Thoughts on Recent Releases

My copies of Resonant Blue, Namida no Iro, and Okitegami showed up in the mail yesterday. I'm mainly putting this post together because I haven't seen anyone say anything about Okitegami yet, and that's a shame.

Okitegami
I love it. I love it I love it I love it. There are so many good things about this single.
- First of all...it's Mikitty, and she sounds as good as ever (if not better), so automatic win there.
- Somehow, the c/w is on par with the main track, and I mean that in the most literal sense possible. I think you could switch the two and it would still feel 'right'.
- Real-instrument backing track. This is something that is disappointingly underused in J-Pop, especially H!P. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the people writing/arranging the music for J-Pop artists know that it will sell just as well with synth instruments as it would with the real deal...but I'm also aware that this isn't an H!P release, nor is it J-Pop. Regardless, to hear Mikitty's voice backed by a full band is a wonderful thing.
- Even without Mikitty or the orchestra (I think? maybe a partial orchestra XD), these are a couple of very well-written songs. I've had Okitegami stuck in my head off and on since I first saw that clip of her singing it at a publicity event a month or so ago. Once I get a bit more familiar with the c/w, I'm sure I'll have that stuck in my head as well.

Resonant Blue
- As expected, the A-Side is great, just like it was the first several times I heard it while watching the PV.
- As for the c/w...another blogger (who it was I don't remember) said that it sucked...but I think it's okay. If you happen to be someone who is especially fond of the more mature sound of Resonant Blue, I can understand disliking the goofier sound of RB's A-Side...but I've always been fond of that sound for Morning Musume (plus I'm a sucker for anything with a rhythm that emphasizes the off-beats), and it makes me happy to know that H!P hasn't completely dropped it for the 'reborn' Momusu.

Namida no Iro
- Like RB, the A-Side is great, as expected.
- C-ute's version of Darling I Love You is exactly the same as the Berryz version, only C-ute is singing it. I like the Berryz version better, but only because I'm more of a Berryz fan...I mean, they're the exact same song. To be honest, this is kinda lame.

So, basically, they're all great releases in my opinion, with C-ute ranking slightly below the others. C-ute probably would have been received more favorably if the B-Side hadn't already been done by an artist I like more anyway.
- cfb