2006 Mid-Year Music Picks
 

So now that it's almost June, well close to the middle of the year, I thought it would be interesting to see what everyone's favorite singles and albums of this year are.

Try and choose only discs that have come out this year. Also you don't have to limit it to Asian music, anything is fine.

Here are my picks:

Singles:
01. mink - 4 Love
02. Utada Hikaru - Keep Tryin'
03. Hamasaki Ayumi - Startin'/Born To Be
04. Namie Amuro - CAN'T SLEEP, CAN'T EAT, I'M SICK/Ningyo
05. Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean - Hips Don't Lie
06. Crystal Kay - Kirakuni/Together
07. Hirahara Ayaka - Chikai
08. YUI - Good-bye days
09. Miliyah Kato - Sotsugyou
10. ayaka - I believe

Albums:
01. Hamasaki Ayumi - (miss)understood
02. Jewel - Goodbye Alice In Wonderland
03. YUI - from me to you
04. K - Beyond The Sea
05. LISA - GOD SISTA

I haven't heard very much in terms of new 2006 music this year, but overall I have been pretty disappointed compared to 2005. Hopefully this'll change as the year comes to a close. But there are a lot of albums I still need to buy and listen to.

I can't make a list from 1 - 10 so I'll just name my favourites:

Def.Diva - Let's go rakuten eagles

Ayumi Hamasaki - teens

ayaka - I believe

rina aiuchi - gloriuos (I came to like this song a lot)

mai - eyes

Hitomi Shimatani - cammelia

Aya Ueto - yume no chikara

Other than that I've rediscovered some old songs.

singles:
Rip Slyme: Hot Chocolate
Rip Slyme: Hey brother
Amuro Namie: CAN'T SLEEP, CAN'T EAT, I'M SICK/Ningyo
Angela aki: Kiss me good-bye
Suzuki Ami: Fantastic
Utada Hikaru : Keep tryin
HALCALI:Twinkle star
Koda kumi - Someday

Albums:
Ayumi hamasaki : (miss)understood
LISA - GOD SISTA
Koda kumi - Best second session -

i havent really listen good albums this year. prolly bc most of them were released at the end of 2005.. i'm looking foward to new albums

Singles:
hitomi - "GO MY WAY" :luv2
RYTHEM - "Kokoro Biidama"
Koda Kumi - "Koi no Tsubomi"
HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR - "Ichirin no Hana"
Namie Amuro - "CAN'T SLEEP, CAN'T EAT, I'M SICK/Ningyo"
BoA - "Nanairo no Ashita ~brand new beat~/Your Color"

Albums:
HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR - "Gou on PROGRESSIVE" :luv2
Koda Kumi - "Best ~second session~"


Ayu's single and album hasn't good enough to be list it. I hope her nest single is "WOW!".

Singles -
Hitomi Shimantani - Cammelia
misono - VS
Ayu - Startin'
hitomi - GO MY WAY
HINOI TEAM with KORIKKI - STICKY TRICKY AND BANG
Nanase Hoshii - nana navigation

Albums -
Ayu - (miss)understood
Koda Kumi - BEST ~second session~
HINOI TEAM - SUPER EURO PARTY

Singles (no order):
ayaka - "I believe"
BoA - "Everlasting"
Koda Kumi - "WIND"
BoA - "Nanairo no Ashita ~brand new beat~/Your Color"
Yuna Ito - "Precious"
Koda Kumi - "Koi no Tsubomi"


Albums (no order)
Joey Yung - "Ten Most Wanted"
Eason Chan - "Life Continues"
Ayumi Hamasaki - "(miss) understood"
Koda Kumi - "BEST ~second session~"

albums:

1) Tokyo Jihen - Adult
2) Ayaka Hirahara - 4tsu no L
3) Ayu - (miss) understood
4) Kaela Kimura - Circle

singles:

1) Bonnie Pink - LOVE IS BUBBLE
2) Utada Hikaru - Keep Tryin'
3) hitomi - GO MY WAY
4) Ami Suzuki - Alright!

No order.

