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Sweets is the first US release for Yoko, and for that matter, her first full length CD, and already she’s managed to make quite a stir in anime conventions. Yoko however isn’t the only one who’s ever tried to make it as a musician outside of Japan, and other acts such as MAX have tried their hand at gaining fans. But, if Latin artists can manage to find success and sing in Spanish, then why not someone from Japan, and that seems to be the path that Geneon is trying to follow. Yoko does have some very good song arrangements, but the fact is, the at least for me, her music is far too pop sounding. Sure, the fact that is sang in Japanese is great, and I’d much rather listen to her music than whatever the latest flavor of the month is on TRL. There are some songs that are quite great to listen to though. “White Destiny,” the opening for Pretear is a little heavier, but it does reek of the typical anime theme elements, but has a quite powerful chorus that makes the song all worth listening to. “Proof of Life” is another song that does have a similar sound. The main verses are a bit lacking, but the chorus is wonderful, and there’s some great keyboard work in the breaks. Then there are other tracks like “Get Away 2 AM.” This song has some of the most horrid keyboard riffs I’ve ever heard in my life, and the song itself lacks anything that makes it really stand out in any way at all. Fortunately, it can all be forgotten with the song “Fragile Flower,” a track that has a definite danceable bass line, and could benefit a great deal if that horn was dropped from the mix, and I don’t mean in sound, but all together. Of course, “Sugar Baby” is one here as well, and not just in Japanese, but an English version as well available only on the domestic version. While Yoko may appeal to some, I find her music to be far too subtle and, well, sweet for my taste. Maybe my opinion will change if she decides to go more for that super Euro beat sound that other artists like Ayumi Hamasaki and Rina Auchi have used in the past. It definitely doesn’t have commercial appeal written on it, but it certainly is a good thing for fans of the some of the series that she’s worked on that want to listen to their favorite openings time and time again. If you’re into the whole J-Pop scene though, you’ll be completely pleased with this disc. -mike-
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