The 189th Thread — W FACE inside/outside + Driving Hit's 7
 

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Credits: FinalFayth, Kingdom, Corvina, do it again,
Cherrim, George, maze, SKYia, Gustavopc.

I am an occasional listener to Koda Kumi, and even though I am not impressed with this release, I absolutely dig the two first songs W FACE and BRIDGET SONG. Especially W FACE is such an awesome blast: Cannot stop listening to it. On Spotify I have added TOUCH DOWN as follow up on W FACE and its transition is so awesome that I keep on playing it on repeat. Thanks Kumi, I can always count on you on slamming sexy hits.

I love driving hit's cover so much ugh. I wish her general releases had a similar aesthetic sometimes. I'm really excited for it~

I'm absolutely in loooooove with Bassline, Bangerang & Wicked Girls. That's my holy trinity. Also, can't wait to see the tracklist for DH7! Let's see if it'll top the epicness of DH6

I always love reading interviews from Kuu. She's so emotional yet realistic.
And I'm not a big Beyoncé fan, but I can appreciate that she was inspired by her.

I woulk like to know
The booklet for both albums are the same or not?

I made some of my friends listen to W FACE (song) and they're addicted to it already. They said "I didn't expect Japanese music to sound like this".
Spreading the word of Goda Kumi.
Edit: why couldn't cupcake be longer??? Hope we get a good remix for it on DH

Some news.

W FACE Tour x Best Western Hotel collaboration:
http://www.bwhotels.jp/promotions/5467.html
With themed rooms and special goods in it, linked to the tour dates.
15,000 Yen per person.

And some more gift boxes for her fragrances:
http://special.scentnations.com/smp/

It seems that the news of Kuu topping the charts this time is actually helping + the TV promo. Inside is up to #15 on Oricon. I hope that Avex continue the momentum and book her on Music Station and the FNS Spring special. Even if not, I'm glad things are looking up for Kuu a little bit. :)

Her Uta Con performance also made some (positive) headlines cause of her "black tears" and the warm response of the audience.

got my fc order yesterday and nope both have different pictures in the booklet...

Oricon Daily (9th day)

#15 Inside
#18 Outside

Oricon Daily (10th day)

#9 Inside
#10 Outside

The album is back on top 10, Inside will probably outsell Outside.

From Jankara's Twitter

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7Gu_fKVsAEEqU_.jpg:small

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7GvAGdUwAEjzSk.jpg:small

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7GvA0MUwAAX_o0.jpg:small

https://twitter.com/jankara/status/842647084125769728

I so want that autographed + framed poster :3

That's my guess also. Probably inside having more (or all? not sure) tie-ins and being more friendly to the overall Japanese audience, it might get a longer chart life than outside.
And talking on tie-ins, has the dorama of On my way already started airing?

Where have you been? xD
It's airing for about a month already.
We got the first On my way preview from the dorama.

I was just not sure if my memory was right ahahaha These days have been a mess for me irl ahahah Thanks!

The dorama ends next week, btw.

The Dorama was at midnight anyway so I don't think it helped too much.
Regardless I'm happy to see the albums back in the top 10!

I hope her Tetsuko interview next week can help a little as well :)

Midnight? How come a midnight dorama tie-in would help her in the charts lol how come there's even a midnight dorama lol weekend only? O.o

Unfortunately Kuu hasn't had any good tie-ins in a long time. At this point they probably think that anything is better than nothing.

@Baco__ It's basically the same thing as brazilian telenovela that goes around 22:00 / 23:00. It's usually for a mature audience. Prime time in Japan is from 20:00 till 01:00.
http://www.tokyohive.com/article/201...-2-242-27-2017

@KuuXAyu-fan It's the same time slot that the drama with KO-SO-KO-SO as a theme, so I don't know what you're talking about.

I'm not saying that this drama is a hit, buy anyway.

