JPop

By Tiffani Nadeau     July 31, 2005
Release Date: October 28, 2003



What They Say
The Biggest Jpop Hits! Your Favorite Theme Songs Now available on one disc! All your favorite Jpop and Anime Theme songs, released for the first time in the US! 15 tracks, plus phonetic (Romaji) Lyrics in the booklet, so you can sing along! Liner notes by Chris Simonds of Jpop USA, as well as Enrique Galvez and Ai Kennedy of Atomica Magazine!

The Review!
5 out of 5
A J-Pop collection.

This CD comes with a ten-page insert. The first page is an article by Atomica Magazine Music Editor Enrique Galvez on the rise of J-pop popularity in the US. The next eight pages have pictures of the album covers for each band and song with the Japanese lyrics for that song below the picture. The last page is an article by Chris Simonds, the producer of the CD, explaining his beginnings in J-pop and why he chose to produce this CD for the American public.

Obviously as the CD title tells you, all these songs are in the J-Pop style. Being as the genre is spelled right out for you, I had to do a bit of research on this one to actually give a proper review. The CD is filled with top choices by Chris Simonds to introduce the American Public to J-Pop. Mr. Simonds has picked out quite a few good tracks, from various artists such as ZONE, Chemistry, SOULHEAD, Ken Hirai and the like, that just fill out the CD very nicely. Of course there couldn?t be a J-Pop CD without a few anime opening/closing themes in there to, I was quite pleased that Mr. Simonds chose some of the more lesser known groups in these songs too. Many of us know the theme to Kenshin, or the songs from Astro Boy, but how many of us can really remember the actual groups names? With seven of the tracks being anime themes songs to pull in the anime loving crowd, Mr. Simonds has filled up the rest of the fifteen tracks with artists that just seem to know how to keep the listener involved in all the music. Each song, whether it is a theme song or just a J-Pop tune is everything that one would expect from the greatest of American Pop music. The tunes are catchy, they have great dance beats, and of course the words that just stick into your brain. For those that are a bit leery of the Pop genre in general, it is even pleasing to those ears. There are a couple of songs that although they have that Pop beat to them, border on the rock end of pop music and keep even the non-pop fan interested. All in all, a great collaborative mix of classic J-Pop hits I'd recommend anytime.

I?d have to say Mr. Simonds, you have done a great job getting together a real mix of J-Pop.

Fangboy says?Hey Chris, you can pick out the music for my collaboration CDs anytime!!

Features
1/3 Pure Heart (Ruroni Kenshin End Theme)3:44Vocal (Japanese),True Blue (Astro Boy)4:07Vocal (Japanese),Tommy Febratte Macaron (Piroppo)4:49Vocal (Japanese),Sobakasu (Ruroni Kenshin Open Theme)4:13Vocal (Japanese),Agreement (One Piece)3:52Vocal (Japanese),Invoke (Mobilesuit Gundam Seed)4:17Vocal (Japanese),Believe (Mobilesuit Gundam Seed)3:55Vocal (Japanese),Superdrive (Gravitation)3:52Vocal (Japanese),Crescent Moon4:17Vocal (Japanese),Strawberry Sex4:28Vocal (Japanese),Rainy days Never Stays3:54Vocal (Japanese),Carpe Diem6:36Vocal (Japanese),Floatin?5:00Vocal (Japanese),Step to the New World4:05Vocal (Japanese),Shallow Sleep4:48Vocal (Japanese)

Review Equipment
Total CD Length: 66:18