Tracklist
1. Sakura Kiss
2. Shima uma no Yoru
3. Sakura Kiss -Instrumental-
4. Shima uma no Yoru -Instrumental-

Sakura Kiss is Chieco Kawabe’s fifth single. It was released on April 26, 2006. The A-side was used at the opening theme to the anime Ouran High School Host Club. Due to the tie-in, it charted at #71 and stayed on for three weeks. Sakura Kiss is her best selling single.

Sakura Kiss is another upbeat pop-rock track. The chorus is certainly catchy and fun, but the verses don’t stand out too much. The arrangement is also kind of interesting…in addition to the standard instruments, there’s a bunch of synth and strings come in at one point. It’s a fun track, but nowhere as good as her previous single, Candy Baby.

Shima uma no Yoru has always kind of confused me. It starts off well enough, with a little sillyness in the intro because you hear her blowing a raspberry. It then transitions into a regular pop-rock track. Near the end, Chieco comes in again with a huge bunch of kids singing the chorus. It’s a little bit all over the place, but the melodies are not too bad.

Tracklist
1. Candy Baby
2. Mermaid
3. Candy Baby -Instrumental-
4. Mermaid -Instrumental-

Candy Baby / Mermaid is Chieco Kawabe’s fourth single. It was released on July 21, 2005 and failed to chart at all.

Even though it was a failure in the financial aspect, this is my favorite single from Chieco. Candy Baby is such a fun, happy song that can definitely lift your spirit no matter how down you are. The arrangement mixes big-band brass with the traditional pop-rock electric guitar and drum set for a hyper backdrop. Not only that, but the melodies are extremely catchy, as well as the beats. This song reminds me a lot of Ai Otsuka’s signature hyper-pop songs, and in a good way.

The next track is Mermaid, a laid back acoustic ballad. What’s so amazing between Mermaid and Candy Baby is that her voice sounds much more mature in this more serious song. The melody is so pretty and wistful, just lovely. Plus, this track is a very nice companion piece and rounds out the entire single very well. This is just a great ballad.

Tracklist
1. brilliance
2. Shining!
3. Kizunairo
4. Pink!Pink!Pink!
5. little wing
6. over
7. I Can’t Wait
8. cry baby
9. be your girl
10. leave me alone
11. Hoshi ni Negai wo

brilliance is Chieco Kawabe’s first and currently only album. It was released on March 16, 2005. Despite her previous low sales and rankings, there was still a CD-only and CD + DVD version. It charted at #92, staying on for only two weeks.

Generally, the album is pretty average and falls victim to a very common problem: the new songs are all over the place. Which, actually, doesn’t say much about the album because there aren’t very many new songs, and some of the new songs are just different versions of previous released songs on her singles. little wing is a rearrangement of cry baby with different lyrics and over has a arrangement very similar to quiet riot with different lyrics and melodies. Which leaves only three completely new songs: brilliance, Pink!pink!pink!, and leave me alone.

What is good about the album is that two out of the three new songs are worth listening to. The album’s namesake, brilliance, is a pop-rock song with an excellent arrangement with a lot of nice elements. I especially like the heavy bass beat with the strings. The verse melody is quite pretty, too, though the chorus does seem a bit out of place at times.

leave me alone is also a quality track, though it drags a bit, especially at the end. The arrangement is just great with synth and guitar riffs. Chieco’s vocals are also really good in this one, especially in the verses. Unfortunately, that leaves Pink!pink!pink! as the one that shouldn’t have been. The intro gives you an R&B feeling, but it’s only half R&B. The other half is pure pop and the two don’t come together well at all. There is, however, a guest rapper, and it only serves to worsen the song.

Maybe I was being hard on the album for the repeats, because even though they are rearranged (and okay! Fine, with new lyrics), the songs are not (as) bad (as Pink!pink!pink!). little wing has such a beautiful chorus that there’s just nothing I can complain about (except that the ending drags), and Chieco’s innocent vocals really highlight this piece. over has an R&B/hip-hop feeling and the melodies are okay (and slightly catchy).

All in all, while this album is not exactly a gem, there are a couple lurking around. Maybe if she and her producers spent a bit more time on new songs or more promotion, this album would have appealed more to buyers.

Tracklist
1. Kizunairo
2. I Can’t Wait
3. Hidamari
4. Kizunairo -Instrumental-
5. I Can’t Wait -Instrumental-

Kizunairo was Chieco Kawabe’s third single. It was released on January 26, 2005. Charting slightly higher than her previous single, Kizunairo hit #150 for only one week.

Kizunairo starts off a little slow with some funky rhythms. I like the chorus a lot; it’s quite charming and rather pretty. The arrangement is really nice, as well. The “one of these days gonna say goodbye” line is pretty catchy, though. Generally, it doesn’t stray too far from your common pop, but it’s a rather good song with a nice feeling to it.

I Can’t Wait speeds up things a bit. It’s a cute little song, especially the chorus. The arrangement is pretty minimal, so it really emphasizes the vocals, which has an especially cutesy tone to it. I do like the light guitar riffs, because it gives a carefree feeling to it. I actually rather like this song; it’s fun little piece.

The intro to Hidamari is quite pretty and the calming vocals sound very good. I especially like the chorus; it has a bit of a sad sound, but it’s still very nice to listen to. I also like the simple arrangement with the light percussion and guitar riffs.

Tracklist
1. Shining!
2. cry baby
3. quiet riot
4. Shining! -Instrumental-
5. cry baby -Instrumental-

Shining! / cry baby was Chieco Kawabe’s second single. It was released on November 25, 2004. This single fared even worse than her debut, charting only one week at #157.

Shining! is a mid-tempo pop track. You’d think that for a pop song titled with an exclamation point at the end, it’d be really energetic and happy. But it’s not. Even though, it is upbeat and the melody sounds happy, it doesn’t feel energetic at all. I do like the chorus, though; it’s very cute. The intro and outro voices are kind of strange, though, and it gives the song a retro feel.

cry baby has this movie soundtrack sadness to it. I especially like the chorus here. It’s sad, slow, and beautiful and the vocals have a really nice airy feeling. I can never remember the verse, though, and the ending to the song is kind of too much. There’s too many elements, and it’s a little too long and repetitive.

quiet riot starts off with some interesting rhythms. It has a much stronger feeling and a bit of an R&B vibe. The vocals are pretty good; they sound more powerful here than in any of her previous songs. In the middle, there’s this weird kind of rapping (not by Chieco, though).

Tracklist
1. be your girl
2. Hoshi ni Negai wo
3. be your girl -Instrumental-
4. Hoshi ni Negai wo -Instrumental-

be your girl was Chieco Kawabe’s debut single. It was released on April 28, 2004. be your girl was the ending theme for Elfin Lied and Hoshi ni Negai wo was the ending theme for Otogizoushi. Despite the anime tie-ins for both A-side and B-side, it peaked at #67 on the Oricon charts, charting for only 3 weeks in total.

be your girl is a upbeat pop song with a bit of an R&B edge. The intro is kind of cheesy with the English lyrics, but the rest of the song is quite good. I really like both the verses and the chorus. The verse melody isn’t that memorable, but the chorus is fairly catchy. The bridge also fits in nicely and actually feels like an extension of the chorus. It’s just a fun, cute song.

Hoshi ni Negai wo has a laid back feel and a slower, almost ballad like, tempo. The arrangement is rather nice and there is a sort of melancholy feeling to it all, but the rest of the song kind of falls flat. The verses are kind of boring and the chorus is pretty, but very unmemorable.