Kuu's look for Tetsuko's room
http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/tetsuko/guest/0003/index.html

Also Kumi will be filming the Tokyo dates in August for the W FACE tour DVD! (info from Baidu)

※下記公演は、DVD収録日となります。収録の際、客席の様子が映り込む場合がございます。予めご了承くだ さい。
2017.08.05 (土) 【東京】東京国際フォーラム・ホールA
2017.08.06 (日) 【東京】東京国際フォーラム・ホールA

Driving Hit's 7 tracklist

M01. W FACE (Lazy Rich Remix)
M02. Money In My Bag (Starfvckers Remix)
M03. Insane (Perk Pietrek Remix)
M04. Ultraviolet (Yamato & DMD Remix)
M05. Cupcake feat. AKLO (Retrohandz Remix)
M06. Wicked Girls (Daddy’s Groove Remix)
M07. HOTEL (Plastik Funk Remix)
M08. 愛のうた ; Ai no Uta (JAXX DA FISHWORKS Remix)
M09. 恋のつぼみ ; Koi no Tsubomi (JAXX DA FISHWORKS Remix)
M10. Damn real (NINESTATESFLEX Remix)
M11. キューティーハニー ; Cutie Honey (JAXX DA FISHWORKS Remix)
M12. Shhh! (TEXTOR Remix)
M13. Dance In The Rain (TEXTOR Remix)
M14. Lippy (FIGHT CLVB Remix)
M15. Bassline (Flatdisk Remix)

Preview snippets of some of the remixes can be heard via http://rhythmzone.net/koda/discography/

What the hell is doin Ai no uta there? I would have loved a remix for bangerang but oh well, I hope the album it's good

A lot of songs from W FACE, I expected to see more old songs, not only 3. I don't like Cutie Honey but well maybe the remix is good who knows. Glad to see Money In My Bag and HOTEL. W FACE being the first track is great.

Koi no Tsubomi and Cutie Honey are in Driving Hit's already, so aren't others older songs to remix insted of repeat past remixed songs?

I'm not impressed with the previews, I hear her acapella track too loud compared with the music in the previews. I hope the whole album sound good.

Given most of the previews sound like the beginning of the song (though Hotel and Wicked Girls aren't giving much), I'm wondering if these are all stand-alone tracks rather than the album being 'non-stop'.
I kind of hope so for playlist purposes.

uuuh, I don't like the previews :( it all sounds very dark ( seems like this is the theme) and rather samey.
I loved the last 2 driving hits, they were so fun! but I hope I will like this one after all as well.

because they canceled the last dh, a lot of songs from work are missing :irked
but thank God ai no uta and cutey honey are on this one as well... :rolleyes

Which DH was cancelled?? Pearl Moon was supposed to be included in DH6, yet when the finalized tracklist came out, it was nowhere to be seen. Does anyone know what's up with that?

I actually thought of the same exact thing. Listening to the previews, it didn't have that "non-stop mega mix" sound or feel to it.

LOVING this Driving Hit's so far, not a single song is messy dubstep all over the place. Weirdly her website is not loading well here, so if it's happening the same for any of you, here are the previews from tudou, kinot@baidukodabar uploaded them: http://www.tudou.com/plcover/wo8OCxw...452576_03_0_02

The only part that I'm sad is that Bangrang, Like it and House Party had to die for Ai no Uta, Koi no Tsubomi and Cutie Honey.

^These songs weren't likely to be remixed at all. They are already very upbeat, so it wouldn't make sense to include them here imo.

Loving Shhh! and Ai no Uta <3

WHAT THE FUCK IS AI NO UTA DOING THERE

Where can we listen to the previews on the official website?
Tudou doesn't work for me

End of February they were shooting something for the tour:
http://imageshack.com/a/img924/9215/eehd9T.png

From her FC

The remixes all sound like a huge improvement over the originals so I'm happy for now. DH is good for that - reinventing tracks I hate and allowing me to actually have something I can listen to and enjoy.

Shhh is probably the worst so far; hate sax songs and also the verses in the song are annoying and you can't do much to fix that.

I hate the cover of driving hits 7

lol what??? This statement makes zero sense. Most of the tracks that were remixed for DH7 could be considered 'upbeat' to begin with. And besides, remixes are a way to reimagine songs--doesn't matter if they're club bangers, ballads, happy pop songs, whatever. God knows I would have rather seen Like It, House Party, and even Bangerang on DH7 more than another fucking mix of Ai no Uta that no one asked for.

I liked the dubstep remixes <3

shame that house party and lippy didn't get remixed.

Got my bluray from mumo finally!! Ill say this the videos look better on the big screen. Ive got a 50" hdtv and they look super nice. Simple but nice. And do not watch ultraviolet up close haha, it was jarring. The aongs are way better than the videos. Only really listened to outside right now. Fabe: Ultraviolet, Insane :luv2:love:luv2:love, bassline, shh!! :luv2, and bangerang. Wicked girls gets stuck in my head all the time though!