Singles:
Morning Musume - SEXY BOY ~soyokaze ni yorisotte~
Ai Otsuka - Frienger
BONNIE PINK - LOVE IS BUBBLE
Every Little Thing - azure moon
Berryz Koubou - Jiriri Kiteru
BoA - Everlasting
BoA - 7iro no ashita ~brand new beat~/Your Color
hitomi - GO MY WAY
Hikaru Utada - Keep Tryin'
NEWS - Sayaendou/Hadashi no CINDERELLA BOY
Namie Amuro - CAN'T SLEEP, CAN'T EAT, I'M SICK/Ningyo
AI - Believe
Yuna Ito - Precious
Yuna Ito - Faith/Pureyes
ayaka - I believe
ayaka - melody~SOUNDS REAL

Albums:
Tokyo Jihen - Otona (Adult)
BoA - OUTGROW
YUI - FROM ME TO YOU
Kumi Koda - BEST ~second session~
Morning Musume - RAINBOW 7
Kaela Kimura - Circle

Albums released in the 1st half of 2005 weren't that great but the singles were AMAZING. The artists who impressed me the most this year so far are YUI, BoA and Yuna Ito.

I'll give it a try:

SINGLES:

01. Namie Amuro- CAN'T SLEEP, CAN'T EAT, I'M SICK/Ningyo :luv2
02. Ayumi Hamasaki- Startin'/Born to be...
03. BoA- Nanairo no Ashita ~brand new beat~/Your Color
04. mink- 4Love
05. Shakira & Wyclef Jean- Hips Don't Lie :luv2
06. Madonna- Sorry (I like 'Hung Up' better, but that was released in 2005)
07. Kelly Clarkson- Walk Away
08. Koda Kumi- D.D.D. :luv2
09. Yuna Ito- Precious :luv2
10. Utada Hikaru- Keep Tryin'

ALBUMS

01. Koda Kumi- Best ~second sessions~
02. Ayumi Hamasaki- (miss)understood :luv2
03. The Veronicas- The Secret Life Of...
04. BoA- OUTGROW

Albums:

1. Josephine Foster - A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing
2. Love Is All - Nine Times That Same Song
3. Mono - You Are There
4. Islands - Return to Sea
5. Feathers - Feathers
6. Parts & Labor - Stay Afraid
7. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
8. Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice - Gypsy Freedom

But I still have to hear a lot (the new Six Organs of Admittance, the new Vetiver), and I'm still waiting for a lot to come out.

Singles:
1. Yuna Ito - "Precious"
2. misono - "VS"
3. ayaka - "I believe"
4. Nami Tamaki - "Result"
5. Hikaru Utada - "Keep Tryin'"
6. Ami Suzuki - "Fantastic"
7. Rina Aiuchi - "GLORIOUS/PRECIOUS PLACE"
8. Morning Musume - "SEXY BOY~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~"
9. Namie Amuro - "CAN'T SLEEP, CAN'T EAT, I'M SICK/人魚"
10. Hitomi Shimatani - "Harumachibito / Camellia"

Albums:
1. Koda Kumi - "BEST~second session~"
2. Ayumi Hamasaki - "(miss) understood"
3. BoA - "OUTGROW"

not in any order :

Singles :

Tenjochiki - all three '06 japanese singles ( Boomerang , The Club , Sweet Flower)
hitomi - GO MY WAY
Shunsuke Kiyokiba - Nigen Jarouga!
mink - 4love
Anna Tsuchiya - SLAP THAT NAUGHTY BODY

Albums :
LISA - GOD SISTA
MAX - Jewel of Jewels
Crystal Kay - Call Me Miss...
EXILE - ASIA
Ayu - (miss)understood
hiro - Singles Collection + Remix collection
Koda Kumi - BEST ~2nd session~
Hyo-Ri Lee - vol.2 Dark Angel
Anna Tsuchiya - Taste my xxxremixxxx!!!!! Beat Life!
YOSHIKA - timeless

these aren't the only releases of '06 I've liked , I listed only the ones I liked the best ....

as for western music , I have yet to hear a album I like. I like few US/EU '06 songs here & there but not any full album so far ...

