Destiny Line – Ai no Matador –

NEWS’ second studio album, entitled pacific, was released on 11.07.07. Since their last album, touch, the group became six members after Kusano Hironori and Uchi Hiroki were suspended for underage drinking. The album features many songs with the six of them singing together, a few solos and some duos and trios. Three singles were released before the album: TEPPEN, サヤエンドウ／裸足のシンデレラボーイ and the always uplifting 星をめざして.

The album opens up with the extremely addictive and dirty 愛のマタドール. The song opens up with a pop instrumentation with Spanish guitar tints hidden before the first verse starts. Both Koyama and Ryo do a good job with their vocals to really keep with the music and they deliver their lyrics strongly. The hook features English phrases such as “don’t leave me” and “I’m lonely.” The chorus is very catchy with pretty dirty lyrics for the boys but the vocal talents and the interesting instrumentation keeps the listener hooked. The pure instrumental section in the middle of the song allows for a perfect dance break, as the hot music keeps the song alive. The song ends just as strongly as it began, finishing with an absolutely hot dance instrumentation that keeps its addictive quality. 愛のマタドール is an absolutely perfect opening track for the album and it shows off a more kakkoi side of NEWS that works extremely well on them.

Up next is サヤエンドウ, which was released as a single before the album. The lyrical theme of the song centers around pirates and the unbreakable bond of friendship. The song opens up with some vocals followed by the first verse, in which nearly everyone gets to sing a line. All the voices sound great and Massu does an excellent finish to them. Before each chorus is one line sung by one of the boys and the vocals during these lines are particularly impressive. The chorus consists of both English and Japanese as each line begins “Bravo bravo” before a Japanese line comes. The second half of the chorus is just as addictive as the first and the final line shows off the boys’ vocal talents as the effortlessly hold the final note of the final word. The pure instrumental section spotlights just how light-hearted and fun the instrumentation is before another solo line and the final chorus. The song ends much like it began with the same vocals to bring the song to an excellent close. サヤエンドウ is a perfect song right after the opening one and makes for a fun and enjoyable listen.

TEPPEN was the last single to feature Kusano Hironori and Uchi Hiroki before their suspension and the happy song appears as the third song on the album. The song starts off right with the chorus, which is the perfect opening to capture the happy and uptempo atmosphere of the song. When the first verse starts, the vocals sound nice over a simple instrumentation primarily driven by the guitar. The hook sounds great as there is more of an instrumental presence, which is a strong build up to the chorus. The third verse keeps the interest in the song high as the instrumentation slightly changes and for a moment, the song goes into a ballad moment before the chorus comes booming in strongly. The song ends on a great note with the fun instrumentation to round out the song as strong from start to finish. TEPPEN is a fun song that finds its home on the album.  

The boys explore rock with the fourth song on the album, Change the world. Aggressive rock instrumentation opens up the song before the first verse starts. Shige does a great job of capturing the atmosphere of the song because his vocals are somewhat deep and capture the song’s atmosphere perfectly. The hook and chorus are more poppy in contrast to the verses but they still work together to make a cohesive song. Massu’s voice is as clear as a bell on the hook and he does a good job of capturing the more uptempo and positive element of the chorus. The boys harmonize nicely on the chorus to continue that hopeful sound from the chorus. The pure instrumental section really spotlights just how cool and slick the music of the song is and shows off some amazing guitar playing. The song finishes off with the chorus and the following aggressive instrumentation to bring the song to a perfect close. Change the world is a nice change of pace and a good venture into rock sounds, which suits the boys very well.

The album’s first slow song, 君想フ夜, appears as the fifth track. The song begins with an instrumentation that somewhat is reminiscent of Japanese traditional instruments. The verses feature vocals that go perfectly with the music and serve as good connectors to the chorus. The chorus is the strongest part of the song as the boys harmonize wonderfully and the emotional presence of the song really comes to life. The pure instrumental section is very enjoyable and introduces the third verse very nicely, which puts Massu into the spotlight and show off some good vocals. It’s the final chorus that really features the song’s most powerful vocals before the song ends with the same pretty instrumentation. As the album’s first slower song still with uptempo elements, 君想フ夜 is an excellent addition to the album.

Koyama and Shige have their chance to shine with the smooth and sexy アリバイ. The song opens up with a smooth instrumentation before Koyama delivers his verse. His vocals sound great over the music and he shows off both his ability to hold notes and a bit of his vocal range is showed off as well. The chorus features both boys in order to really bring the song to its finest point. Shige takes his verse and his voice is somewhat deep, which really fits perfectly with the music. The third verse is really where both boys are able to show off more of their vocals, particularly Koyama, to keep the song all the more enjoyable. Near the end of the song, “happy birthday” is said and fits with the lyrical theme of the song. The mentions of both Massu and Tegoshi are a nice way of making the song feel like a story. The song then finishes with the same smooth instrumentation with some nice vocals to bring the strong song to a close. Both Koyama and Shige delivered extreme talent on this song and although they don’t have as many solo parts as the other members, this proves that they definitely have that magic.

