Shoya Chiba makes an impressive and mature solo debut with the 1st EP “Blessing”. Never has a male seiyuu artist sounded this good in a debut album.
Shoya Chiba’s solo debut and background
Shoya Chiba, talented seiyuu and rising star best known for his role as Shin in the popular anime series 86 takes the stage as a solo artist in January 2024.
Chiba has been really active in the 2D music scene as a member of HighxJoker in the SideM franchise as well as the leader and vocal in KilLLER KiNG in the B-PROJECT franchise.
He’s also a member of the rock duo Kashicomi and a former member of the talented seiyuu unit SparQlew.
Last but not least, Chiba is the face of PERFECTION NOISE (as part of NOISE NOVA), CARNELIAN BLOOD (as part of EROSION), VISUAL PRISON (as part of O★Z), and Tokyo Color Sonic!! franchises.
As a solo artist, Shoya Chiba is signed to King Amusement Creative (King Records), music label that houses seiyuu artist talents such as Mamoru Miyano, Soichiro Hoshi, Shouta Aoi, and Yuma Uchida.
Review
Title: Blessing Release date: 17/01/2024 Label: KING AMUSEMENT CREATIVE Genre: Rock/Pop-rock/Space-disco/Post-rock
Tracklist:
1 - I’ll be
2 - Hi-Five!
3 - 感情論
4 - WISH
5 - Blessing
“I’ll be” and “Blessing” have lyrics written by Shoya Chiba.
Track by track analysis:
1 – I’ll be
Shoya Chiba opens “I’ll be” in a quiet way, with his voice guiding you as a guitar plays in the background.
Slowly, the intro builds up a lot of tension, introducing the drums, bass, and piano in the instrumental. The speed and intensity in the instrumental changes and lead the way to the first verse, one of full-throttle guitar riffs and fun drums.
The bassline is crazy for this song. As soon as the verses kick in, you will notice it punching the way through the instrumental, leading the way for all other instruments. As a result, the song has a lot of bounce and will sound quite deep and warm until you reach the chorus.
The chorus is hopeful and overflowing with energy, bringing a simple rock sound to the spotlight as Shoya Chiba comfortably performs the song. One thing I believe will work out amazingly with this song is the “woah woah woah” chants. This is something made to hype up a venue. And in this CD, it is yet another way to let go of all the tension you will find in this song.
Now, let’s talk about something that I’m an absolute sucker about guitar solos. Yep, you know it. A good rock song usually has a good guitar solo. And in “I’ll Be” you have that and more.
The shredding guitar solo appears right after Shoya Chiba raises his tone and goes for a powerful note in legato. There’s so much tension in this part that the guitar solo appears to unleash it in the best way possible.
Better yet? The guitar solo has a good length to it and is really melodic and fun.
Worth mentioning that Shoya Chiba is not playing it safe in this performance – the opening to this EP. He’s actually already showcasing his vocal range and technique and is not shy about it!
You have falsetto here and there – adding more tension to the performance -, comfortable mid-toned tenor vocals throughout and even fancy legato with a volume change.
Shoya Chiba makes a big impact right from the start. And I love it.
2 – Hi-Five!
“Hi-Five!” welcomes you to a clap track playing alongside playful guitar riffs. Right from the start, it is easily noticeable that this is one of the most “radio-friendly” tunes in this EP.
In a way, this song feels like skater rock from back in the late 90s but in another, the song leans more towards a pop-rock sound, bringing easy lyrics and melodies to the forefront while adding a dash of synths to make it more “bubbly” or “playful”.
The verses bring muted guitar riffs on your right and synths on your left (if you’re listening to this song with headphones it is easily noticeable). As far as the mixing goes, you have a good separation of all instruments, with their placement being easy to understand.
When the chorus kicks in, electric guitars – 2 by the sounds of it – join in and add a lot of power and depth to this song. Paired up with the vocals I can see this song being quite the energizer made to put a smile on your face (if it hasn’t already).
The bridge is a bit underwhelming at first. At least it felt like it to me. The synths come to the forefront while not giving a satisfactory release of the tension in this song. This is one of those cases in which it feels like composers played too “safe” to avoid disrupting the flow of the song. And that is valid.