M14. Lippy (FIGHT CLVB Remix)

^ eh, I meant to write piece in the puzzle.
I was sidetracked ^___^;;

Ai no Uta is like the ballad that never dies... How do you kill that which has no life...?

We have to find the horcruxes

I don't care, I like Ai no Uta, and the remix sounds nice anyway. Still wish that Like it and House Party could be there tho.

I guess I can live with the Ai no Uta and Koi no Tsubomi remixes being there (despite those 2 already being remixed before in DH1) but Cutie Honey? For fuck sakes.

Actually I'm very impressed with DH7

The darker, lower tension type of feeling is really intriguing


I generally loathe Ai no Uta (like from the very beginning) but this remix sounds...likeable? Lol

I wanna ask.. is this YT account official? This video has an official shot from the inside booklet


Also I have to admit I'm in love with the ballads on inside. I just missed her ballads so freakin much

It's unofficial.
The guy just knows what he is doing with processing I guess. He's really active in the Japanese Kuu group on fb

There wasn't anyhting cancelled. Last year the fans just speculated about a new DH cause of a FC post about an unknown shooting. That's all.

The three old songs on DH 7 are her three biggest hits ( they advertise this DH as a combi of her biggest hits and her latest sound).
And they're all remixed by the same guy.

I love how unexciting all of the previews sound.
Wicked Girls is my fave, it sounds amazing in the preview.

Btw. some more songs translations for W FACE are up now on Otenkiame blog:
http://shinitakashi.blogspot.de/2000...yrics.html?m=1
He's currently updatin every day.

Here's BRIDGET SONG:
http://shinitakashi.blogspot.de/2017...yrics.html?m=1

^then where is the pic from? I was talking about the pic itself, cuz it doesnt look like a scan...

^ that's inside the inside CD sleeve booklet , Edu

This Baidu user posted photos of the images used in both inside & outside booklets -> http://tieba.baidu.com/p/5011573013?see_lz=1

@maze It's from Nikkan Sports http://www.nikkansports.com/entertai...s/1791827.html

@karen: I know that's an inside pic ^^ Just that this pic specifically doesnt look like a scan, if you know what I mean

@kaled: thanks! Thats the one I was asking for

I just meant that it's natural they'd choose mid-tempos and ballads to remix instead of songs that are already upbeat bangers.

^no, thats not really true. A remix doesn't make a song upbeat per-se.

^90% of the songs in the DH series are/became upbeat. This new edition will feature more laid back remixes it seems (judging from the previews) but I don't really understand when you say "A remix doesn't make a song upbeat per-se." when we're talking about Driving Hits. I'm not talking about remixes in general

Just got the listen the DH7, and I love the aura in the songs, except for Ai no uta (it seems like you from DH2 will be the only ballad remix I'll ever like from hers)! I might end up enjoying Ultraviolet and Shhh! remixes much more than the originals lol

Honestly, the Ai no Uta preview sounds the best from those available for DH7. I'm not a huge fan of remixes that completely lose the original song's essence. Some remixes she's had done are like completely different songs and the vocal track is the only thing that remains from the original.

Listen to the original then. What's the sense in listening to a remix in which all it did is add a bell here and there? Lmao. For example, DH4 and Beach Mix really reinvented some of her worst tracks into not only something tolerable but something ENJOYABLE. And improved on others that were just barely tolerable to begin with. Remixes are a great opportunity to reimagine in the track because at the end of the day the original will always be there. And if you like the original then you end up as the winner. Because it's rare that the remix would go on to be performed in concerts let alone have the chance at becoming a staple in them.

Coming from the person that thinks the Urban Kiss remix of Ai No Uta is a 180º reinvention lol

"For example, DH4 and Beach Mix really reinvented some of her worst tracks" IN YOUR OPINION hun.

Imo, DH4 is one of the weakest DH ever, can't really relate with your comment.

And so far Kumi has performed a good amount of remixes in her tours

I posted this a few days ago:

I have two questions:

1. Does Driving Hit's 7 get any FC Bonus items when ordring through Koda Gumi?

2. I read on a Facebook fanpage that both Albums will be downloadable in High-Res. Music Quality on a Japanese site. Is this Quality way better the iTunes download/CD Rip and how do I get it?


