MINIATURE ALBUMÂ REVIEW: Crystal Kay- Shining
I’ve followed Crystal Kay since all the way back at her Koi ni Ochitara single, and I’ve loved her music ever since. There really isn’t anyone like her out in the Japanese music industry, and she just makes really down to earth music that I think most people could appreciate. She first caught my eye because of her really unique look, being that she’s Korean and African. She isnt’ a combonation that you see a whole lot, and I really think she turned out quite nicely… 
whatever that means…
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The first song on this miniature album is the cutsey tune Shining. As usual she impresses with her strong vocals and unique tone. The song is a pleasure to listen to due to a combonation of good vocals and really fun music consisting of percussion and some synth. I really like the way it turned out. It’s a great way to usher in the Christmas season, and although I don’t think it’s actually intended to be a Christmas song, it certainly has that air about it. I love her airy high notes because of how well she does them, and the fact that she layered them throughout the whole song made me love it even more. The music incorperates some quick guitar strings that appear in a short instrumental break that really doesn’t last long. She makes the whole song sound easy for her, which is always a plus. Just another great song from her.
Vocal Grade: A — Musical Grade: A — Consistency Grade: A
Overall Grade: A
I don’t know what’s up with me lately, but I’m liking almost everything I hear. The dramatic ballad Snowflake is absolutely no exception. The music is Crystal Kay’s typical (yet still wonderful) percussion with occasional strings, and I really find the entire thing to be beautiful. There are points in the chorus where I hear similarities to the B-Side of her Kitto Eien ni single As One (Which was also on her latest album in Japanese as STILL), which is fine by me since I’m in love with that song. Crystal Kay seems to be unable to do anything wrong these days, as her entire ALL YOURS album was filled with brilliance. I just don’t have anything bad to say about this song. Her voice is soft and she delivers a fantastic performance. I love it.
Vocal Grade: A+ — Musical Grade: A — Consistency Grade: A+
Overall Grade: A+
The third song on the album is the song that was apparently intended to be related to Christmas, Happy 045 Xmas. It doesn’t really have anything to do with Christmas other than that she says merry christmas or have a happy christmas a few times. This song is much more upbeat and features quick percussion that supports her vocals well. I don’t get the 045 part, but I’m sure that some die-hard fan somewhere could explain it to me. There are places where the song slows down suddenly, but it doesn’t stay that way for a terribly long time. The lyrics are half english and half Japanese, so the song’s intent is clear to everyone. You’ll all know what I’m talking about when I say that it doesn’t have much to do with christmas. Crystal Kay controls her voice fantastically, which I don’t feel very giving in saying since that’s always the case. She’s one of the better vocalists in the business because her background in English makes her syllables sound more important. Japanese has a very limited selection of syllables and sounds in general, so her English background provides her with the knowledge of how to put the intensity of English into her music. We tend to make our syllables a lot more stressed (Americans, that is), so I think it probably helps. Plus she can pronounce everything.
Vocal Grade: A — Musical Grade: A — Consistency Grade: A
Overall Grade: A
The final song on this little mini-album (which I really think should have just been a large single), is the English No More Blue Christmas’. The music is more ambient and dramatic, and the percussion is quieter than your typical Crystal Kay song. Her vocal performance is fantastic, as expected, and the piano works really well. I didn’t like when she just talked near the middle of the song. It was awkward to listen to, and I didn’t quite understand the point. I don’t know if she wrote this (It might be a cover), but it’s quite pretty. The composition is very alluring, and it draws you in quite well. It’s a great Christmas song, so I really have no complaints. I don’t have much to say about it since I’ve already said it all in the previous song’s reviews or in this one. Anyway, good song, not much to say about it…
Vocal Grade: A+ — Musical Grade: A — Consistency Grade: A
Overall Grade: A
MINIATURE ALBUM GRADE: A
~*Highway-Chance*~ 