Destiny - Azn One Stop

Well this is a post that I am recovering from a site that I used to own very very very far back. It was a comparison to The Search For The Next Doll contestants with Vietnamese singers. The Search For The Next Doll was a reality TV show that was on the CW in 2006 (i think?). It was to find who would be the next Pussycat Doll. I found a lot of similarities between the contestants and the Viet singers I listen to. Hope you don’t get too confused with my post. The post is in order from FIRST ELIMINATED to the winner. NOTE: The Contestants for the Search For the Next Doll do not have any relation what so ever to the Vietnamese singers.

* Format: PCD Contestant/Viet Singer

Brittany / Truc Lam & Truc Linh

Brittany was the first eliminated girl in the competition. Her trademark was her funky style, her sexiness, and her confidence. It didn’t take too long before the judges saw her sexiness becoming sleazy which was her major downfall and ultimately led to her getting the boot. Truc Lam & Truc Linh were known for having a very, how would I say it, “cute” image. They spent like 3 years on a hiatus and they made a big comeback with a new look. They were showing more skin which caused commotion for fans that were long followers who were used to their cute image.

Jamie / Loan Chau

Jamie was the second eliminated girl in the Search. She was known for having a very raspy voice and a lack of confidence. The judges used the term “not finding your inner doll” many times when critiquing Jamie and her lack of confidence led her to being eliminated from the competition. Loan Chau is a diamond in the rough in the Viet show biz. Her alluring looks and angelic voice is often overlooked when compared to some of the more shown artists. She has lots of confidence and charisma on stage and is very beautiful as well. She doesn’t lack confidence, but sometimes she blends into the background just like Jamie did.

Sisely / Van Quynh

Sisely and Van Quynh are the unique ones out of the pack. Sisely has a very edgy, exotic look which made her stand out compared to all the other contestants. She didn’t have any friends in the Doll house and was constantly made fun of for her rock star image. Van Quynh also has a very edgy look. She marches to beat of her own drums and doesn’t go along with the latest trends. Both Sisely and Van Quynh are the wild cards. Sisely was the third eliminated in the Search.

Mariela / Bao Han

Mariela was the fourth eliminated. Mariela was the best dancer out of all the contestants. She knew how to work her body and be sexy while still being graceful. Her voice however, was the least desirable. Bao Han is very confident on stage and knows how to work her body as well. She has a great voice though which is a difference between her and Mariela.

Anastacia / Ngoc Lien

Anastacia was the fifth eliminated. Anastacia was known for her very strong voice and goddess status but was always insecure about her weight and height compared to the other girls. Ngoc Lien is a powerhouse when it comes to her vocals. She has the great tone that some artists don’t have. She seems very shy though. This is a similarity with Anastacia because Ngoc Lien’s shyness could possible come off as insecurity for some people.

Melissa S. / Nhu Loan

Melissa S. was a very well rounded performer. She could dance and somewhat sing, but her personality was arrogant and cocky. She’s a know it all which was her downfall. She always underestimated her opponents and picked out the ones she felt she was stronger than and made them feel low about themselves. Nhu Loan does not have a horrible attitude, she is very friendly and outgoing. But, her voice is not strong at all. She has a very soft voice but her stage presence makes up for her weaknesses. Melissa was the sixth contestant eliminated.

Chelsea / Tu Quyen

Chelsea wasn’t the greatest dancer and didn’t have the confidence. But she had the “golden voice”. She was the strongest vocalist of the entire season. She was known as the underdog due to her lack of dance skills compared to the other girls. Tu Quyen is the same. She has a great voice and can dance but she seems shy. In the finale of the Search For The Next Doll, Chelsea came full force and showed her true potential to the judges but unfortunately was the second runner up. Tu Quyen is in the exact same scenario. She returned to Paris By Night in it’s 84th show and came full force with 3 amazing performances.

Melissa R. / Minh Tuyet

Melissa R. had everything; voice, moves, and looks. Minh Tuyet is exactly the same. Everyone loved the tone to Melissa R’s voice. She had a very creamy and full voice. Minh Tuyet has a very great tone as well. She knows how to work the high notes and the low notes. Melissa was easily a judge favorite but her similar look to Nicole (lead singer of the PCD) of the Pussycat Dolls was probably the reason why she didn’t win. Melissa was the runner up of the season.

