1/2 Kimi no tonari de Kimi no Tameni Nanikawo Shite ageta i 6.823 Jumping BoAs: (10) @evilsin ; (9.25) @RUNAWAY Still BoAs: (4.5) @Kaz D'Oerba ; (5) @lalaclairi_, @Monado, @Attis Crispy's Score: 6.5 Spoiler: Leaderboard History 5 voters: #64 (average: 6.5) 10 voters: #60 (average: 7.05) 15 voters: #68 (average: 6.73) 17 voters: #64 (average: 6.823) "キミのとなりで" is the 3rd track from OUTGROW, BoA's fourth Japanese album, released on February 15, 2006. It was written by Narumi Yamamoto, composed by Yoko Kuzuya and arranged by Ken Matsubara. Yes, again, this is one more ballad that gets shafted today. I do prefer this one over many of the earlier cuts because it reminds me of a few K-Pop ballads I was drawn to back when I got into the subgenre. The string section's omnipresence helps a lot as it gives it more drama and dynamism than you would often expect from a song in that soundscape. — @Kaz D'Oerba (4,5) — "It’s a J-Pop ballad alright" @nanapop99 (6) — "A cute lullaby-like ballad that drags on for a little bit too long. Beautiful strings though." @M24 (6.5) — "Beautiful ballad, nothing groundbreaking but it's quite an enjoyable listen." @evilsin (10) — "I always had a soft spot for this one. It's so gentle, so warm and so light. Almost perfect." — Time for the English album to lose a second song...
What the actual fuck, people‽ If I haven't been sick right now, I'd beat all your asses down over this.
My bad for the less frequent eliminations. I've been put on the same work schedule for a few weeks and it's been wrecking me fff. Either I pass out quickly after I'm back home, or I have too much stuff to do the next morning to make up for that, so the rate ends up being put on the side. Hoping that will change from next week onwards. 2/2 You don't own me, I'm not who you think I am You don't own me, your wish is not my command Oh oh oh oh You think you're in control 6.823 Jumping BoAs: (10) @evilsin, @Ana Raquel ; (9) @RUNAWAY, @soratami Still BoAs: (0) @Monado ; (4) @lalaclairi_ Crispy's Score: 6.5 Spoiler: Leaderboard History 5 voters: #56 (average: 6.9) 10 voters: #52 (average: 7.25) 15 voters: #64 (average: 6.83) 17 voters: #64 (average: 6.823) "Control" is the 2nd track from BoA (Deluxe), the deluxe edition of BoA's first English album, released on August 31, 2009. It was written by Brian Kennedy, Dwanna Orange, Julian Lowe and Isaiah Freeman, composed and arranged by Brian Kennedy. Much like the majority of the parent album, BoA stays in that icy autotuned electropop lane. The highlight is the bridge during which most of the instrumentation goes out, and BoA gets to shine for a moment, despite the restrained performance. If you deconstruct the song, I've often thought the piano melodies that pop up could make a solid baseline for a dreamy ballad, if slowed down. All in all, I like it when I put it on but I can't remember much about it afterwards. The definition of forgettable. A 0 though? — @M24 (7) — "Another strong bside! Why did they keep it for the deluxe I like that it is lyrically closer to her Girls on Top material. I stan female independence bops like this!" @Kaz D'Oerba (7.25) — "I actually love this song lyrically, which I usually don’t focus on too much in dance music. The piano at the end is also fantastic. Fits amazingly between Dress Off and Hypnotic Dancefloor, by the way" @nanapop99 (7.5) — "I have to stan this man-hating anthem! The lyrics are kind of clunky but you know what? The attitude. The sassiness. It's camp. She definitely put several men back in their place." @evilsin (10) — "That chorus melody is taking me place from which I don't want to return. And that robotic "control" over and over in the chorus and the middle 8 lighted up by the piano? Heaven. And I know this will exit way to soon, but I can't help but give this a full score." — Two cuts from the Extras section are next...