ANYONE ?

i always tought "ai no uta" was from Kingdom, "koi no tsubomi" from Black Cherry and "cutie honey" from grow into one/secret.....

the CD was announced with only remixes from Woml and Wface (outside)...isn´t it?

@Zettai: CDJapan was describing that the album would have songs from W FACE ~outside~, WOML and more. So the "more" is for her most recognizable songs.

@~StarCatcher~ 1. No bonus as far as I know. 2. You can get the Hi-Res album from http://mora.jp/

Thank you.
So CDJapan will be cheaper this time.

Oh, ok! thanks for the explanation :)

ai no uta's urban kiss is a very "slight" reinvention but it made a WORLD of a difference. That's one reason why I have a lot of respect for it and hold it in high regard; because it was such a simple "reinvention" yet completely revolutionized the aura of the track.

And as far as DH4, the genre it focused on, on paper really isn't my style - but it worked. Maybe because it's not the common type of music I would listen to on the ordinary that I came to be able to listen to it everyday at the gym for practically three years. The fact that every split second of the song has a change in it (chaotic yet melodic vocal chops, interaction between the layers changing it up) makes it an undeniable standout and I came to really respect the remixers for putting in their all and concentrating on all those little details that really built the tracks up.

"Poppin' love cocktail" feat. Teeda [TeddyLoid Remix] :luv2
"Hot Stuff feat. KM-Markit" [Electlixxx vs. Heavens Wire D'n'B Remix] :luv2:luv2:luv2
"Love Me Back" [Sunset In Ibiza Dubstep Remix] :luv2
"Teaser feat. Clench & Blistah" [Caramel Pod Dubstep Remix] :luv2:luv2:luv2
"Slow" feat. Omarion [Prog5 vs. Future House United Remix] :luv2:luv2:luv2
"Butterfly" [TeddyLoid Remix] :luv2:luv2:luv2

Beach Mix was also phenomonal with the reinvention of other abhorrently trite and/or gimmicky tracks.

KO-SO-KO-SO [Prog5 Remix] :luv2
Bling Bling Bling feat. AK-69 [Electro Rave Allstars Remix] :luv2:luv2
Hey baby! [FUTURE HOUSE UNITED Remix] :luv2:luv2:luv2
Heat feat. MEGARYU [REO Remix] :luv2:luv2:luv2
AND it has Whatchu' Waitin' On, which is one of my all-time favorites from her.

What's also superb is the fact that these make up a very small "handful" of tracks for those albums, - I felt the rest were throwaways - yet, the strength of these tracks and my love for them is enough to carry my satisfaction for both releases.

Honestly, I really only need two or three tracks that I TOTALLY love on a release to be happy. Not "kinda like," not "warm up to with time," - songs that create sort of a pillar to emerge beneath your heart and lift it upon a giant pedestal. That's why I get so critical about stuff because my expectations are so fucking low and yet they still can't be met. Lmao.

'Nuff said. Kuu recorded and released Beach Mix while pregnant, IIRC. And my only deal with her recent music is that she isn't playing on how strong her tracks like Whatchu' Waitin' On and TABOO have been with respect to her entire discography. She's done plenty of JUICY- and Ultraviolet-esque stuff. We only have, at most, a handful of tracks like Whatchu' Waitin' On, TABOO, Driving, and even Go to the top. And we only have one BE MY BABY.

I still look back at VIP as one of her most memorable tracks. Even for something so simple, she really played on her strengths and talent and let the music complement her on the track. Nowadays, I feel she's too often drowned out by her own production.

I still believe she'll hop back to EDM at some point. I think Koda's got more than enough talent and charisma to deliver another arena-rocking track that demands everyone in attendance on their feet. That's just what Koda's done since she finally got the attention she deserves.

I honestly love all the remixes you named. They, to me, do keep something of the original, if not at least the overall feel of the song. I don't know how to describe it, but some remixes are just better than others.

