[Kacku]

The tribute album is out! And it's #4 in the Oricon charts on the first day, nice! #3 sold 10 141 copies, so this album is probably not far behind.

Anyway, thoughts about all the new covers??

Spoiler:

DEPARTURES: The full version made me discover that HYDE is not my favourite vocalist, he comes close to being annoying at times... but it's a good cover, I like it!

FACES PLACES: This is so great! I love the new arrangement, and Kaela sells the emotion of the song though she doesn't dare go as loud as Keiko. I'll be replaying this a lot.

Joy to the love: Still godawful. I'm disappointed, AAA can do TK songs way better than this. :|

Many Classic Moments: Still weaker than the original, still good and enjoyable. I've seen many people rejoice at MARC's rap being cut, but I always thought Many Classic Moments utilised him perfectly and really enjoyed his rap, it really contributed to the song's mood. That was the long-winded way of saying that the original rap bridge was way better than this random EDM mess. It's pretty lame and basic. But Ayu gave me what I wanted in the final bridge: she went all out and sold it!!

Precious Memories: I get the urge to make a detailed arrangement for a song as slow as this one, but it might not have been the best choice here (is it ever?). Miu Sakamoto's voice is BEAUTIFUL and so great for this song, but the arrangement is so busy it almost distracts you from her singing. But I still like this version, the arrangement is interesting if nothing else, and did I mention that Miu Sakamoto's voice is BEAUTIFUL?

FACE: I don't really care for their dentist-rap sections, but FACE is flawless and this version samples it heavily, so that's good?

Can't Stop Fallin' in Love: I think this might be my favourite song from this album, I've been torturing my sick throat all day trying to sing along whenever I can. Perfect track for Mirei Touyama's voice, and she makes it her own. The pre-chorus with its harmonies is one of the sweetest things to come out of J-pop in 2015, and I get a rush every time I hear the chorus kick in. So good. The end is a bit embarrassing, but I can get over it.

FREEDOM: It's... ok? I have a hard time remembering this one after it's over.

Wanderin' Destiny: Kumi is definitely not one of my favourite vocalists, but she does good here, and the arrangement is AMAZING. CHILLS. And I still love that she does MARC's rap as well. Another great one!

Love again: This is quite cool! Not as cool as the original, but still a good one.

Anytime smokin' cigarette: Sooooo good. Perfect arrangement and great performance by hitomi. Just yeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssss so much.

SWEET PAIN: This is almost Joy to the love level of terrible. The pounding synth sounds like headache.

wanna Be A Dreammaker: Great! Epic! Yeeeeessss!

Sa Yo Na Ra: Meeehh. I'm sure my bias against everything about the -48 groups is affecting my opinion, but Ayaka Umeda doesn't seem to be anything special as far as singing goes. This song is ok, just a little boring.