My picks:

[singles]
- ayumi hamasaki "Startin' / Born To Be..."
- Morning Musume. "SEXY BOY ~Soyokaze ni yorisotte~"
- Angela Aki "Kiss Me Good-Bye"
- Nami Tamaki "MY WAY / Sunrize" (mainly because it included a new version of Prayer)
- Mika Nakashima "CRY NO MORE"
- Crystal Kay "Kirakuni / Together"
- Ami Suzuki "Fantastic"
- Nana Kitade "SLAVE of KISS"
- Yuna Ito "Precious"
- misono "VS"
- Ai Otsuka "FRIENGER"

[albums]
- Morning Musume. "RAINBOW 7"
- ayumi hamasaki "(miss)understood"
- Crystal Kay "Call Me Miss..."
- Tomiko Van "FAREWELL"
- Kumi Koda "BEST ~second session~"
- WaT "Sotsugou TIME ~Bokura no Hajimari~"
- p!nk "I'm Not Dead"
- sweetbox "Addicted"

Singles:

Utada Hikaru - Keep Tryin'
Otsuka Ai - Frienger (I'm partial to her as you might already be able to see)
miyavi - Senor Senora Senorita
mink - 4 Love
ayumi hamasaki - Startin'/Born to Be...(was so-so until teens saved it for me)
Koda Kumi - KAMEN feat. Tatsuya Ishii

Albums
ayumi hamasaki - (miss)understood
Tokyo Jihen - Adult
Utada Hikaru - ULTRA BLUE (It'll be released in June right? So I guess it's still eligible for a mid-year pick...)

Singles
- Every Little Thing - azure moon
- Mika Nakashima - CRY NO MORE/BLACK & BLUE (Mainly for BLACK & BLUE)
- Hitomi Yaida - Go My Way
- BONNIE PINK - LOVE IS BUBBLE
- Rie Fu - Long Long Way (On 'Tiny Little Melody')
- PUFFY - Moguralike
- Angela Aki - This Love

Albums
- Kaela Kimura - Circle
- Tokyo Jihen - Otona
- Takako Matsu - Bokura ga ita
- Rie fu - ROSE ALBUM
- Tomiko Van - FAREWELL
- LOVE PSYCHEDELICO - LIVE PSYCHEDELICO
- CORE OF SOUL - ONE LOVE, ONE DAY, ONE LIFE!

I think there's been alot of strong Japanese single songs so far this year.

Singles

Atari Kousuke - Sore Zore ni
Utada Hikaru - Keep Tryin'
Hitomi Yaida - Go My Way
Bonnie Pink - Love is Bubble
Hajime Chitose - Haru no Katami
HALCALI - Twinkle Star

Albums

CORE OF SOUL - THE BEST
YUI - From Me to You
Kaela Kimura - Circle
Koda Kumi - Best~second session~
Hajime Chitose - Hanadairo

I really want to put Hajime Chitose's Hanadairo, or Ao no Requiem, or even Atari Kousuke's Sore Zore ni in there...but I haven't actually recieved my copies yet! >.<

EDIT: Scratch that. I have them! They are fantastic! Both of them!
*in love*

From what I can remember at the moment..

Singles:
1. HALCALI - Twinkle Star
2. mink - 4Love
3. Amuro Namie - CECSIS/Ningyo
4. misono - VS
5. Ayumi Hamasaki - Startin'/Born to be...

Albums:
1. Ayumi Hamasaki - (miss) understood
2. HYDE - Faith

I'm hoping the later part of 2006 will have more promising releases..

Singles:
01 Hamasaki Ayumi - Startin'/Born To Be...
02 Ito Yuna - Precious
03 Amuro Namie - CAN'T SLEEP, CAN'T EAT, I'M SICK
04 Nakashima Mika - ALL HANDS TOGETHER
05 Nakashima Mika - CRY NO MORE
06 Ito Yuna - Faith
07 Utada Hikaru - Keep Tryin'
08 BoA - Nanairo no Ashita/Your Color
09 Kelly Clarkson - Walk Away
10 Koda Kumi - D.D.D. feat. SOULHEAD

Albums:
01 Hamasaki Ayumi - (miss)understood
02 BoA - OUTGROW
03 Tomiko Van - FAREWELL
04 Crystal Kay - Call Me Miss...