Tracklist
1. Odore
2. Yukiyanagi ~we’re watching you~
3. Odore -Instrumental-
4. Yukiyanagi ~we’re watching you~ -Instrumental-

Anyone remember Yuna Ito’s Mahaloha single? It was a duet with Micro from the now broken up Def Tech, and he has also started his own solo career. Odore is his second single, released on May 21, 2008. It debuted at #8 on the weekly charts and has sold over 30,000 copies. Also, it was theme song for the Aoi Yu drama Osen (which is where I first heard it).

Odore has this folksy, yet R&B/hip-hop feel to it. There’s this rap sequence in it, that I guess isn’t too bad, but feels a bit out of place. The verse melody and chorus melody are really good, especially the internal rhythm. Lately I’ve had the chorus stuck in my head, which is undoubtedly the best part of the song. Micro has a bit of a raspy voice, which actually works quite well for Odore. As a whole, I really like this track, but if I could just get rid of the rap sequence…

The b-side is also pretty good. There’s some really interesting classical elements in the arrangement, but the track is still distinctly modern. It reminds me a bit of Mahaloha, with the clapping and the island-y feel. I like the melodies; they’re not really catchy as Osen but are quite pleasant. His raspy voice doesn’t work as well here, though, as is does in Odore, but at least there’s no rapping.

Buy this single: CD only

Happy NANA Day Everyone!! (Well not yet in the states, but since I’m overseas, it is for me. =) )

Tracklist
1. Mahaloha
2. Shining On
3. stuck on you -Reggae Disco Rockers Kiss & Tell Remix-
4. Mahaloha -Instrumental-

Mahaloha is Yuna Ito’s eight single. It was released on June 27, 2007 and peaked at #4 on the Oricon daily charts and #5 on the weekly charts. Mahaloha was a collaboration between Yuna and Micro of Def Tech. It has currently sold over 20,000 copies.

Mahaloha is such a great summer song. The term ‘Mahaloha’ was a term coined by Yuna and Micro, a combination of the Hawaiian worlds for ‘love’ and ‘thanks;’ naturally the theme of the song is love. It’s upbeat and has a folksy feel to it - especially with the clapping throughout the song. The melody is fairly simplistic and the chorus is pretty catchy - after listening to it for a couple of times I had the chorus stuck in my head for awhile.

Shining On has a jazzy R&B feel to it. I really enjoy the beat and the brass together here. Some of the lyrics are kind of random (like ‘good day sunshine’), but her voice sounds great at some points. I like the arrangement in this one, especially the interlude three-fourths of the way through.

The new arrangement of stuck on you takes out a lot of the brass that the original mix had. It also adds in the marimba and some other funky sounds. I’m not sure if I like this new arrangement. stuck on you is too much of a pop song to turn it into a “Reggae Disco Rocker” song, whatever that’s supposed to mean.

Buy this single: CD only