The Koda Kumi Rate: PART IV. All things come to an end, WINNER announced

Which short track / interlude if your favorite / deserves a full version?

  • Introduction ~WALK OF MY LIFE~

    Votes: 6 75.0%

  • Interlude ~Dance~

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Introduction ~My music is designed from my DNA~

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • Total voters
    8
evilsin

evilsin

Yeziirl said:
Am I insane for updating this thread every hour?
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Hun, elimination post goes up once a day around 10PM Moscow time. Relax.
Weslicious said:
Gimme U needs to be sent on a long walk in the park ASAP.
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That's a definite no from me. Leave my baby alone.
mi|kshake said:
Not gonna lie I can barely remember how any of these elimated songs go...
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Listen again. Preferably several times.
Sprockrooster said:
Due to the lack of real painful cuts I am just here to express my love for this GIF artworks again. I am in awe every time.
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Thanks, hun. I really appreciate it.
berserkboi said:
way!
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Love this for you, keep me posted about the discoveries, please.
 
evilsin

evilsin

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68a
Soba ni Ite

Average: 7,11
Highest scorers: 10x2 (@V3RYP05H, @Sprockrooster), 9x1 (@Music Is Life)
Lowest scorers: 4,5x1 (@Ana Raquel), 5x1 (@Yeziirl, @mi|kshake)
My score: 8​

Here's another tie! And another extra! And a cover at that! And a... ballad. It's another ballad, dang it. Produced by Alan Menken, Robbie Buchanan and Stephen Schwartz and written by the latter, the track was originally performed by Jon McLaughlin for the Disney movie "Enchanted". Kumi's version was released in 2017 on a tribute album titled "Thank you Disney" produced by avex trax featuring cover versions of Disney songs sung by the avex trax artists.

This makes, what, a third Disney song Kumi has covered? At least she didn't butcher this one as she did the other two, right? You know what it is? Growth. This is nice if only just for Kumi's performance. Whoever was on vocal production didn't let her stray away with the pronounciation and made her sound wonderful although some notes in the verses make her sound tipsy, dddd. The song itself is alright, and I've never heard the original, so... I have to say though, that those slapping sounds in the last chorus are so weird. They sound like someone is being spanked, dddd.

Only two of you had something to say about this Disney ditty performed by the songstress Koda Kumi.

At this point we might just be twinning, @otenkiame (7), don't you think? "I'll be honest and say I've never heard the original before. What Disney movie is it from? Anyway, Kuu does a great job with it. Her English is probably the best I've heard on any of her full English songs, and her vocals are great too. I won't be going outta my way to listen to it again, though." Same.

And @Cutlery (7,5) still horrifyingly, no doubt remembers the other Disney songs Kuu had touched in the past, "I had to look it up to know it's from Enchanted. It's a pretty nice thing albeit a little been there, done that as far as ballads go. But she sounds good. We can all agree this is a massive step up from the last time she covered something Disney, right?"​

For better or worse this one will probably remain to be never performed live.​
 
evilsin

evilsin

Sprockrooster said:
Christ. This balladhate has no chill.
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Cutlery said:
This extreme ballad cull

tenor.gif
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I've been telling this for how many eliminations now? Still, would the second song in the tie be another ballad or... tune in this evening Moscow time to find out.
Weslicious said:
I come here for enjoyment, not shade towards 'Its A Small Bop'.

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Although both previous Disney songs being first out in their respective rates is a lol. I wonder if it helps that none of us seemingly had a clue about this one's original version.
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Wait, you liked that one? I think I didn't particularly hate it either. Lovely gif usage though.

And as for "So Close", guess the movie wasn't as gripping... or the song that memorable in its original form.
 
evilsin

evilsin

PlWsIGo.gif

68b
again

Average: 7,11
Highest scorers: 10x2 (@Sprockrooster, @RUNAWAY), 9,5x1 (@Music Is Life)
Lowest scorers: 5x2 (@Cutlery and @me!), 6x3 (@otenkiame, @Ana Raquel, @V3RYP05H)
My score: looke above

Not to take away from @RUNAWAY's post earlier, but...
​


And the second song in the tie is another ballad. The only one on Kumi's latest album "re(CORD)" that is. Produced by 2SB (the only other credit is "Put Your Hands Up!!!" so I assume this could be a pen name for Kumi and Hi-yunk's little secret producing project or something) and written by Kumi, the track was released as the final digital single before the release of the album. It was supposed to represent the everpresence of ballads in Kumi's discography with the music video having her recreating the looks from the music videos for "you" and "Ai no Uta". It's eery how she looks exactly the same, Jesus. Speaking of representing something of Kumi's, looks like it was the whole premise of "re(CORD)". Not sure she succeeded in that regard.