W FACE 2nd week sales/position

inside - #21 ; 3,270
outside - #22 ; 3,189

Total sub sales

inside - 23,427
outside - 23,435

Total sales for both inside & outside combined - 46,862

Just listened to Outside. Am I the only one who thinks it's beyond annoying? I listened to it during my work out and I stopped working out after just 35 minutes because I was honestly exhausted listening to all that noise and needed a little silence.
W FACE would have had potential, but this "yes bitch" line is so annoying I can't. It's noise. Ultraviolet sounds like a thousand other Koda songs, but is quite nice compared to the rest of the album. Insane is the best one imo since the fake rock anthem feel of it during the chorus gives it at least a little individuality. Heartless is so out of place, what was that? And where the hell is the bass in Bassline? If you call a song Bassline you damn fucking give it a damn great bassline. Furthermore, what is it with this fake big band instruments style in mostly every second song? Is it supposed to sound "artsy"? If you want a song to sound like real music, you better use real instruments.
I was so looking forward to this album, but after this one is again, like the last one, mostly "cool" "artsy" uninspired sounds aka noise mixed with uninspired beats I guess I will give up on Koda.
Is Inside any better or will I waste my time listening to it?

W FACE already sold more than WOML's first month! Yay. It might hit 50k by the end of the month.

New certified Gold for Kumi:

Gold (100,000):
Koda Kumi – Ienai yo (10/13/10)

http://www.riaj.or.jp/f/data/cert/hs.html

I only do me workouts to outside since it was released XD 3-4 times in a row everyday and its still awsome

^haha well glad you can enjoy it though ;)

Kuu revealed one of the first tour goods today on playroom:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...921/9RF6UF.png

Really cool, but yellow isn't my colour. *sob*

Love it!!!

^ I totally thought of you when I saw it :laugh

Yellow is my favourite colour :heart Love it, a shame it'll probably be too expensive for me

Looove it! can't wait to see the rest of the goods! i don't have anything in yellow but i don't mind to have something this dope in yellow. there might be other colour variations available too.

loving all the Driving Hit's 7 previews so far, it sounds like it might turn out to be as flawless as DH4. and cover is clearly an out-take from W FACE ~ outside ~ photo shoot. lol it's a shame no ballads from inside is included, I lover remixes of ballads. that Promise remix from DH6... oooh

Omg it's cute. Yellow is the new black lol

The Shh! remix sounds really good. Can't wait for this to be released.

getting that yellow hoody at the tour!

Omg I love it, if they release a man hoodie version I might consider buying it

^you can wear it anyway, don't look for girls only.

How random! Was the song performed anywhere? I don't remember any TV performances.

Well, the original song itself was a hit, and maybe it was cheaper for a while?

Same. I don't want to look like a banana.

Well I had similar feelings as you towards Outside. I also hated that yes bitch cringe.:laugh
But I did enjoy Inside. But I wouldn't say that it's her new best album. The consensus here seems to be that it is bland and boring. I enjoyed it because I tend to like Koda Kumi's softer side. It's worth giving a try I think.:thumbsup

<3

I really like Yellow! Can't wait to see the other goodies.

After two weeks time I now want to share my opinion about the albums a bit more elaborately.

Starting with inside:

01 BRIDGET SONG - One of my favourites! A happy song and with the clapping and whistling at the end also something quite new for Kuu.

02 Bring It On - Really like the instrumental for this song, especially in HiRes. Maybe I'm biased as I've seen it live already at WOML Tour, but it's a fun song.

03 喜びのかけら - Didn't like it at first, but just soon after I grew to like it so much! Love the progression of the melody. The lyrics are quite poetic. Such a nice spring song.

04 Stand by you - Here's the not so good part of the album starting. Stand by you is sweet, but such a typical and boring love song. The lyrics are pretty direct, especially unsual for a Japanese (that's a plus point for the song!). Though I will never listen to it, just like e.g. to Stay.

05 好きでして - As a stand alone track, I quite like this song. I catch myself nodding to it while listening. But in combination with Stand by you before and Kimi Omoi after it's sooooo dragging.

06 君想い - I can see why people like it, but it's such an unintresting song for me. Just like Koishikute. It's too long, just like Stand by you, and I never listen to it.

07 On my way - A really mature ballad for Kuu. I indeed feel like Kuu is constantly smiling while singing the song and in contrast the lyrics are so doubtful. Love the surprising guitar break - something new for Kuu's ballads.

08 What's Up - That's my kind of pop-rock song! On par for me with Poppin' love cocktail and Hashire!, which I both love. And so much better than e.g. LALALALALA.

09 Promise you - Such a strong pop song! Lyrics are awesome and the structure of the song so powerful. Both BRIDGET SONG and Promise you are by Hi-yunk. I seriously hope she keeps working with him on songs similar like those in the future as they're both my favourites. He already did All For You and Life So God!! and those were alright as well. I also do feel like he could produce a hit for her.

