's fantastic. A 15 song compilation (with extensive, informative liner notes) that covers most genres of music within the Jpop banner, it demonstrates a versatility and quality lacking in most other corporate compilations of any origin, be it English, Japanese or otherwise. Many may be put off by the cover art, (which is rather lame, quite frankly) but don't judge this disc by its cover, for within are some of the best songs to which you've never been exposed. Many of the tracks are theme songs to various anime TV shows (of which I must confess total unfamiliarity) and span about 7 styles of music -I can only guess how many genres of anime. Siam Shade is a hard rockin' glam/goth outfit while Zone is a garage band comprised entirely of teenaged girls. Tommy February (who also fronts Brilliant Green) would probably be right at home at Lilith Fair, while (the now disbanded) Judy and Mary could give No Doubt a run for their money. Suiteisho-jo is a typical Japanese invention that defies description -picture a record (and more importantly a video) by the cat fighting MGD girls and you're getting close. As you advance through the track list, you realize that the patterns that define most compilations are absent here, and all the better because of it. By placing tracks by TMR, a sort of Japanese Bowie-meets-Prince, side by side with Nami Tamaki, a high-energy dance diva (pre-badgirl Britny Spears with all the steps and none of the attitude) the emphasis isn't on the similarities, but on the differences, and yet they blend perfectly together. The bubblegum powerpop of Yosuke Sakanoue is unlike anything else on the disc, and yet makes the perfect transition into Mika Nakashima, the reigning female pop vocalist. Most American music fans are probably completely unaware that Japan is home to some very soulful R&B acts, and this compilation proves it with the inclusion of Ken Hirai, whose style is more adult-contemporary, and with Chemistry, the winners of a Japanese version of American Idol, who like their American counterparts are doing big business on their home turf. The third R&B act is the aptly named Soulhead, who represent the females of the genre and should more than appeal to Mariah Carey fans. Yellow Generation is what most people probably picture when they imagine Japanese pop music: the ubiquitous Japanese girl-group; in this case, three hip, attractive young women who sing (and probably dance) a Mandy Moore flavored pop music that you can groove to if you're so inclined. While I'm not a big fan, their inclusion is absolutely necessary in order to a have a standard with which to compare and contrast in every other selection -and to be sure, they are very good at what they do. The compilation closes with a solo effort from Hyde, vocalist of L'Arc En Ciel, who has seemingly inherited the rock n' roll throne made vacant following the death of Hide, (formerly of X-Japan). It should be said that Hyde is one of the most exciting live performers in the history of Japanese rock, and his song is the perfect finish to the perfect introduction to Japanese music.
Be brave. Widen your horizons. But most importantly, don't miss out!

If you like jpop or just want to see what it is about this is a good CD for you. It is a good mixture of different styles, and especilly if you are just starting your collection, it will give you some bands and artists to look at. All the songs are in japanese, with a few words or phrases in english. The CD gives you a web link (I believe it's www.jpop.com) for english lyrics.
This is well worth the money, but almost impossible to find or order through stores. The CD comes with a booklet that includes the japanese lyrics (in romanji [sounded out]).
If you are interested in seeing these groups in person, I suggest you watch, or try to find the videos of Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ (completely in japanese on the international channel). Just watching the show will give you a feel for the different types of jpop available.

When i first saw this CD, I didn't think I'd like it because i'm really not an anime fan, and the first eight songs were all anime theme songs. I always thought that anime themes were kinda techno-ish, but there's actually a lot of variety to them.

All of the songs are pretty poppy, but some of them are more rock-ish (siam shade, judy and mary) some more r and b-ish (mika nakashima, chemistry) and some more electronic (nami tamaki, yosuke sakanoue)

Overall, this cd reminds me of the NOW series, where there's a bunch of pop hits from different genres, so you get a decent mix of music from pop/hip hop/rock. It's good for people who are either just getting into Japanese Music, or are looking for some new singers to be interested in.

I'm not really an anime fan, so i wasn't sure i'd like this CD, since the first eight tracks are theme songs to various anime television shows, but i've found that i can listen to this album front to back, over and over. i had always thought that anime themes had a certain sound to them, kinda like techno, but this album shows good range, from pop to rock, funk, hip-hop and electronic.

The lyrics are included in the booklet phonetically, so you can sing along if you like, although if you want to understand what youre saying, you have to go to the company's website for the translations.

In particular, the tracks by Nami Tamaki, Mika Nakashima, Chemistry and hyde are all incredibly good. Overall, this is great CD, and helped whet my appetite for some more Japanese Music.

I will admit, there is some very good stuff on this CD. Most of them are anime tracks, but they're quality is first rate. Some of these tracks though, are not exactly what I'd call good listening. If you haven't seen the anime involved and already heard these songs a million times, BUY IT. I promise it won't let you down. And, I mean, it's got HYDE on it. You really can't go wrong. But if you have heard most of these songs before, the extras thrown in there seem to bring it down ever-so-slightly. Excellent for people looking for something new to listen to, bad for those who have heard it all before.

Most of the songs on this CD have good melodys and singing. My favorites are The Brilliant Green - Rainy Days Never Stays, Yellow Generation - Carpe Diem, and ZONE - true blue. Very good mix of jpop.

its the best of the good stuff, it even had the Kenshin song I like so much.

Good album. If you want to try Jpop but don't know who's good buy this album.

Japanese singing is cool to listen to. It is an elegant language that sounds really good in combination with the synthesized pop style..(not synth pop mind you, but keyboard drums and all). I am sure that if it were done in english, I would look at it the same way I look at britney spears...

I really hope they release more of these, so not-residing-in-Asia Japanese music fans like me can (legitly) hear a variety of artists at a more reasonable price than the original imports ... I'll definitely be ordering this as soon as I scrape together 14 bucks. Of course the original cds are still best, but this looks like the start of what could be a great sampler series. (Note: I'm only giving this four stars right now, because I haven't heard most of the tracks included and therefore can't honestly rate the quality of the songs.)