Ryo shows off what he can do with his solo song, code. The song begins with the guitar driven instrumentation with some nice and somewhat rapid lyrics from Ryo. As the instrumentation begins to show off its more rock sound, Ryo’s shouts work perfectly to capture the song’s atmosphere. The verses are nice as Ryo’s vocals work with the music but it’s when he screams alongside the rock instrumentation and during the chorus that the song comes to life. code is nice but it doesn’t take the listener along for the ride like the other solos and duets on the album.

Shige and Koyama team up again for チラリズム, a fun song with a carnival-like atmosphere. The song begins with a very uptempo instrumentation with the chorus, which is catchy and one of the most memorable parts of the song. During the verses, English phrases such as “hey boy” and “hey girl” repeat and because of the always interesting instrumentation, once again Koyama and Shige create the atmosphere of a story with their voices. The pure instrumentation section shows off the flare of the song as well as spotlighting some great guitar playing. The song isn’t as strong as their other duet, アリバイ) but it’s definitely a fun pop song that is worth the listen.

愛なんて offers a chance for Tegoshi, Ryo and Shige to have their talents spotlighted on this ballad. Tegoshi opens the song wonderfully with great vocals over the piano-driven instrumentation and the emotional spirit comes through slowly. The chorus is really where the emotions of the song come out with more emotional vocals to bring the spirit of the song to life. It’s after the chorus, that the instrumentation becomes more varied than just focusing on the piano. The chorus really is what makes the song what it is as one of the most emotional parts on the album appears here. 愛なんて  is a nice song in which the three boys bring the emotions to the surface with powerful vocals over a beautiful and complimentary instrumentation sequence.

Massu, Yamapi and Koyama work together on なんとかなるさ, a fun song that captures the sounds of summer perfectly. The song opens up with more of a softer sound before Massu brings the listener into the sounds od summer with some vocals before the first verse comes in. The vocals over a simplistic instrumentation really combine to capture the feel of the song wonderfully. The happy and poppy atmosphere really comes to life with the chorus, with some very nice vocals. The pure instrumental section is really fun and is perfect for summertime and shows off just how much flare the music is carrying. The song ends with the chorus and then much like the beginning, a slower and softer sound. なんとかなるさ is an excellent summer song in which Massu, Yamapi and Koyama do a fantastic job of portraying.

Yamapi has his solo with ゴメンネ ジュリエット. The song opens up with a twinkling instrumentation that creates a beautiful and magical feeling before the first verse comes in. Yamapi sounds great here as his voice follows the direction of the music while keeping his voice in conjunction with the music. The chorus really stands out as Yamapi displays even more vocal power as he sings the title of the song for the last line of the chorus, there is an unidentified female singing a short smooth vocal line that gives the song that extra push. He then delivers a rap section with rapidity to his lyrics and it doesn’t sound out of place at all. The same beautiful instrumentation finishes the song off just as wonderfully as it began. Yamapi does an excellent job on his solo song and keeps the listener following every vocal and every piece of instrumentation from start to finish.

裸足のシンデレラボーイ  features the boys coming together for a great semifinal track. The song opens up with a magical feeling as well before the song’s true aggressive instrumentation comes in. The verses feature a variety of great vocals that go well with the music to create that story-like atmosphere. The chorus is more poppish than the verses but the boys harmonize perfectly to keep the song just as addictive as it began. The holding of the note on the title of the song definitely stands out and connects to the pure instrumental section that re-introduces the verse. The aggressive and addictive instrumentation brings the song to a close and really shows off the rock flares that are present in the music.

The album closes with the hopeful song 星をめざして. The song begins with a beautiful piano interlude before the first verse starts with the vocals combined with the insturmentation form a beautiful sound that keeps the listener hooked. The verses really do sound great and show off the boys’ voices perfectly. The energy is picked up with the chorus, which features a more uptempo sound with the element of hope within the instrumentation. The combination of the two elements form to make the song even more enjoyable. The third verse is just as beautiful with a slightly different instrumentation to put an emphasis on the wonderful vocals. The song ends with the instrumentation to bring the song and the album to a perfect close. The song is a great album closer as it signals that the boys of NEWS will be reaching for the stars for a long time to come.

Album Ranking: A

The second album from Johnny’s Entertainment group NEWS is certainly something not to miss. 愛のマタドール, サヤエンドウ and 裸足のシンデレラボーイ are perfect examples of what the boys of NEWS can do when they come together. The KoyaShige duet bring definite quality with both of their songs, showing they can shine on an upbeat song and a slower song. Yamapi’s solo is definitely noteworthy and Ryo’s solo is somewhat worth the listen as well. Tegoshi shines on 愛なんて and his presence on the group songs is key for the song’s addictive quality. Massu shines on なんとかなるさ and much like Tego, he brings something special to the group songs. pacific is a great collection of songs and shows that NEWS is a definite must-listen-to.