As far as the vocals go, Shoya Chiba has an interesting challenge in his hands with this performance.
With this instrumental, he had to bring a lot of energy and excitement to his performance, something he delivered.
At the same time, he continues to showcase his talents bringing a hint of vibrato, raising his tone a bit and bringing yet again those blasting legato notes.
Strong performance.
3 – 感情論 (Kanjouron)
“Kanjouron” is a stylish downtempo space-disco-meets-R&B tune that has everything and more you could expect from Shoya Chiba.
This is an unexpected turn of events but one you will love because Shoya Chiba’s voice is like honey in this song. Pure honey.
The soundscape is wide and echo-y, with atmospheric synths giving this song a dreamy vibe that, honestly, I don’t want it to end. On top you have a groovy downtempo bassline and hi-hat-driven drums. And the cherry on top for me is those funky guitar riffs that serve as the main melody for this song.
The soundscape is warm, feels mature and stylish, a whole loungy vibe that I was not expecting but now, I want more, much more of it.
As a result, you can feel the funk vibes from the instrumental, the R&B style of singing by Shoya Chiba and the dreamy downtempo vibe. This is space-disco at its best with what may even be a hint of citypop (those wah-wah guitar riffs in the chorus take me to that sub-genre).
The chorus is pure bliss. The guitars playing in the back, the drums at center and Shoya Chiba performing close to you, even going around you (the panning down for the “step to the left” and “step to the right” parts in the lyrics).
After the first chorus you have yet another unexpected part in this song: rap and a hip-hop beat alongside. Chiba went for clean singing in R&B style (adding a lot of legato, smoothening his vocals and focusing on being melodic), added rap in the intermission and ad-libs and legato in the outro. He is an absolute beast in this song.
This is, hands down, the best song in this EP.
4 – WISH
The tone changes for “WISH“, song that brings melancholic acoustic guitars accompanying Shoya Chiba’s vocals.
The intro is slow-paced and focuses only on the acoustic guitars and his vocals but as you get to the verse, a piano, punchy bassline, and tight snary drums join in. The dynamic changes but not as dramatically as when the chorus kicks in.
The guitars muffle in the background, going for minor key chords which, in return, make the song sound dramatic. You can feel those post-rock and shoegaze rock influences in this part of the song.
When the chorus kicks in, you’re sucked in. Completely. The drama, the raw emotions on Shoya Chiba’s vocals, the slightly emo-rock, downer vibe. Everything in this song sucks you in.
When the outro kicks in, and the piano takes the lead as the electric guitar goes for a solo, you know that this song is unbelievably good. You feel like you went through a long journey and it was only 5 minutes.
Out of all the songs in this EP, this is the one that goes heavier both in tone as well as in storytelling through music only.
You could remove Chiba’s vocals and this song would tell you a tale of hope, and melancholy, all with a focus on a good outcome. I was engrossed in this song from start to finish.
5 – Blessing
And wrapping up this EP is “Blessing”, song that comes full circle, bringing fast-tempo pop-rock to the table.
The verses are all about their speed and energy, taking you through the piano and electric guitar-led instrumental. However, before stopping by the chorus, you come across a beautiful – and quite lengthy – pre-chorus in which a piano adds a layer of beauty to this song.
Worth mentioning Shoya Chiba’s falsetto in this part that not only adds to that beauty but is a nice touch, adding a lot of variety to his performance.
When the chorus kicks in, you’re already well into those shredding electric guitar riffs. In the background, drums
The song features a guitar solo accompanied by amazing work on the piano, drums, and bass. You can feel the bounce, the excitement, and the energy in you.
As the bridge kicks in and the guitars echo in the background, the soundscape in front of you is wide and limitless.
A nice touch that you will notice in this song is, as you enter the outro, Shoya Chiba adds a whispered “Blessing” really close to you. In a way, it feels as if he is thanking the listener for betting on him. I love this kind of care for such a detail.
The song wraps up with a beautiful piano run, leaving me wanting more.
Final considerations:
Shoya Chiba kicks off his solo career already sounding like a veteran in the industry.
This is unheard of. This is unbelievable.
And let me tell you why.
“Blessing” feels like the best of showcase of Chiba’s music passions – songs and artists that influenced him even down to music genres – as well as his singing skills. And he doesn’t shy from showcasing both with a lot of confidence, charisma, and pride.
