SINGLE REVIEW: Stephanie- Winter Gold
Although people whine and complain about the way Stephanie looks, I really have done well in separating her voice from her image. However, I really don’t think that she’s ugly. She might not be gorgeous, but she’s certainly not below average when it comes to looks. If the right elements are in play, she’s really cute. I think this is for sure her best cover yet, and that she honestly looks quite good in it. I have been a fan of Stephanie since her debut single which was absolutely amazing due to its diversity and sheer vocal power. There were some weaknesses that I picked out, but they were overshadowed by her astounding vocal range and pitch. People say that her high notes are her only good quality, but I think that even without them her voice is really clear and attractive to the ears. I have been waiting quite a while for my most recent review of Stephanie, Winter Gold.
———
The main track on this single is the fantastic upbeat Winter Gold. Despite it’s pace, it really manages to incorperate the feeling of winter quite well. The overall idea of the song is quite cute, and I love the way she sings it. Vocally, Stephanie does an absolutely superb job. Her tone and high notes are flawless, and I really feel that this is assuredly her most engaging A-Side to date. Kimi ga Iru Kagiri was fantastic, but this song really keep you entertained with it’s upbeat nature. The music is made up of very quick percussion and brass back up, along with a few synthetic additions. I think this song really brings Stephanie into a new light for me, even though it sadly did not chart well at all. Stephanie really deserves her record deal, and I can totally see why they made their choice. This girl’s voice truly is diverse, and thankfully so much better than Angel Girl, which I think is the only song in her discography that really could be compared to this one. I love the echo effects used on her voice and that you can hear barely audible background vocals after the verses. Whoever composed this is truly talented. The way they arranged her vocals creates the most beautiful effect, and the chorus is absolutely brilliant. The tune of the whole thing is amazing, and I have to say that this is probably my favorite song from her ever.
Vocal Grade: A+ — Musical Grade: A+ — Consistency Grade: A+
Overall Grade: A+
Next up is the more rock-esque song Life. It kind of reminds me of a watered down All the Way or To.Be.Me, but the composition is a little bit better. The background vocals are entirely percussion and electric guitar, which without superb vocals would be decidedly boring. Musically there is a bit of an awkward moment when the vocals stop and it shifts to piano, but I’ve grown to enjoy the change in pace after listening a few times. I have to say that if she didn’t perform so fantastically in this song, it would be really boring. She puts a ton of energy into her vocals, and it really shows. It’s like you can really tell she likes doing what she’s doing. I don’t know who composes her music, but they should really be proud. If she composed even just the way the vocals blend with the music, then she’s a lot more amazing than I realized. The way everything fits together in this song is amazing, and it really pulls you in. It’s not quite as good as the A-Side, which is to be expected, but it’s giving it a run for its money. This is an amazing single, and I’m really shocked at its lack of popularity. Well Stephanie has certainly earned her place among great new artists of 2007 for me, and I can’t wait to hear her next single and hopefully coming debut album.
Vocal Grade: A+ — Musical Grade: A — Consistency Grade: A
Overall Grade: A
SINGLE GRADE: A+
ehh? i dun understand why people say she’s not pretty and all..she’s pretty..but u know..the type that doesnt look pretty at first sight..The more u look at her the prettier she is..well, look at koda kumi..i actually think she look ugly and looks like a guy who’s tryin to become a girl..no offence to koda kumi’s fans!
…the more I look at her she still has those unappealing droppy eyes and weird poster… but I must agree that Koda Kumi is.. well, what you said xP (no offense!!)
I think her vocal ability makes up for her looks…
Her voice is really similar to Yuna Ito’s, except less polished.
WHAT. she’s a doll!!!! and her voice seems to have come out of nowehere…very nice, i definitely loved winter gold, and life took a couple plays before i decided tha ti liked it a lot too…it’s a cute and fun single
Hm, this single is ok, Winter Gold is probably the weakest A-side to date, but her B-side of Life is stronger than To.Be.Me and about as good as All the Way, maybe even better in my opinion. I don’t like how she is ending off her single with an Accoustic version, the original is better, I’m not that pleased that she is doing another accoustic for Because of You for her next single. She should release more new songs, Ben was a good third song, better than Angel Girl for sure.
hmm… is she the one that is mixed with albanian and japanese?