Still - I gave a 6! That sounds harsh, and I feel like it edges towards a 7 depending on the context. Relistening as I type this and I have always loved the verses, parts of the pre-chorus, but I think ultimately I don't love the chorus. Seeing that this was written by Satomi makes perfect sense though. The melody could easily fit on her album Diamondlily. I think ultimately Still feels like a Love & Honesty or Outgrow album track, that could fit right between Kokoro no Tegami and Easy to Be Hard. I think Still could have been a strong 8 if the chorus was shifted, or if the song skewed more towards soul, funk, or something just a bit....juicier. As opposed to standard plucky guitar and springtime j-pop synth. Kimi no tonari de - I gave a 9! I think the way BoA's voice naturally matured confused some of her fans. From Merikuri onwards we had a more stable but also more piercing head voice, that some fans would complain was a bit shrill. Her chest voice and overall range without her head voice, lowered in placement (but the range actually expanded because her low notes became much more supported). This is all to say that there was a shift happening in BoA's voice where fans would complain about her voice becoming more nasal, or that she couldn't sing anymore simply because she wasn;t singing the exact same way as previously. And I think Kimi no Tonari de is really the foundation and a perfect example of where all the sweet spots of BoA's voice is. Alot of the songs on Outgrow feel like the beginning of a new chapter for BoA, because it marks the first Japanese studio album where she has grown into her voice. Anyway I am typing too much but I love this song as a vocal showcase for the BoA of that time, and it has the perfect amount of strings, swelling, calm, and dynamism without going overboard. Control - I gave a 4.75! And I think icy autotuned electropop is just my least favorite sound on BoA. She does that sound well in later K-pop releases, but for the US album it's just hard for me to connect and get through the songs. It's a redebut of sorts, but unfortunately the quality control ricochets back to ID Peace B 2000 quality. The production is messy and bad pastiche of what was already happening, to the point that it edges towards parodies and Nadia Oh music. BoA can do restrained, laidback, somewhat monotonous so well (Maybe Maybe Not, Someday OneDay, Cut Me Off, etc) but every example I can think of has some dynamic things occurring within those restraints. Whereas Control is just flat.
I think it's a bad thing for a full length album from an artist like BoA who has a particular skillset and career precedence. It works PERFECTLY for Nadia Oh. Nadia Oh is like....is this a joke? Are we a joke??? Are we in on the joke???? Either way this has taken over my brain and you have done enough "musical world building" that the formula works---I accept!! Whereas for BoA to go from doing the most with her adlibs and runs, and to be such a student of her voice, the English debut album just seriously suppresses what she was capable of. I always think back to her 2004 cover of Mariah's One Sweet Day. Obviously it's not perfect, but it's beautiful to see her be able to even keep up with Mariah songs, show some of what her voice is capable of, and for her to be emotive even if she wasn't as fluent as her Korean or Japanese. It's very impressive (considering where her baby ID Peace B vocals started), and I wish we got more of the fullness of what BoA could do on her US debut.
Are y'all trying to kill me or something? Do you have a vendetta against me? One of the best songs on the English album going so soon is a travesty, plain and simple.
I'm sorry but I can't find a single redeeming aspect in this. The production is as cheap as it gets, the vocals that I think are BoA sound like they were recorded through Skype, the song adds nothing to an already very similar sounding album. Bin it!
Hontou ni taisetsu na mono ga mitsukaru to tsuyoku Nareru Sorega anata nano HEY BOY Do you know love ? Mochi shitteiru koregasou 6.838 Jumping BoAs: (10) @RUNAWAY ; (8) @odyism, @evilsin, @soratami Still BoAs: (3) @nanapop99 ; (4) @clowezra Crispy's Score: 7.5 Spoiler: Leaderboard History 5 voters: #56 (average: 6.9) 10 voters: #59 (average: 7.1) 15 voters: #65 (average: 6.766) 17 voters: #63 (average: 6.838) "Hey Boy, Hey Girl" is a song by Japanese rapper SEAMO featuring BoA from his 3rd album Round About, released on October 31st, 2007. It was written by SEAMO, composed by SEAMO and Izutsu "Growth" Shintaro and arranged by Izutsu "Growth" Shintaro. So this is one of the songs where BoA appears as a feature and I can understand why this one didn't do well... the main artist raps all over it, and you know it constitutes a death sentence on this pink hellhole! But it doesn't bother me at all. Au contraire, the vibe here is more electro centric than you'd expect, which makes SEAMO's presence stand out and pop off quite a bit more. I get early Passion Pit vibes from the bright and glitchy production, which sparks some nostalgia in my brain, and BoA's hook is so affirming and singalongy. Does it belong the upper tier of her discography? I don't think so, but it's a hidden gem of a bop anyway. — @nanapop99 (3) — "Did not like the rap parts, did not like BoA's chorus and did not like the instrumental either." @M24 (7) — "Why was this left off The Face? It's a lot better than half the songs that made that album!" —
As with a lot of features I could use more BoA on this, but SEAMO is actually pretty great, so I'm okay with him. The chorus is undeniable though.
