It’s getting close to the end of the year, and I don’t want to put the grand recommendation post off much longer. So I’ll do it next week. Hah! Anyway, I’d like to feature an artist this week!

Hata Motohiro is currently my #1 favorite male artists in the JPop world. Besides having an amazing amount of raw vocal talent, I can hear him improving with every release, which to me means a lot. His voice for those who have not tried him is a mixture of Suga Shikao in vocal tone and quality, with the power of K or Ryohei behind it. He has consistently impressed me with each new release, and writes the majority of songs himself.

He was signed onto Augusta after the release of his Indies album (which has proved elusive to find, to my disappointment), the label which also boasts musicians like Suga Shikao, Yamazaki Masayoshi, Hajime Chitose, and Sukima Switch. His most recent release was his first major full-length album.

With regards to a sample, because of the relative low amount of releases to choose from, my pick is not really a full sized album; think of it as a Best MiniAlbum. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” bit to find this week’s release list and a short review of some of the newest as well.

Voice of Glass and Steel: SD’s HATA MiniBest! 01. Synchro (Single Ver.) 02. Kisetsu ga Warau 03. Uroko 04. Milk Tea 05. Aoi Chou 06. Shikisai

01. Synchro (Single Ver.) (Watch Synchro PV @ Youtube)
His first major release, the first song of his I’ve ever heard, and of course the song that got me hooked. I still remember the blown away feeling I had at listening to this. He’s still a bit rough in this song in that you can hear that he hasn’t gotten much vocal training yet, but it also makes the song a bit endearing.

02. Kisetsu ga Warau
My favorite song off the Bokura wo Tsunagu Mono minialbum. It is much slower than Synchro, but really a beautiful song. I love the soothing, mellow feel of it.

03. Uroko (Watch Uroko [Live] @ Youtube)
If I thought Synchro blew me away, this one actually made me sit down and cry. The song is absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. Yes, it translates to fish scales in English. No, I don’t care how ugly that name sounds. The PV is amazing as well, but I’m linking you to a live. With this song, Hata reached a whole new level. His voice is smoother and more polished, more powerful, and his singing more emotional than ever.

04. Milk Tea
A B-side off the Aoi Chou single, this is a pretty, smooth song in the same vein as Kisetsu ga Warau. I really enjoyed listening to it, and for all its slow pace, it makes me feel happy.

05. Aoi Chou (Watch Aoi Chou PV @ Youtube)
Aoi Chou is in a somewhat different vein from the rest of his songs, and took a few listens for me to get used to it and actually enjoy it. Now, it is one of my favorites, and I love how the change of background instruments and beat make for a slightly more rock-ish feel to the song.

06. Shikisai
Having this song at the beginning of his first major album, CONTRAST, was the best decision Hata or Augusta could have made. Or whomever devised the track order. Anyway, this song is an awesome and upbeat introduction to the album, with a great chorus and a catchy tune. It took me three or four listens to get past this song to hear the rest of the album, that is how good it was! (Okay, that isn’t really hard to do with me. Still.)

Links for the Interested:
Hata Motohiro Official Website
Hata Page at wiki.thePPN: Hata Community on LiveJournal made by yours truly!
Hata Motohiro Fanlisting for all its worth…
Hata at Last.fm
Lyrics:
–Fantasii-Lyrics Hata Page
–Cori-chan’s Hata Page

————————————————————
abingdon boys school – single – “BLADE CHORD”
AI – album – “Don’t Stop A.I.”
Ayase Haruka – single – “Hikoukigumo”
B’z – album – “ACTION”
Base Ball Bear – album – “17sai”
capsule – album – “FLASH BACK”
CHEMISTRY SUPPORTED BY MONKEY MAJIK – single – “Kagayaku Yoru”
DOUBLE – single – “nokoribi ~eternal BED
Hirano Aya - single - “MonStAR”
Hitomi – best collection – “peace”
Hitoto Yo – single – “tadaima”
Little by little – single – “kimi monogatari”
May J. – album – “Baby Girl”
MEG – album – “BEAM”
MEILIN – single – “Candy Boy”
Misia – single – “Royal Chocolate Flush”
moumoon – single – “Do you remember?”
Natori Kaori – single – “Subete ga Aru Basho”
Ongaku Gatas – single – “yattarouze!
Rin’ – album – “Genji Nostalgy”
Ryohei – album – “Cavaca 2”
SATOMI’ – album – “SINGS ~Winter, & LUV~”
Shimatani Hitomi – cover album – “Otoko Uta ~cover song collection~”
SID – single – “Namida no Ondo”
Takenaka Eri – single - “masshiro na yuki, masshiro na mirai”
(Look, it’s alphabetical now! FANTASTIC!)

Alrighty.

abingdon boys school = not impressed with the PV, but I like the song. Still, I think it is their weakest single so far. At the same time, I can’t hold that against them; their album was amazing, and so they’re allowed a weaker song every once in awhile.

Chemistry Supported by Monkey Majik = Was Monkey Majik even in this single at all? Why bother to list they’re names if they’re not even really a part of it? Other than that, good song, but not what I was expecting.

Rin’ = DUDE. COLLAB with alan. LOVIN’ IT.

SID = Good as usual. Enough said!

Haven’t had a chance to listen to a lot of those, but I think Ryohei needs to release some original stuff. I also don’t know most of Shimatani Hitomi’s covers, so, uh… I don’t know about that one. She’s normally good through. May J.’s album is probably awesome, and same with Base Ball Bear’s. Wasn’t impressed by capsule at all, and I liked moumoon’s newest. So!