10 My fun - It did grew on me a bit, but I still think it sounds a bit strange. Lyrics are like a continuation of Promise you, that's nice. Works really well as the ending song of the album.


And outside:

01 W FACE - A great theme song and a good opener for setting the mood of the album. Lyrics are nice and I love how in trend it is right now. Full hitting urban and therefor something fresh for her disco.

02 Ultraviolet - A high energy song! Also the messiest and most reminiscent song of her past on the album. Can see this becoming a concert staple as hyping up the audience like POP DIVA, theme and energy are about the same. I really like the positive lyrics.

03 Insane - It's just surprising how well this song works as a whole, even after some time! Instrumental is nice, really love when the violin kicks in e.g. She tried something here and it worked!

04 Damn real - It's a love song, but with a different twist than usual. Lyrics are awesome and I love her use of the colour blue here. Musicwise the verses are heavenly, the chorus is a bit weaker. Still nice to listen to.

05 Heartless - The weakest song on the album. I don't have a problem with it being a ballad and placed here, that fits. Her vocals being so raw and rough works in the verses, but not that well in the chorus. That powerful screaming worked better in songs like Dance In The Rain. Lyrics are actually awesome (being too harsh to yourself, I can relate so much), but her use of English isn't that good here sadly.

06 Bassline - I don't love the song as much anymore as in the beginning. I love the use of her voice in the song and the progression in the chorus. It's jzst it doesn't always grab me like before. Still a good song though.

07 Shhh! - Prefer the live version since she performed it, but it fits very well in the album here.

08 Bangerang - The biggest surprise after some time now. I love it so much now, can listen to it anywhere and anytime! It's similar to Bassline in theme and music, but it's my favoured song now.

09 Wicked Girls - Two words - pure fun! Interesting note is Kuu's use of words from the urban dictionary - first Lippy, now bridget and wicked. But always fitting till now.

10 Cupcake feat. AKLO - As I already said once, a guilty pleasure for me. It's shortness is working to its favour. The whole last part of the album (Bangerang - Wicked Girls - Cupcake) is so much fun to listen to! I can't find something here I don't like, it just flows so well. Just leaning back and enjoying!

Overall a great project!
Outside is the better album of both, but take those three songs in the middle out and it's strong as well.
It's better than I thought it would be for sure. Expected it to content more songs like Stand by you or Your Love and Joyful from Trick.
Outside is a really trendy urban album in western terms (evolving around trap and funk elements) and pretty outstanding for the J-Pop mainstream market right now.
For me it feels like they really took their time to produce the songs this time. They all sound so - well, unexciting in a positive way, if you know what I mean. Less loud than the albums before?
They're almost all interesting to listen to. The focus on her voice works in most of the songs imo. She at least really tried to vary her use of it.
Bon Voyage keeps being the weakest album in recent years.
Really stoked for the upcoming Live Tour and so happy I can attend it!

Hello guys!!!!

When the tour goodies are used to be revealed??? 2 weeks before the tour start?

Let me ask you guys a question, does anyone have one of these performances in HD, or at least SD to share, trade or whatever you wanna call?

Ai no Uta [Music Station Super Live] 2007.12.21
Ai no Uta [Music Station] 2007.09.14
I'll be there [Music Station] 2006.07.17
Promise [Music Station] 2005.09.05
Someday [Music Station] 2006.02.24
WIND [Music Station] 2006.03.31

These are the only files that I'm missing and I used to have Someday in HD but I lost it.

Where are my babyz Like It, Fake Tongue, Bangerang and Piece In The Puzzle
Guess they agreed about them being perfect as they are

Shhh remix is sounding fire! and the WFACE one sounds fresh too

That yellow hoodie looks awesome tbqh :heart

I don't know what people mean with noise? It's upbeat music with electro touch - pretty much everything upbeat these days is like that. Other than that I think "noise" is something very old-fashioned to say - a term parents used to describe Rock in the 60s XD

^When I say noise I actually mean it's noise. xD Well the electro touch you mentioned is what bothers me. The songs sound as if she took every chliché electro sound that is popular right now and merged it with third class leftover demos Rihanna didn't want. WOML had exactly the same problem.
Don't get me wrong, I love electronic music, when done right. It's obvious that the demos she got weren't great songs in any way and that no one who actually knows what they are doing was arranging the tracks. Kuu took a song, had a specific sound she liked from western artists, and let someone put it over the track. The "electro touch" simply doesn't fit with the rest of the arrangements.
Kuu never was a great artist let alone a musician and she never will be. I'm not listening to her because she puts out music that will be worth remembering in 20 years. But she has an amazing timbre to her voice and is able (or was able) to put out great party anthems. Somehow with being in the industry for quite some time now she seems to think that she can do the work other people did on her songs on her own. Truth is she can't and that's why WOML and W FACE are as horrible as they are.

