New AAA Release "DepArture" arrived today!

       It’s been a long time coming, but my new AAA (that’s Triple A to you) Album finally came! It only got its' street release on February 11th  in Japan, so its’ arrival here only two days later is simply phenomenal! I woulda thought I had to wait at LEAST a week!


Although I only ordered the new album in December, I’ve been pretty much waiting for AAA to release  a complete album proper since “Music!!” and Zero came out! DEPARTURE is AAA’s first full-length album since AAA AROUND, which came out waaaaaaaaay back in September of 2007!


Well, it was well worth the wait- Not only did the first pressing release come with a bonus DVD of music clips including BEYOND Karada no Kanata, ZERO, JAMBOREE, TABIDACHI NO UTA and my favortie one, the PV for MUSIC, (as well as the “making ofs” for all of them) my package came from CD Japan with a promotional poster as an added gift!!! I wonder how many of these were given away! When my package came in the mail, I was shocked to see the box so LOOOOOOOOOOOONG! Then I opened it, and saw the poster and thought…COOL!

       Though I haven’t had the time to  give the album a real serious listen, (my preference to really soak in a new album is to drive around in the car and take in the music…I’ll probably do that later this week!) the one go-around I gave it is already catchy and rocking!


PS: Misako looks great on the CD cover and in the booklet, but GADS! What did Chiaki do to her hair? Her beautiful long hair is now chopped to a bob! BOOOOO!

Favorite J-Pop Singles: Kuboh Ruriko / Otoko

I picked up a J-pop collection of theme songs for various japanese commercials and TV Show Theme songs (called, curiously enough, The TV-CF Songbook) primarily because it featured two songs by Kome Kome Club, a group that I rather liked at the time (And would LOVE a bit later) as well as singles from DREAMS COME TRUE and super cool MISATO. But it was the opening song that ended up being my favorite track off the album, an explosive rocker called simply OTOKO(男) by a gal listed as “Ruriko Kuboh”!

Now, I didn’t know just who this gal was, but judging my what I could make out on the teeny-weeny picture of the single in the CD booklet, she was very pretty indeed! Sure, I didn’t know her at all, but that was about to change pretty fast!
Shortly after that, I remember playing the song to all my friends who had even the slightest interest in j-pop, blasting the song loudly upon their unsuspecting ears…Ahahahahaha!

I finally got to see Ruriko Kuboh in action as she performed her single”Hayaku Shite yo” on the 1994 Kouhaku Uta Gassen (that year that also featured awesome performances by TOKIO, Moritaka Chisato, X Japan and…Mikawa Kenichi!) It was pretty cool, as Ruriko was one of the first five artists to appear on the show, and assured me that I was not alone in my love of this young lady!

And if I was happy to see her in the 1994 Kohaku, I was absolutely STOKED when I finally got a copy of the 1993 Red and White Songfest, and found out that not only did Ruriko perform “Otoko” on the show, it was the OPENING SONG!!! YES! I was BLOWN AWAY!

Give a listen to “Otoko”, and remember…TURN IT UP!