[Review] May J - Secret Diary

MAY J



SECRET DIARY

May J's 6th studio album was released in January with probably not-enough promotion and behind a bevvy of other more publicized releases. May J's style has changed slightly over the years, from R'n'B queen to ballad princess but I think that this is a very good album. Well worth listening to and more layers are peeled away with each relisten.

The bonus DVD (that is still available on the more expensive edition) is packed with extras and over an hour and a half of footage, including: video clips, concert clips and a mini-documentary. It's a great way to get to know May J if you are new to what she's all about. Only some of the tracks were available to preview on Youtube, but I have put up all that I was able to find.

Track by Track Breakdown

1. Only one - May J's clear voice speaks to you straight from the first beat of this angelic song. With smooth beats and a relaxed take on a catchy ballad, this is a gorgeous opener. May J hits all notes effortlessly and sounds incredible. Listen Here

2. OUR FUTURE - Positive lyrics and hard-to-hit notes make this an especially impressive song. An upbeat track that could definitely be remixed club-style, the music channels the early 2000's in a way that shows off old-school style Jpop. A great track. Listen Here

3. Yozora no Yuki - A classic ballad done in a sort of winter style. Piano and chimes resonate through this track. Giving it a really sweet feel. May J's voice is so strong and so controlled, a feast for the ears, this is the track that will give you the shivers. Fantastic. Listen Here

4. No No No - Awesome! An R'n'B style song with a great beat that you find yourself tapping your feet to. A danceable and faster track that belongs on your gym mp3 player. Incorporating synth and even a touch of dubstep, this is a great modern track. Showing her versatility, May J is sounding badass here. Listen Here

5. I'm proud - Another slower-style song, but May J really has an amazing way of conveying a message that transcends all language barriers. She really does sound proud of something or someone, and even though it is slower, it still could have a dance put to it, as it's beat is still has a certain groove to it. This is also a very singalong type song. Listen Here

6. Kimi ga Afuredasu - A beautiful instrumental with vocals that are softer than usual, this song is an 'anytime' - listen to it anytime and you could always be in the mood for it. A lovely slow track. Listen Here

7. Say "Ah!" - This is your party track, electro-heavy and fast compared to all the other tracks, this is a 'getting ready to go out' kind of song, fun and needs to be pumped LOUD. Sounds great on a stereo! Much better than on the weak computer speakers! Unfortunately, this is absolutely nowhere to be found on youtube or youku, so you may have to search a bit to listen to it, but it's so worth it, it's FAB.

8. Futari - A duet with Jay'ed, this has a few English sentences in it including the lovely "I'm never going to give up on your love, no matter how far away you are". Both May J and Jay'ed sound beautiful together and, though the instrumental is simple, piano and clicks, it works for a vocal-heavy song like this. Listen Here

9. 2 Shooting Stars - A beat-heavy track with May J's vocals flowing through and between the beats effortlessly, I can hear a double bass in this and it's presence is welcome. A mid-tempo track that channels American-style R'n'B with a slicker production value. Wouldn't be out of place on a Beyonce album.

10. SECRET DIARY - The title track of this album is a gentle and flowing song. A simple piano plays in the background, as May J's gorgeous voice once again dominates the foreground. I think a live orchestra version of this would be amazing.

11. The Lifelines - Including Taku Takahashi from m-flo, WISE and Maynard Plant from blanc./Monkey Majik, this is a charity song from English TV show in Japan J-Melo, which usually features very bad singers doing versions of Jpop songs. Everyone has been autotuned on this, which I think was unnecessary but perhaps it was to 'enhance' the electronica feel of the song. The instrumental is an awesome synth-fest though. Listen Here

12. Rainy Day - A quirky instrumental that leads into an interesting head-nodding track. May J's vocals never falter. This song also falls into the 'getting ready' category, it reminds me of everyone putting on their makeup in the bathroom and singing out 'IT'S ALRIGHT!' - a fun track.

13. RAINBOW - A really different track! Synth and music that shows the colours that May J is singing about and a hit of violin just when you think you've heard it all. A fantastic lead up and a really danceable chorus. "I'm dreaming, dreaming forever" - So am I! Get up and dance with this one!

14. Kiseki no Uta - DJ Hasebe Remix - - Featuring Sugar Soul, Zeebra, Ryo the Skywalker and SIMON, I can hear rap and extremely polished vocals, another synth and electro-style track that packs a punch. This is a collaboration that works and I think that a bit of reggae-infused rap wouldn't go astray in some future May J. songs! Listen Here

Favourite track - Say "Ah!"

✰✰✰✰ stars

I really do think that with such a great voice and a beautiful image, she needs to get back into the upbeat songs a bit, as they always sound awesome. Too many ballads can become similar to each other, but, saying this, this would be a great album to play at a classy dinner party. It's got great instrumentals and of course, May J's voice is flawless. She is still an R'n'B girl at heart, but with a vastly different style to Namie Amuro's R'n'B.

Check out this link to see extra information and what is on the DVD. It's really worth the purchase, and for only 3240yen you get a lot of material. Support your favourites if you can! ♥

Toku - Restaurant Review

On January 30th, 2011, the fateful night of my 24th Birthday, my boyfriend, my best friend and I all went to London to try out the Japanese restaurant Toku.
As we entered, and commented that we had made a reservation, we were curteously brought to our table and handed the very fine-crafted wooden menus. Left to think for a while, the first thing we were struck by was the immense amount of choice.


Pages and pages of the finest sushi, sashimi, curries, noodles and tempura dishes, along with other Japanese delicacies. We found it quite difficult settling on just one dish, so we each ordered two. One hot meal and one cold one. We also ordered two starters to share between the three of us.


Between the three of us, we ordered:


- Chicken Katsu Curry
- Salmon Sashimi
- Avocado Roll
- King Prawn Tempura
- Beef Gyu Don (with raw egg)
- Beef Udon with Broth
- Salmon and Eel Nigiri
- Assorted Nigiri Plate


I need to talk about these exquisite dishes before I move onto the desserts. My dish was the Beef Udon with broth, which was a fantastically large bowl for the price it was. The noodles were delicious and soft, the beef was tender and had a really good texture, the thin slices drew in the flavour from the broth. I also tried the Beef Gyu Don, which was lovely with the raw egg, a combination that you don't expect to work, but surprisingly does.
The Chicken Katsu Curry had a real bite that only lasted a few seconds, so you got a smooth and luxurious curry and chicken mouthful, plus a hit of spice at the end. Absolutely fantastic.


Then we get onto the sushi and nigiri platters. I really cannot express in words how perfect these were. The avocado was perfectly ripe and soft, just the freshest ingredients were used, and it really shows. The salmon, THE SALMON. I could write a whole post dedicated to the soft, buttery, velvety taste that was the salmon. It tasted like it had literally just jumped out of the sea onto your plate. It melted in your mouth and the flavour lingered there long enough to make you want to pop another one in. Really, really unexpected.
The Eel was another very, very good choice. Eel, when I have eaten it in the past, never having a bad flavour, but often being too dry or too slimy. This eel was brilliant, it, like the salmon, melted when it hit your tongue and was not chewy or unsatisfying in any way. It was perfect. All of the food we ate, even though we were so full, we finished because it was just so delicious. The quality was outstanding.


Then we had a break and chatted for a bit, before ordering dessert. I ordered Green Tea Ice Cream, which was very refreshing and was not overpowering in the least.
This food, this excellent food, really made my birthday something to remember, and we will definitely be all heading back there again.
~
5 stars for quality.