I'm not sad to see this go early since it's a BoA feature, but it is definitely a gem from this part of the discography. The chorus as evilsin and Crisp mention is such an earworm. I find myself singing the chorus with such ease, despite the language barrier, and despite not replaying this song nearly as much as my usual BoA favorites. The song balances the bright and cheerful energy so beautifully without being overally sacchrine. I also think Seamo as a rapper is a good match with Boa in terms of their flow, cadence, and tone. I think the bridge at 2:27 with both of them singing and the production shift is super fun, and then I love how the production becomes stripped for a moment before blasting off again. In terms of hip-hop collaborations, I wouldn't put this at the same tier as The Love Bug but I enjoy it more than a song like Holiday. And not to sound like a broken record, but I think BoA's musical foundation is deeply influenced by r&b, hip-hop, and pop music that draws from those genres. And so I find that any song that has even a sprinkle of that sound really blasts off into a higher tier and natural fit for BoA's sound. I love when we get to hear the unique blending that can come from a rapper and singer like Seamo and BoA. Something intriguing about BoA's career is how she juggled different languages and markets (Korea, Japan, the US, China, the rest of asia, etc). And because of this dynamic the avex treatment (constant videos, cover albums, Holiday collections, special albums, collaboration albums) happened less often despite her being one of the big sellers. All of this is to say that BoA has a certain level of consistency, where I would love to hear even more collaborations. Or to have special albums that collect alot of these extras, because funnily enough the extras from this section of the rate are some of my top favorties.
Everybody say gurojima jinagal puniltende Sangchoman ango sarawagie Amurohjido anha gujo mallaboriji anhdorog Nunmurun chamaboryo he (Sometimes people say) 6.867 Jumping BoAs: (9) @Slice of Life ; (8.5) @RUNAWAY, @odyism Still BoAs: (3) @nanapop99 ; (4.5) @M24 Crispy's Score: 6 Spoiler: Leaderboard History 5 voters: #74 (average: 6.2) 10 voters: #66 (average: 6.8) 15 voters: #61 (average: 6.933) 17 voters: #62 (average: 6.867) "슬픔은 넘쳐도 (People Say…)" is a B-side to the single EVERLASTING, released on January 18, 2006. It was written, composed and arranged by Kenzie. A deep cut is leaving tonight, and that's one I hadn't heard until this rate. The highlight is definitely BoA here, as she's delivering hooks left and right. Other than that, something about the instrumentation gives me theme song vibes. It's the way the beat has that bounce about it, even though it's not the most dynamic track structure wise. Once the first minute has passed, you've heard pretty much everything the song has to offer, so its departure doesn't elicit any emotions from me. — @nanapop99 (3) — "Pretty forgettable. Sounds like a filler track on Girls' Generation's first album." @RUNAWAY (8.5) — "So good!!! But it still shocks me that this was her last full Korean release until Hurricane Venus…..she literally released just OSTs, SMTown stuff, and a Korean version of Key of Heart in 2007 and then NOTHING for 3 years. It’s still so shocking in the history of BoA." —
Maeumi malhaeyo tteonagarago Nae du nuneun jjoccayo geudae moseupman 7 Jumping BoAs: (10) @RUNAWAY ; (9) @Slice of Life Still BoAs: (5) @Kaz D'Oerba, @Attis ; (5.5) @M24 Crispy's Score: 7.5 Spoiler: Leaderboard History 5 voters: #44 (average: 7.45) 10 voters: #63 (average: 6.925) 15 voters: #60 (average: 7.016) 20 voters: #61 (average: 7) "Can't Let Go" is the 10th track from Girls On Top, BoA's fifth Korean album, released on June 24, 2005. It was written by Kenzie, composed by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein, and Pamela Sheyne and arranged by Kenzie. And just like that, we've finally passed the 7 average mark! This time, we're dealing with a traditional R&B album track that I find particularly gorgeous. It sounds so comforting to me. On par with the course when she tackles that genre, she uses the opportunity to flex her vocal prowess, more evidently on the bridge and through recurring adlibs. Now that it's starting to get dark early and surprisingly really cold, I'm going to put this on rotation! — @Kaz D'Oerba (5) — "got nothing on Mariah’s song of the same name" @evilsin (6) — "Why does this sound so... sterile? It's not bad per se, buy it's kinda flavorless." @nanapop99 (6,75) — "A cute R&B slow jam. She was really pouring her heart and soul in the recording sessions. I love how you can hear this feeling of despair in her voice. It really fits the song title." @RUNAWAY (10) — "this tender R&B ballad has always had a special place in my heart. Her vocal performance here is just stunning, and the whole structure of the chorus is so interesting to me. Oof all this time I didn’t know this is a cover of this song: " Oh I had no idea either. Who is she by the way, because this seems to be quite an obscure song to cover! — The next cut has a featuring artist...