This was the first time I’ve listened to a debut EP (or CD for that matter) as consistent and with the singer already giving 110% since the start. No experiments. No playing safe.
Just doing what feels right.
And oh boy, isn’t this EP a treat to listen to!
In this EP you will find 2 songs with lyrics by Shoya Chiba. Interestingly enough, those are the opening and closing tracks in it.
“I’ll be” and “Blessing” are amazing on their own and really make this EP come full circle, feel like we had a beginning, a middle, and an end. This cohesion feels intentional and if it is, we have a crafty lyricist in our hands.
“I’ll be” takes the cake as the best self-penned song in this EP but don’t disregard “Blessing” just because its sound is more “radio friendly”. It is still an exciting, fun, and shredding pop-rock tune well worth your time and, in a way, the best summary of what this EP is at its core: a fun and bold listen.
As far as the best songs in this EP go, “Kanjouron” and “WISH” take the crown for me. “Kanjouron” is everything and more I could wish to hear from Shoya Chiba. Yes, I’ve said that I’d love for him to tackle rock music mainly but to have him tackle space disco with an R&B twist was something I didn’t expect and also didn’t know I wanted in my life.
As I am writing these conclusions, I have “Kanjouron” in a loop. It is that good of a song. Easily entering the list of best songs in 2024.
“WISH” is a bold take on emo-rock, shoegaze rock and post-rock coming from Shoya Chiba. These are all pretty niche music genres and, among male seiyuu artists, only Soma Saito is betting on those (this already tells you how niche these music genres are that all other seiyuu artists are avoiding them).
Chiba has an amazing emotional range that serves him well for a performance as dramatic and intense as this one. Melancholy plays a big role in setting the tone, with those distant guitar licks echoing into the void. His vocals added the punch the song needed to really go after your feelings.
This song stood out to me for how unique and daring it is. But that’s not all, not many male seiyuu artists would even dare bet on such a niche bundle of music genres for one of their songs – much less on a debut EP. I love how confident Shoya Chiba was that people would be curious about it and want to check it.
This was a gamble but thank god he actually added this song to the EP.
“Hi-Five!” is fun and overflowing with energy but somehow, it lacked a bit of the “punch” that the rest of the EP gave me. It was amazing song after amazing song and then “Hi-Five!”, a solid song but that, in contrast, lacked the storytelling or the craftiness of the other songs.
Shoya Chiba didn’t shy away on the vocal end. And this is a big reason why I am now saying that his solo debut is the best we’ve had in the last decade.
Hands down.
(Yes, I know, Kent Ito was bloody amazing but this debut hits harder because it’s not a digital single but a full-fledged album. It has a concept and consistency you won’t find anywhere else among rookie solo artists).
“If ‘Blessing’ is just him testing the waters… I’m really excited to see and hear what he does next!”
And this, my friends, is one of those times in which I will say that it was worth manifesting his solo debut for 3 years (so, so worth it!). It is so good to see a ridiculously talented singer among seiyuu finally be rewarded.
Shoya Chiba has been showing his talents as a singer for a long time and he finally got his chance to showcase what he is made of.
If “Blessing” is just him testing the waters… I’m really excited to see and hear what he does next!
Congrats on an amazing solo debut, Shoya Chiba!
And it’s time to say, “Blessing” is a strong contender for 2024’s album of the year, and is easily one of the best solo debuts – by a male seiyuu – in a decade (2014 – 2024).
“Blessing“ is available for purchase at CDJAPAN and Amazon Japan (they ship internationally).
“Blessing” is available for streaming on Spotify.
Do not download this CD from pirate websites. Remember to support Shoya Chiba by streaming via official outlets.
Want to purchase the CD but are still wondering if it is worth it? I’ve got an unboxing video for you!
Love this!! It makes me so happy to see your reviews on Chibasho because I never see anyone talking about him </3. I have high hopes for whatever else he’ll work on and create!!!!!!
It’s so good to find more Chibasho fans! 🙂 Just like you, I’ve got high hopes for whatever he releases next (we still have to wait for details on his 1st single, to be released this year). Thanks for the kind comment, Corn Nugget!