Koda Kumi Stops Whining And Puts Out A Dance Song

I'm torn. I like Kuu doing quasi-r&b/dance stuff -- certainly after that horrible "MOON CRYING" hole she dug herself into -- and I've forgiven her for her imitation of western artists in the past, but this is normally because I like her version better. The 30 second sample of "TABOO" sounds like it was ripped from Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad, an album already polished to perfection. I don't know if Koda Kumi is capable of carrying that torch. I hope she is; "BUT" is lonely at the top.

One thing in which I am confident is that the PV will be terrible. She hasn't had a good one in awhile, and this is just asking for a cheap imitation of Rihanna's "Disturbia" video.

Oh yeah: I was scanning the radio when I stumbled onto the chorus of Ne-Yo's "Closer", and the first thing I thought was that it sounded like a J-pop song. I haven't heard it much since, so this may be written off as little more than a knee-jerk reaction.

(I went on iTunes looking for "Closer" because the chorus was catchy, but ultimately decided against the purchase because of the slow opening... and the remixes didn't sound like they would save it. I never liked Ne-Yo because I don't like most r&b ballads, and that's all I could remember of him from the radio. Never disliked him, either. It just wasn't my cup of tea, I guess).

There are several songs on American charts right now that give me the Avex-produced vibe. It makes me wonder if -- on top of the seemingly-increased targeting of Asian Americans as consumers of luxury goods -- it's almost time for a J-pop invasion. Like, for real this time. 

Speaking of which, here's a quick pointer for Kingdom Hearts Utada Hikaru fans: no new US album this year. It's an important election year again; she's not going to make the same mistake twice.