Judah’s entry in Dear Vocalist‘s EVOLVE series is his most emotionally charged release to date.
Title: "Dear Vocalist Evolve" Entry No.3 Judah
Label: Rejet
Release date: 18/09/2019
Genre: Rock
Tracklist:
1 - 最愛
2 - インビジブルマン
3 - TOP SECRET [DRAMA TRACK]
4 - Can you tell me the meaning of XXX [DRAMA TRACK]
5 - ストレート [DRAMA TRACK]
Track by track analysis:
1 – 最愛 (Saiai)
Saiai kicks off with melancholic guitar riffs and gentle, longing strings. The tone is remorseful, evolving into an emotional song that will put the emotions in check. The song structure is quite interesting.
The dramatic, slow-paced intro, the urgent, remorseful, and, at times, suffocating verses, the emotionally charged 2nd chorus, and outro, then the lyrics. The theme explored in the lyrics materialized in an astounding way. The outro is sure to deal a major blow if too immersed in the song.
When it comes to the vocal performances Soma Saito mixes low tones in the intro with his mid-tones filled with vibrato in the verses. There is a bit of rawness in the emotions in the chorus, culminating in a spine-chilling performance in the outro. This song quickly grabbed a spot as one of Judah’s best songs.
2 – インビジブルマン(Invisible Man)
Wrapping up this release is Invisible Man, song that explores the minorities of pop and electronica, blending those seamlessly in his trademark raw rock sound.
Synths are big and metallic, blending with runner-up, almost tropical-inspired melodies however those do not dominate the song, only take it further and make it louder, more noticeable, and exciting.
The synthetic snare is a nice complement to the live drums, blending rock and electronica is a pleasant way while enhancing the power that the drums bring to this song. The pacing of the song is comfortable and fits like a glove when paired with Saiai. Vocals have a bit of manipulation, not enough to stand out in a negative way. Good melodies and harmonies by Saito.
Final considerations
Judah’s entry in Dear Vocalist‘s EVOLVE series is his most emotionally charged release to date. It showcases a mature character exploring fears and uncertainties while coping with the feelings of love and longing.
It is with songs like Saiai that it is showcased that maturity that was not present in later entries in the franchise. The lyrics, filled with double meanings, the way those were internalized by Soma Saito and then put out in the open, showcasing fresh bruises made his performance stand out for how are and emotional the whole performance ended up being.
The instrumental is also a thing of beauty. RON did a fantastic work with the composition and arrangement of this song.
Invisible Man in comparison sounds a bit weaker in emotional charge but it tried to fill what was missing with big synths and melodies and exciting vocal performance. Might not be the highlight but it is a good song nonetheless.
All in all, Judah‘s entry in the Evolve series is filled with novelty, exploring new emotions, delivering stunning performances, and putting our emotions in check. Great release in a series that, up until now, is filled with amazing songs and eclectic takes on rock music.
Dear Vocalist Evolve Entry No.3 Judah is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