Literally everything you said was subjective, not a fact. You are not the authority of Good Music. I'm all for people having opinions and expressing them, but a board statement like, "Kuu will never be a great musician"? Are you kidding me? Maybe not to you, but her sold out tours (true fact) would suggest otherwise.

^Well, the fact that her tours are sold out means she a good performer, not neccessarily a good musician. I agree that some of what was said is subjetive, but there's no reason to get on the defensive.

I do think the quality of her demos decreased a lot since KINGDOM/TRICK. And when you say POP DIVA is better than MONEY IN MY BAG, is just because MIMB is really bad.

I'm glad she's making music she likes and some people enjoy it, but the songs are (probably) leftovers and rejected demos.

I think you went way too far with this statement. She IS a great artist and obviously a musician. Maybe you are not so into her and you're making a general assumption of your feelings right now, but time has proved that Kumi is capable of many things as an artist. Otherwise 50 000 people wouldn't be buying her stuff right now.

I don't get some people in forums, they seem not to like certain artists yet they still come to their threads and express all their hate. It's easy like this, stop listening to them. I was myself like this for a long time trying to like Namie's music and understand all the attention she was getting in Japan, but I couldn't so I gave up. (Even so I consider her a great artist till now)

Music is subjective and we dont need to be so harsh on artists when we DO know they put a lot of effort on their projects.

Lol, so much bashing.And here I am, jamming to outside like no tomorrow. It's all about tastes I guess. I think the fact that W FACE outsold WOML and that both albums charted #1 and #2 at some point pretty much proves how well liked they were :P . Koda's still got game and I'm lovin it.

@ Chibi-Chan ; Sorry Lina but I have to disagree with what you said on Kuu

Kuu worked very hard to get to where she's at now & I think what you said on her not being 'a great artist let alone a musician and she never will' is a really harsh remark

Granted that not everything in Kuu's music discography is 100% perfect but others will beg to differ that . Likewise 5-10 years down the road , Kuu will still be remembered be it music or non music wise

This year is Kuu's 17th year in the music business and she definitely is doing something right to sustain herself for so long . People still love & respect her

As for you saying that Kuu's music is nothing but mere 'noise' , I take that over other artistes' songs that basically is just them screaming non stop into the microphone that's accompanied by loud random melodies

That's just an assumption from your side, you don't know that. In fact, we do know some of the songs were written for her or even with her together ( e.g. Cupcake and My fun). So please stay to what we know.

People shouldn't forget she is a pop artist, on top of that she is Japanese - her sound is pretty much made up from those two things, but saying she is not "an artist" is far beyond ignorant. She composes, she envisions, she writes lyrics and build her image. If you like it or not, is a taste thing, but she is not there to cater anyone specific.
I for once don't like the artist "Hundertwasser" but I can't just say "he was no artist because his buildings looks like left-over color was put together" - he achieved a lot, and as people pointed out. so did Kumi and the image and performances are still part of the artistry of an pop artist, so even if people go there because of her performances, it makes her an artist (+ I doubt I would want to say someone whos music I dislike) .

I personally consider Kumi a great artist. She seems very involved in her work. And on live you can see how much she enjoys it, specially the ballads, and of course all the jazzy/rearranged versions of her songs. One just can't deny this woman loves what she does. And I respect her for that, even if l don't like/consider bad the final product.(just like her last 3 albums)
Ps. I'm curious what 50,000 people maze is talking about, because almost all the fans have bought both albums, and that makes about 20k people in the end:P

This. Also, those of us saying kuu isn't a "musician," vocal technique and execution is just as important and intricate as any other instrument. And Kuu's got pipes. I think it's important to respect any artist, especially if they're genuine individuals who are serious about their craft.