Reiji Amaha turns up the allure and charisma for a set of mind-blowing performances in “emerald x amethyst”.
VAZZY comprises Tarusuke Shingaki (leader), Yusuke Kobayashi, Masahiro Yamanaka, Yusuke Shirai, Tsubasa Sasa, Shun Horie.
ROCK DOWN comprises Yukitoshi Kikuchi (leader), Yoshiaki Hasegawa, Takuya Sato, Taito Ban, Takuya Masumoto, Keisuke Koumoto.
Title: 天羽玲司-emerald×amethyst- BELLO Label: Tsukipro/Movic Release date: 25/02/2022 Genre: Dance/Rock
Tracklist:
1 - ドラマ「気安いふたり」 2 - ドラマ「BELLO」 3 - Turn Around Again 4 - Unlimited 5 - Turn Around Again -off vocal- 6 - Unlimited -off vocal-
Track by track analysis:
3 – Turn Around Again
A muffled bassy synth lead and high pitch synth stabs hold your hand into this intoxicating soundscape.
“Turn Around Again” has the makings of a dancefloor anthem with its big party sound however it has a mature and elegant approach to that sound, matching Takuya Sato’s vocals and Reiji’s vibe.
The first and second verses have a unique dynamic and a couple of tempo changes.
The first verse is intense, with big washy synths on top of that massive synth lead + punchy bassline. The synths are dirty and breathy, in a way making it apparent the alluring undertone to this song.
The build-up to this song puts the beat aside, leaving the big synths and vocals to do that job in the smoothest of transitions to the chorus I’ve heard in the VAZZROCK franchise.
The second verse tones things down for its first half, leaving Takuya Sato’s vocals leading the way in a soundscape without big bassy synths, just a slow trap beat with powerful snare and hi-hat triplets. That sound is then complemented by the groovy bassline and bassy lead synth, taking the listener back for another chorus.
The bridge tones things down yet again, leaving progressive synths and a simple bassy beat in the background as Sato turns the switch on for an R&B-style singing that elevates this song.
On the vocal end, Takuya Sato goes all on his technique, bringing to the spotlight for the very first-time head voice, pairing that up with his alluring vibrato.
This is one of Sato’s best performances, showing his versatility as a low baritone/high bass singer, having more than a couple of trumps up his sleeves, namely that unexpected – but extremely impressive – head voice that is much more than an accent but a feature that makes his performance dangerously intoxicating.
4 – Unlimited
Wrapping up this CD is “Unlimited”, duet song that puts in the same stage two of the best voices in the VAZZROCK franchise. A battle of baritones arrives in this dark rock tune.
Guitars are dirty, the drums are surprisingly clean in the mid-tones while the bassline punches its way through the song.
A distorted bassline and hi-hat-driven drums set a slow, mysterious tone to this song, something that is the first in this franchise.
The transitions between verses and chorus are linked with an awesome guitar riff – which is, actually, the main theme to the song, looping or appearing as an accent throughout the song -, all while the rest of the instrumental keeps things simple.
On the vocal end, this was one of the most unique performances I’ve heard in this season, not because it was mindblowing – it does have its moments, I’ll take in a bit more detail below – but for how it was chosen that although Takuya Sato and Shingaki Tarusuke would be taking turns singing in the verses, what happens is that taking turns is but a fraction of their performance.
Sato and Tarusuke perform most of the song in unison but cover completely different sides of their range which, must I remind you, they are baritones, and Sato, up until recently, hadn’t showcased much of his higher range. What happens is that both go incredibly high in the chorus, in a crescendo section that wraps up in a note I was not aware any of them could pull awesome – and it is awesome they did -, and in no less than head voice.
Then, their harmonies sound really good. They feel right. Those two voice tones mesh together in a way that you’ll find yourself trying to pinpoint who was brought forward in the mix at certain times.
When this song wraps up, you’re left wanting more, that’s for sure.
Final considerations
The last entry in the 3rd season of the bi-color CD series wraps everything up with a bang.
It is safe to say that “emerald×amethyst” is Reiji Amaha’s best CD in all bi-color seasons so far, and one that absolutely eclipses all other entries in this 3rd season in terms of quality of the instrumentals and technicality of the performances.
Big dance sound with a massive focus on bass sound and an alluring performance on top. While on paper this may sound generic to you, what you can find in “Turn Around Again” is far from being generic.
Everything about the song seems to have been tailored for Takuya Sato’s voice.
He’s a low baritone (natural range) that can easily tap into high bass (and go for faux bass should he want to), and so far, for all 2D music projects he’s been a part of, he’s been in charge of the low toned vocals, seldom with the opportunity to showcase more of his range.
So when he starts bringing that head voice to the middle of his performance, carrying the right amount of air and sounding really clean while bringing those high notes, you can color me impressed.
“Turn Around Again” is what an elegant dance track should sound like. Mid-tempo, betting a lot in a warm bassy sound while bringing a simple bassy beat, keeping things simple. Nothing about it feels “cheesy” or needlessly “sleazy” or “dirty”.
On stage, Takuya Sato delivers a charismatic performance that balances power with allure in an intoxicating way.
And wrapping up this CD is “Unlimited” song that, yet again, demands the best on the vocal end by Takuya Sato and his duet partner Tarusuke Shingaki.
While the instrumental in “Unlimited” will be certain to sound weird – as a transition from “Turn Around Again” – or strangely dark on a first listen, the more you dive into it, the more interesting it gets. The guitar work for this song is especially good.
But what stands out in this song more than the dirty nature of its sound is the vocals.
The direction for this performance was fascinating. I’ve said before that unison is not really something 2D music projects do well – with some projects overdoing it, others obviously trying to cover up flaws in the instrumental or subpar singers – but this time around, unison was used as a crafty feature.
Takuya Sato and Tarusuke Shingaki are two of the most skilled singers in the VAZZROCK franchise (surprisingly enough, extremely underrated) and have similar vocal ranges showing time and time again that if you need to keep things mature and alluring, they can do so naturally.
However, what you didn’t expect was for them to tap into their higher range more so than the lower one. And what you get is one of the most impressive performances in this bi-color season.
The performance goes quite high at times, insanely technical in those unison crescendo sections that wrap up with head voice.
All in all, the 3rd season of the bi-color CD series wraps up in alluring fashion, with outstanding performances and addictive tunes that will ensnare you from the very first notes into them.
Amaha Reiji -emerald×amethyst- is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
