Morning Musume – Sexy 8 Beat [8th Studio Album]
Posted on: July 25, 2008
Morning Musume’s 8th studio album, entitled Sexy 8 Beat, was released on 03.21.07. Mitsui Aika had her first album shot with this one and four girls had their last. Singles released before the album were as follows: SEXY BOY ~そよ風に寄り添って, ~ Ambitious! 野心的でいいじゃん, 歩いてる and 笑顔YESヌード.
元気 + starts off the album on a strong note. The song starts off with an instrumental that really hooks the listener as there is a dark element to it that builds and persists. The hook stands out as the girls’ vocals move with the music perfectly and although they are repeating one line, it doesn’t feel repetitive at all. The first verse has a certain attitude to it that makes the listener take notice. The chorus is wonderful as the girls harmonize nicely and the vocals go with the music perfectly. The pure instrumental section stands out as the sweetness of the music is spotlighted even mixed with a looming mature sound. This song is a great way to open up the album and nicely spotlights the more mature side of the girls.
歩いてる (Album Edit) is the second song on the album. The song starts off with a happy midtempo sound as the chorus starts with the girls happily singing the lyrics. There is a more mellow feeling instilled in the verses and the vocals are a little softer but they stick out to the listener strongly. The chorus then repeats and the fading out of the vocals at the end of the chorus is a nice touch. The jazzy feeling that appears on the pure instrumental section really helps hook the listener as the chorus comes back in. By slowing things down a little bit, the song is a nice addition and provides a different sound for the listener.
The third song on the album is 未来の太陽. The song starts off with an upbeat and cute sound that introduces the song very nicely. The first verse has some very nice vocals that go with the music perfectly. They reach the higher notes strongly. The chorus is great too as the poppiness comes full force in a strong way to make the listener pay attention. The pure instrumental section is definitely enjoyable and spotlights that fun and happy atomsphere. The girls do a great job on this one and is certainly enjoyable.
笑顔YESヌード (Album Mix) very nicely shows off the girls’ more mature sound. That cool and more mature sound comes through right from the first moment and the opening vocals actually sound pretty nice. Once the first verse starts, the vocals are somewhat deep in keeping with the song’s atmosphere. The chorus is the most addictive part of the entire song, particularly when the girls sing the title of the song. As one of the most addictive numbers on the album, this song finds its home and resonates with the listener strongly.
Kamei Eri and Mitsui Aika team up for 春ビューティフル エブリディ. To start of the song is an enjoyable and interesting instrumental with a midtempo feel. The vocals during the verse have a prettiness to them that catches the listener’s ear and compliments the music very nicely. The chorus stands out as the girls give a little more vocal strength and the English pops very nicely. It’s a nice way to slow things down and give these two girls their turn in the spotlight.
Next up is the addictive and mature, SEXY BOY ~そよ風に寄り添って.~ The song starts off strongly with a hot dance instrumental that makes the listener take notice and the recurring “sexy boy” is a nice touch. The first verse then starts and the vocals sound great and certain notes are held very well when called for. The chorus stands out and once again, the “sexy boy” parts sound great and the English line “fall in love” ends the chorus very nicely. The following hook sounds nice as the notes go a little higher and the girls hit their mark strongly. Once again, the girls deliver an addictive song with a more mature sound and enjoyable vocals.
Ambitious! 野心的でいいじゃん follows, keeping the tempo and energy high. Opening the song is an upbeat instrumentation with a certain darkness to it that really stands out to the listener. The chorus sounds great as the girls’ vocals show strength and demand attention. When the first verse begins, the girls continue to move with the music nicely as the vocals remain strong, particularly with the final note. The pure instrumental section sounds fantastic and catches the listener’s ear immediately from its first moment. This song is a fantastic album standout and definitely necessary to listen to.
Yoshizawa Hitomi takes the lead on the eighth song, その出会いのために. A sweet piano instrumentation starts off the song and once the first verse starts, things pick up and her vocals match the song very nicely. The chorus sounds great as there is something romantic about the song that stands out to the listener and the whole atmosphere is reminiscent of a story. She does a great job of bringing out the romantic atmosphere on this one and her vocals are great, making it one to remember.
Takahashi Ai, Niijaki Risa, Fujimoto Miki and Tanaka Reina team up for シャニムニ パラダイス. The song starts off headstrong with a hyper instrumental and the chorus as the girls’ vocals match the energy. The first verse sounds great as all the vocals work with the music to make an enjoyable atmosphere and really capture the song’s essence. An interesting instrumental and fun vocals help this song stand out from the rest and make the listener notice just how enjoyable the atmosphere.
The semifinale song is 宝の箱, sung by Shige-pink and Koha-pink. The song begins with a nice instrumental although it isn’t as hooking as other ones. The vocals are okay but the music doesn’t grab the listener as strongly as it should and thus the listener loses interest as the song goes on. It’s the first weak track on the album and would’ve been better without being placed on the album.
Finishing off the album is BE ポジティブ! The song opens up with happy and fun music and soon the vocals come in, which go with the music very nicely. It’s pretty nice but it isn’t as strong as other songs and shouldn’t have been the album’s finale. The girls do give a good performance though and show the happy atmosphere with their vocals nicely though.
Album Ranking: A +
Sexy 8 Beat is a wonderful collection of songs from Morning Musume which show off a more mature style to the girls. From the coolness of 笑顔YESヌード to the addictive SEXY BOY ~そよ風に寄り添って~ to the sleekness of Ambitious! 野心的でいいじゃん, the girls really shine. 春ビューティフル エブリディ and その出会いのために provide nice slow numbers to make the album more diverse. Overall this is a strong album and the girls really capture the mature sound well.
Destiny Line - Ai no Matador - 
January 2, 2009 at 10:58 am
This 1 is definitely my all time favorite MM’s album.. i’ve got the regular version and its worth every penny…