I was pretty darn proud of Kansai Jr.'s having their first major debut since Kanjani8, so I was very eager to check out Johnny's WEST when they came out with "Ee ja nai ka," especially since it carried on some of the fun spirit of their Kanjani sempai. I was a bit surprised but pleased to get a debut album out of them so soon so I could get a better feel for their overall sound, so let's, in the words of KAT-TUN's Taguchi, "Check it out, yo!"
Ee ja nai ka: This is a fairly standard Johnny's pep anthem with the loud "EE JA NAI KA" at the beginning, hooky chorus, and call-and-response fun in the verses, but it's fun and catchy in the same way a lot of Kanjani songs are. I like it for the same reason I've always liked "weeeek" by NEWS: it's just so much fun to listen to! It's not my favorite Johnny's debut, but it's charming, and will probably do more for older listeners than Sexy Zone, for example.
Summer Dreamer: "Ee ja nai ka" is a little bit hammy, but "Summer Dreamer" shows the group can still do fantastic power pop that's a little bit less silly (in case you didn't already know that from following them in Johnny's Jr.). I'm not always a fan of a lot of Johnny's synth-y backbeats, but it actually works quite well in this style of pumped up summer anthem. These guys have some solid vocals, and the high notes don't sound as chipmunky as some Johnny's artists are accused of being. A very good way to keep the energy from "Ee ja nai ka" going strong on the first half of the album.
Komon: This song moves back into the group's hammier sound, and though I'm usually not a huge fan of these kinds of songs as much as tracks like "Summer Dream," I did find the chorus pretty catchy. It lost me on the instrumentation, though: I can tolerate synth, but synth paired with dubstep is not my thing. If you understand Japanese, this song will also increase your cravings for Japanese food as a side effect, so be warned.
Wake up!: Just as the title suggests, this is another pep anthem of the "get-out-of-bed-and-do-something" variety (need a new alarm track? Here you go!). It's not one of the more memorable tracks off the album, but it's likable and will fit very well into their style of lives. Let's get touring, boys!
LET'S GO WEST ~K A N S A I!!~: Okay, so being the first group to debut from Kansai Jr.'s in awhile is a big deal, so our boys take this short little break to celebrate and say banzai to Kansai and their group together. Time to get crazy! I'm proud of them, too, so I liked this song being featured on their debut album, though I may have put it as the lead off instead of sticking it where it is on the album. Regardless, I am most definitely singing those "na na na na"s with them. Let's go WEST, indeed!
P & P: Oh, Johnny's and your mysterious acronyms. I think one of the Ps has to do with "perfect," but the meaning of the title isn't immediately coming to me, although it doesn't sound as shady as NEWS's "DTF," where I honestly thought they meant the dirty meaning until I looked up the lyrics. This track has a lot in common with "Summer Dreamer" as far as it being a fun summer-y anthem goes, and it's very feel good. Once again, I have to say that I love the vocals in this group. They do get bonus points from me for not doing the vocal split that Kis-my-ft2 and now Sexy Zone has been engaging in. I like hearing everyone sing.
Break Out!: Here we finally get a break from the peppier songs in favor of something more rock based. Fans of this group are already familiar with the live stages of this song, but the album version is even better. Though their growling at the beginning could use a little bit more polish, they're not half bad at delivering the rock-type sound, and I really enjoyed their performance on this track. I also liked the music box type instrumentation in the background, although I wasn't a huge fan of the explosion type sounds randomly thrown into the melody. Overall, though, it's a very good shake up for them on the album.
Criminal: This track keeps some of the rock-based elements from the earlier track while mixing in dance beats to keep their sound edgier and dancefloor ready. Once again, I could do without the dubstep, but overall, I was very impressed by the maturity of their sound in this track. It's a personal favorite, and it does a good job of showing the diversity of the group. They do their upbeat "Ee ja nai ka" songs in true Kansai style, but they definitely aren't a one trick pony. I'm so happy that the group was so firm about bringing the 7 WEST boys into the debut, since it really rounded out their sound perfectly.
Chaunen!: Latin flair? Looks like Johnny's WEST can do a little bit of that, too. I'm a fan of Hispanic pop like Belanova and Juanes, so I'm picky about artists jacking the style, but that being said, Johnny's WEST actually did a credible job of keeping the spirit of those kinds of songs alive, although of course they don't really have the same kind of smoking accent that Juanes has. Not so sure about that random "boing" sound effect at the end of the track, though.
Ban Ban: If you haven't kept up with WEST stages, this one might try and trick you, since it starts off with a ballad-type opening, but then again, the fact that "Ban Ban" is equivalent to "bang bang" in English should clue you into the energetic nature of this track so it won't surprise you. I've liked the group's performances of this song thus far, particularly the slower parts sprinkled throughout the song to shift up the pace, but this one I think comes across better as a live song than as an album version.
Ole Ole Carnival: Another solid summer track that's fun spirited and very Johnny's in style. I prefer "Summer Dreamer" and "P & P" overall, but the dialogue bits and occasional random exclamations in this song are pretty cute thanks to their Kansai accents. Not my favorite, but not bad.
Naniwa Ichitosho: This is another track fans of this group should be familiar with from their stage performances, and though it's one of their sillier style songs, I would be completely lying if I said I didn't sometimes prance around when this song comes on chanting "DANCING NUMBER ONE! SINGING NUMBER ONE! NUMBER ONE ONE ONE!" even though I completely stink at both dancing and singing. It's just too good of a self-anthem to ignore, so even though I'm a bigger fan of their more serious tracks, I still love this song. BECAUSE I AM NUMBER ONE ONE ONE!
Sono Saki e...: This album was in sore need of a ballad at this point, and "Sono Saki e..." is just the ballad to fill that missing spot. The piano instrumentation is beautiful and soothing, and their vocals remain solid. I usually get annoyed when all the B-sides from a single show up on the album, but I wasn't too bothered to see this track again. It's a good ballad, and I hope this group continues to release more in the future.
Banzai Yume Mansai!: Another "Ee ja nai ka" B-side appears, so if you haven't checked out Johnny's WEST's debut single, you don't really need to make a special trip-- just give this album a listen. The track is pretty much ideally styled as an album closer, the placing of it is good, and the "thank you thank you"s are well received.
Overall? I'd put this album in the B range. Minus points for reusing all their B-sides and for only including one ballad, but plus points for showing some diversity with tracks like "Break Out!", "Criminal", and "Chaunen." Johnny's vocalists can be hit and miss sometimes, but I like these guy's vocals, and their Kansai flavor gives them a lot of the entertaining spirit of Kanjani8, though their overall sound is unique. I'm looking forward to these guys making their dome tour debut, since I have a feeling the footage will be killer with this kind of tracklist. I'm very proud of this group, and will be continuing to watch over their career with excitement!
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