I actually almost hate it, dddd. She sound so weird on this, kinda all wobbly and trembly. I got used to it after a couple of listens, but still was she sick or something? Couldn't they make another take another day? The melodies are all so dull and unimaginative as well... Like what am I supposed to like here exactly? I'm questioning your 10s for this, really. I'm also pissed that this managed to get higher than some other ballads that deserve to still be in.

It's about lost love or whatever.​

Whenever I promise over and over that I'll live on
alone, tears spill over
and even if I want to forget, I can't forget
all of you
(c) @otenkiame

I can't forget how I don't like this either.

My fellow lowest scorer @Cutlery (5) made a comparison, "Bye this is cut from the same discolored cloth as your standard LOVE again ballad. Fitting their titles are the same." Em, excuse me, ma'am, the only songs worse than this on "LOVE again" are "SAKURA" and "Song 4 u" and the latter can even bop, if I'm in right mood.

@otenkiame (6), stop-making-me-feel-so-connected-to-you-on-the-basis-of-our-feelings-towards-Kumi's-music-challenge, do that challenge don't though, dddd, "I...don't care for this. Like, it's not bad, but it's just so been-there-done-that for me. While the change in her vocal tone is apparent in her upbeat tracks, it becomes sadly more evident in ballads. I don't mean to be harsh, but this track makes me sad that her vocals were damaged. I know it can't be helped, but still... :(" Love that shared dislike of this for us.

You'd imagine @Yeziirl (7,5) would bomb this with a comment like that, "It has its good moments, but no way I am sitting through 5 minutes of that." But apparently Part IV is his favorite in Kumi's discography, so he had to amp up the scores to show it, huh?​

I wonder why this wasn't performed during the "re(LIVE)" tour, since Kuu's newer ballads always had a spot in the setlists of their respective tours. Maybe she knows she won't sound good singing it live, dddd. Apparently there was a performance of this during a special event that was held in order to commemorate the transition from 19th anniversary to the 20th and it was even put on a DVD for the fanclub edition of "re(LIVE)" tour, but I can't find any footage to prove it. Still there is this short TV performance that I didn't know existed. She sounds fine.
​
 
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evilsin

evilsin

Sprockrooster said:
I...
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Apols.
otenkiame said:
I'm...not even sure what to think? There were clearly far superior ballads that fell out before "again".

But we've been in the 7 average for a while. I'm honestly surprised because so many people shit on her later output.
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Same on both accounts. The finalafinal were very surprising, I thought that they would be a lot lower.
Yeziirl said:
I forgot to add I gave it 7.5 because I liked how she looked in that trench coat. Also, wow, @evilsin giving a 5? Shocked!
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Giving a higher score because of looks? Story checks out. And you weren't as shocked as I was seeing all these lovely ballads going out to the pasture holding hands.
mi|kshake said:
I'm surprised at the average at this stage too! I actually find Again alright. Better than a lot of ballads this era.
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The averages are indeed lovely, yes. "again"... not so much.

Later tonight another song falls, but will it still be a ballad?
 
evilsin

evilsin

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67
TURN AROUND

Average: 7,17
Highest scorers: 10x2 (@Music Is Life, @RUNAWAY), 9x1 (@me!)
Lowest scorers: 5x1 (@cookiedough), 6x3 (@Sprockrooster, @Cutlery, @Yeziirl)
My score: lookie above​

Another extra goes! Oh, and another mid-tempo some of you would consider a ballad, just because it's slower. Produced by Shimada Atsushi (TWICE's "Fanfare") and a Slovene married couple consisting of Raay and Marjetka Vovk (both were involved in Eurovision) and written by them and Kumi, the track is a b-side to single "HOTEL".

