Remember Alex? The guy from Clazziquai I'd marry based purely on voice?


Well he came out with a new solo album. Many fans rejoiced. I jumped on the bandwagon. I was hoping for an AMAZING album. All we got was...

Let's just say it's a Hirotama attempt. Same-y throughout. VERY same-y throughout.

As with a Hirotama album, the songs throughout don't particularly stand out from each other, but none of them are particularly bad either. If I were EXTREMELY EXTREMELY anal, I'd probably be able to pick out ONE from the FIFTEEN tracks that I don't like.

Pick any song in the album, and it could fall into one of these two categories: lounge or pre-millenium ballad pop. So for this review to sound less boring, I'll skip the track-by-track format and only pick out the songs that are different from the rest.

Track number 3 Naun Unjena (feat. Thomas Cook) [You Always] is the first track that sticks in my head from this album. Now, I have no idea who Thomas Cook is, but I know wikipedia doesn't have information on him. All they have is about some guy who founded some travel agency. I'm quite sure we're talking about different guys here. A light refreshing guitar tune accompanies Alex's deep voice, remaining consistent throughout the song. The chorus makes you want to snap your fingers (or tap your feet) along with the very obvious and friendly beat. They are very aware of the quickly-get-boring factor of the song and hence it is short and sweet, clocking at 3:21. The result is a tight song that makes quite an impact and is to-the-point.

The only other song that I have a vivid impression of is track 11 Gibeun Joheun Nal [Wonderful Day]. Another song with yet another poppy beat and simple music, it's a track that is cheerful and adorable. Alex sings in a sort of act-cute voice, which a nice change from the rest of the album. The stripped down music displays Alex's vocals clearly, a smart move on the producer's side to bank on their biggest selling point. Don't expect to feel all tingled by this song though, the higher range in this song seems to have made Alex's voice way less sexy and much more sugary instead. Once again, this song bores easily and is hence kept really short at only 3:07, suitable for those with ADD I suppose. *shrugs*

There are of course many other good tracks on the album, but as you listen to the album, you'll tend to mix one up for another, and hence forget which ones are the better songs. The whole album is very laid back and simple, suitable for unwinding after a long hard day in school or work. Alex's vocals sound really sweet on this album, but are really not all that goosebump-inducing like many of his previous songs. It's kind of like asking Koda Kumi, YUI and Otsuka Ai to form an eclectic girl group - it'll work, but it's still a bloody waste of talent.

This album is called VOL. 1 My Vintage Romance, and I hope he'll continue with a Vol. 2 and so on. He has way too much to offer, one album simply isn't enough. That said, the album lives up to its name of "vintage romance", as it seems many of these songs will turn out to be classic serenades over time. Worth the listen, but don't buy if you aren't a fan.

And a bonus for the girls (and some guys) if you've taken the time to read up to this point:

Labels: Clazziquai