Asia / Ho Le Thu

Asia was known for her hair flipping, sexiness, and exaggerated voice. Ho Le Thu doesn’t have a the best voice but can do sexy and also be classy. Asia wasn’t the best singer but she was the best performer which led her to win the competition. Ho Le Thu is a very great performer but not as great as a vocalist compared to other singers.

Vivid was released on June 4th and reached #5 on the Oricon charts selling 20,221 copies in its first week. Vivid starts out with Kissing you, a light hearted song with a killer arrangement. It was the themesong for the dorama 7nin no Onna Bengoshi 2. This song wasn’t received well by long time following fans. It’s critiques were “too boring” or “generic”. Honestly, I find nothing wrong with this song. It’s catchy and BoA’s vocals are flawless. What more to ask for…… The next song is Sparkling, a more well received song by fans. It starts off slowwwlllyy but picks up then picks up the paste halfway into the verse. This song reminds me of Kylie Minogue’s WOW. Sparkling is my favorite song out of all 3 on the single, not shocking. Joyful Smile is another light hearted song. It has clapping (?) which reminds makes me think of it as a church choir type song. It’s an okay song I guess. It doesn’t have that wow factor that the other two songs have. Sorry for such a sloppy review. I couldn’t think of anything to say for the songs.

Full Size: http://i29.tinypic.com/f4gpvt.png

Airing June 23 - July 18/Synopsis coming soon…..

You can here more of the song at 1:13. <3

BoAMyJewel inspired me when he posted a fanmade CD Cover of a BoA CD. I also wanted to see what it was like to give my own flare on CD covers. They are mostly simple, but I like simple when it comes to CD Covers. I did them in like 5 minutes so they aren’t the best they can be but I gave it a try and that’s what it turned out to look like. I hope you like them! Please credit if used.

THE FACE is BoA’s sixth Japanese album and debuted at #1 on the Oricon Charts. The album starts out with the ever-so popular AGRESSIVE. This song seems to be a fan favorite, but it’s still growing on me. When I listen to a song, I always expect the chorus to be catchy. I enjoyed the verses in this song more than the chorus. BoA plays around with her voice more in the verses compared to the chorus. This is still a great opening track despite the monotone chorus in my opinion. Next is my least favorite single off this CD, Sweet Impact. I saw the KOSE FASIO commercial and my hopes were really high for this song. I was really let down when I heard the full version of the song. The only good part of the song is the chorus which isn’t all that amazing. Pretty generic song. My Way, Your Way is a breath of fresh air. It’s a lighthearted song that leaves the listener with a good impression. I like the way BoA makes her voice sound innocent in the chorus, it reminds me of her younger days when her voice was still developing. My favorite single offered from this album is be with you. It’s a gorgeous song that showcases BoA’s vocals flawlessly. LOSE YOUR MIND is a mediocre song to me. Nothing really stands out and it’s always been “there” for me. One thing that stood out to me is how BoA’s vocals are really raspy during the verses. Girl In The Mirror is such a bold song; I really love the chanting in the background throughout the song

We’ve now reached the better half of the album. The first half didn’t leave an impression on me as much as the latter half did. Happy Birthday is one of my most favored tracks in the whole album. It’s a really uplifting, enjoyable song. Perfect song for someone’s birthday! I really don’t know why people don’t enjoy Diamond Heart as much as I do. It’s a really creative track with a funky beat. LOVE LETTER follows Diamond Heart, which is funny because Diamond Heart was the B-Side to LOVER LETTER. I’ve always liked LOVE LETTER, it has a catchy chorus and BoA’s vocals are at its best. Now this is the real catch….. BRAVE is my favorite song on the entire album. I just love it! It’s really edgy and strays away from the usual BoA stuff. The chorus is vivacious and it gives off feel-good vibes. Gyappu ni Yara Re Ta! is such a playful song, I like it. Style reminds me of some of her stuff on OUTGROW somehow. I can’t put my finger on it, but it sounds similar. Smile again is such a beautiful song, sung perfectly. I liked this song more than LOSE YOUR MIND on the single it was released on. Once again, I don’t know why people don’t like it, BoA’s vocals are amazing and she shows complete control. Wow, I’m really shocked that both Diamond Heart & Beautiful Flowers are in this album. Beautiful Flowers is a good playful pop song, not much to say about it. The album closes on a good note with Best Friend. I read that this song was written for a fan but I’m not sure. It’s a simple tune with and a good way to end the album.

