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What do you get if you take an upcoming young Japanese violinist and an ex-Sweetbox singer? Well this apparently. For Jade fans this is another name for them to look for her under and it may well be the first time that they have heard the name Emiri Miyamoto too (who, in her own right is a great violinist)
The album opens with the first single Don’t Leave Me This Way –Energy Flow- which is a great opening for the album and showcases what Jade, Emiri and Geo have planned for the album…sort of. Merry Christmas Mr Lawerance –Rocket Girl- (which if you haven’t guessed from the title, features the well known song by pianist Ryuchi Sakamoto, who also wrote Energy Flow of which the first song is based). The chorus reminds you of Elton John’s Yellow Brick Road whilst the verse leave much to be desired singing wise.
No More Songs is a nice upbeat song that, once we get rid of digitalisation in the voice of the first verse is alright, only for it to turn up in the bridge again. It Won’t Matter -Kaze No Toorimichi- is a downbeat song sampling a song from the Studio Ghibili film My Neighbour Totoro (となりのトトロ, Tonari no Totoro). Electric -Jonetsu Tairiku- is just…well it’s hard to describe it. One thing is that it is the completely wrong style for Jade’s voice. We Fall is the next track and is along the same lines as Merry Christmas Mr Lawerance –Rocket Girl-.
Remember September is one of those lovely little ballads that Jade and Geo are great at composing. Sadly the chorus sounds as if there’s a record jumping with the repetition of “raining was falling”. Apart from that it has a nice little old country feeling to it. Crashing Down -Mononoke Hime- is a fast paced song but again, in a style that doesn’t suit Jade’s voice. It also sample the theme from Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫, Mononoke-hime).
System Down is another little ballad which is the start of the end of the album. And finally is another little ballad called I’m There which could also have been titled I’ll Be There* Part 2.
Overall, this album doesn’t truly deliver. For it being a collaboration album with someone who is equally a great artist, it doesn’t feel like it. Emiri’s violin only really shines in endings, some bridges and ends, but is usually drowned out by the vocals. The singing styles don’t always suit and make it sound as if they are trying to diversify too much. Sadly more was expected of this album but it hasn’t lived up to expectations
*I’ll Be There featured on the Sweetbox album Adagio
Rating: 3/5
1. Don’t Leave Me This Way -Energy Flow-
2. Merry Christmas Mr.Lawrence –Rocket Girl-
3. No More Songs
4. It Won’t Matter -Kaze No Toorimichi-
5. Electric -Jonetsu Tairiku-
6. We Fall
7. Remember September
8. Killa -Sonata In Winter Saisho Kara Imamade-
9. Crashing Down -Mononoke Hime-
10.Take The Night Off
11. System Down
12. I’m There
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