The fuck y'all doing with your scores‽ This is almost perfection! Kuu sounds divine here and the different layering of her vocals bring out so much out of the track. The production is lush and the melodies are the loveliest. It creates this late night summer feeling, that emotion of longing and wishing to be closer to a person you like. I think I never used this word in any of Kumi's eliminations, but this is downright romantic. I want to sway to this in someone's arms any volunteers? This is also better than both "HOTEL" and "MONEY IN MY BAG". There, I said it.

Even though I get a romantic vibe from this, it's about a break-up after a summer fling or maybe some unrequited love even. The official description really got me - "a slow song that Koda sings sorrowfully about flashbacks of memories evoked by the fragrance of the summer". Queen.​

You don't notice it, do you? Your charm
I saw through it even from behind
I really loved
your casual expressions, your unexpected actions
Even if you weren't there for me
(c) @otenkiame

Were you there for me?

@Cutlery (6) most certainly weren't, "This screams “ballad as track #8 in 1999 female debut album”" Shoo, shoo, bad eating utensils.

The track didn't grip @otenkiame (7) as strongly, "A cute R&B track with a simple but effective message to it. It's pretty old-school sounding, so it brings back memories of Kuu's earlier days to me. I don't have much to say about it, though. It's not stellar, but a nice little song." Perhaps if you listened to it a couple more times... Just saying.

Oh, and it's @RUNAWAY's (10) birthday today! Otanjoubi omedetou♥ "this song should’ve made the tracklist over MONEY IN MY BAG, but I understand why it didn’t. There aren’t really any ballads or mid-tempos on the album, so it made more sense to put the former on the album. I love her vocals here though, and this is one of my fave b-sides of hers." Sorry you have to lose a 10 on your B'Day, but knowing your scores it could have been any other day, really.​

As you imagine, this wasn't performed live, which is criminal, I know. Still it looks like it was performed in 2016 when the fanclub members had an opportunity to go to Hawaii with Kumi for a very private and very special event.
I'm so jelly.​
 
evilsin

evilsin

PmIlwab.gif

No one bothered to scan the booklet for "re(CORD)" so I had to use her selfies for the artwork of this album, dddd.
I also just realized that the look from this one was used in "puff" music video, double dddd.
66
Merry Go Round

Average: 7,25
Highest scorers: 10x2 (@otenkiame, @RUNAWAY), 9,5x1 (@Music Is Life)
Lowest scorers: 3x1 (@Yeziirl), 5x1 (@cookiedough)
My score: 8​

So finally after 14!!! tracks we have our first non-ballad-like song go out. Produced by Henrik Nordenback, Christian Fast (both made "IS THIS TRAP?") and Julimar Santos (AFTERSCHOOL's "In The Moonlight") and written by them and Kumi, the track was one of the album tracks on "re(CORD)".

Oh, come on! This is a nice inoffensive laid back track, there are far worse songs still in that could have gone before this. The island-tinged soundscape with reggae influences is great and not so well-trodden in regards of Kumi's discography, the melodies are catchy and she sounds great. It does share a bit of musical similarity with both "TURN AROUND" and "NO ONE ELSE BUT YOU" mainly being not that in-your-face as some other songs still in, so I can see how y'all decided to oust it sooner than later, but still this is wrong. It's like you lot are allergic to slower BPM or something. Take a Claritin and listen again or something.

The message of the song is along the lines of "let's clap out hands together" and "tomorrow's another day".​

If suddenly
you feel hopeless, baby
I'll be extending my hand
the closest to you
It's all "love"
Sometimes tears too...
But merry-go-round
Round and round merry-go-round
(c) @otenkiame

It's all "love" here as well, sometimes a feeling of "turn your location on, I just wanna talk".

Like @Yeziirl (3), for instance, who tried to be cute, "there is completely nothing special about it." It's a song sung by Koda Kumi, the Queen of Live herself, can you say the same about yourself? Didn't think so.

And @otenkiame (10) gets it, "God, I really love this track. It's laid-back, reggae style with summer vibes is just perfect. The melodies are so uplifting and seriously flawless. I can see why she said this was her staff's favourite song on "re(CORD)". Excuse me while I go and spread world peace with this song." We all need some peace in this trying times.​


As one of the newer songs, this one hasn't been performed yet, but maybe someday.​
 
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