THE FACE is by far my favorite BoA album. Not because the songs were catchy, but because of the transition between the different styles that BoA offers on here. She is vocally improving and can play with her vocals more. Although the order of the songs leaves me skeptical, they are all wonderful and have a good quality about them. I really hope BoA keeps it up with good releases!

This may sound cheesy, but I was a proud follower of the CW Show - The Pussycat Dolls Presents: Girlicious. I tuned in last season as well which was The Search For The Next Doll. I wasn’t as excited for the search since last year, it ended on such a bitter note. I’d like to say that Girlicious is a distinctive group that sets themeselves apart from their sister group, The Pussycat Dolls. The judges did a good job choosing 4 girls for the group instead of 3 (the original amount of girls in Girlicious).

Girlicious’ first single Like Me / Stupid S*** which was available for digital download on iTunes on April 22nd right after the Girlicous finale on the CW. The first track Like Me is a catchy, club track that captivates the listener on first listen. It starts off with the girls ad libbing the word U multiple times before it moves into the first verse. The verses are provocative but precise being that the lyrics aren’t very clean but they deliver them perfectly. The song is basically like Don’t Cha by PCD version 2.0. The chorus repeats how you would want to be “like them”, hence the title being Like Me. Nevertheless, this is a superb debut song filled with infectious beats and playful lyrics. Stupid S*** took me a while to warm up to. It isn’t your usual pop song because again, the lyrics are awfully raunchy this time. There are some parts that sound like Britney Spear’s song Freakshow on her latest album Blackout. Some positive things taken away from this song is that the chorus is catchy but mostly the girls yelling, it’s another playful track but not as good as the other track. Don’t watch the music video for Stupid S*** though. Like Me’s video is amazing though, it’s innovative and features precise dancing from the girls. Overall, this was a pretty great single being that these girls were put together from a TV show. It is receiving good and bad reviews from critics but you love them or you hate them. Their album drops on July 1st…!!!

There are rumors circulating that Yuna Ito will release a new single. The video above is a 伊藤園の CM with her song called Miss You. I really hope that this song becomes a single! It’s gorgeous! The song sounds so refreshing. Just like people said, this sounds like a alone again Pt. 2. This could possibly crawl all the way to my #1 song for 2008 so far. To settle down my anticipation, I have made some graphics:

::::::EDIT::::::
Okay, so the scoop is that she will be releasing a single on July 30th. The title is still undecided, it will either be miss you or GATE which is another song that was rumored to be a single. You can preview GATE here

All you can hear when is an instrumental but when the page fully loads, there is a yellow button that if you click, you can hear the preview w/ her singing. The single is possibly going to have 2 B-sides.

ALBUMS

BoA - Atlantis Princess [100%]
* Favorite Song(s): All
YUI - From Me To You [96%]
* Favorite Song(s): Merry Go Round, Tomorrow’s Way
Angela Aki - Today [93%]
* Favorite Song(s): Again
Yuna Ito - HEART [90%]
* Favorite Song(s): Tender Is The Night, Stay For Love
Nami Tamaki - Don’t Stay [88%]
* Favorite Song(s): can’t remember…..
Mink - Endless Love II [70%]
* Favorite Song(s): Tomorrow To Believe (only song I liked)

SINGLES

BoA - Vivid [100%]
Do As Infinity - Tao [100%]
the brilliant green - Ash Like Snow [100%]
MISIA - Yes Forever [98%]
Tanaka Roma feat. melody. - Boyfriend Girlfriend [96%]
Kana Nishino - Glowy Days [80%]
Ai Otsuka - Rocket Sneaker/One x Time [70%]

Well I’ve been listening to some albums from past years and they have really set a good impression on me. Compared to some of these artists music today, it is much more high quality, genuine, and less generic.

Excuse my absence. I have been busy lately, so I will not return for a while.