Captain's Orders: Have a Happy 5th, Berryz!

Hard to believe that this group of girls (including their time strictly as H!P Kids) is approaching the seven-year mark of time served as entertainers.

That's a combined 49 years in the idol biz!

Nearly twenty singles and five albums later, well, Berryz RULE THE SCHOOL. 'Nuff said.


Oh yeah, I may be posting again. Stay tuned. ; )

Can I Berryz-size that for you?

Well, naturally I've been listening to the new Berryz Koubou album,
4th Ai no Nanchara Shisuu, featuring their last 4 singles, plus 7 new album tracks.

I have no profound revelations to share just yet, but I'll make some brief comments on each track.

01. Ai no Suki Suki Shisuu Joushouchuu
Pleasant, almost generic H!P pop, but a good opener.

02. Munasawagi Scarlet
Great, funky rocker - my fave of the single cuts featured here.

03. Omoitattara Kichi desse!
(Kumai Yurina, Tokunaga Chinami & Sudou Maasa)
Fun, catchy - love that banjo riff - almost 'old-school' Berryz. Probably the best of the 'shuffles' (which spotlight smaller groupings of 2 or 3 girls).

04. VERY BEAUTY
The single that probably should have been an album track. I still like it though; since I actually like the Berryz' voices, I appreciate it as a vocal showcase, and that organ solo is sweet.

05. Waracchaou yo BOYFRIEND
Hmm, well, maybe this is my favorite single cut! Breezy, summer-y 60's AM radio, Tsunkufied.

06. Watashi ga Suru Koto nai Hodo Zenbu Shite Kureru Kare
(Sugaya Risako & Tsugunaga Momoko)
The softer side of the dial. I can dig it, though. Momo and 'sako are really the love 'em or hate 'em members of the group, but I love 'em, so that's that.

07. Sayonara Hageshiki Koi
Very solid album cut. Probably could've worked as a single; I'd love to see a PV for this at any rate.

08. Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba
The second 'ballad' single in row bummed some folks out, but this is a tightly crafted song. And for a 'ballad' (which is sort of a nebulous term) it's pretty 'up,' with a groovin' bassline - I mean this is totally danceable. A smooth jam, basically. ; )

09. Sprinter!
(Natsuyaki Miyabi & Shimizu Saki)
Nothing to complain about with this one, classic Berryz sound. Yet it's my least fave shuffle, for whatever reason.

10. Sakura wa Raku Sa
This is the weird one. The production is absolutely over the top. I almost expected to see something like "TEAR UP THE CLUB REMIX '07" written after the title. Of course it's totally addictive once you get used to it. Great album track, could've made for a very different kind of single. Note that the title is a Japanese-style palindrome.

11. Sakura -> Nyuugakushiki
Good, mid-paced, feel-genki closer. Could be an encore song, or maybe the last song before the encore.