ALBUM REVIEW
Ami Suzuki - Supreme Show
1. TEN
2. can’t stop the DISCO *
3. climb up to the top *
4. SUPER MUSIC MAKER (SA’08S/A mix) *
5. Mysterious
6. change my life
7. LOVE MAIL
8. A token of love *
9. TRUE
10. flower
11. ONE *
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Note: Songs with a (*) at the end of their titles have already been reviewed.
Click on the links to see their reviews.
Songs in bold are new tracks and will be reviewed.
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This is Ami Suzuki’s 7th album and it was released on November 12, 2008. This album reached #16 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 8,748 copies. It’s also her first album to be produced by Yasutaka Nakata and it commemorates her 10th anniversary in the music industry.
To start things off for this 10th anniversary album in a very fitting way is TEN. Alongside the normal synth and beats, what I liked the most about this song is the piano. I love the instrumental sections that feature the piano and they provide an interesting twist to the otherwise electronic sound of the song. The lyrics are in English and even though they are quite simple, you can tell that they are about her music career. Words such as challenge, success, setback, and surprise describe the various stages of her career. A great way to open the album in my opinion.
All of the tracks from the can’t stop the DISCO single appear on the album and in their original tracklisting order. I must say that I really like can’t stop the DISCO now and it was one of those songs that took a while to grab a hold of me. It’s also a good representation of the more laid back club sound that the album has.
Now we have climb up to the top, the B-side from that single. I still haven’t gotten over Suzuki’s annoying yelling but the music proves to be hot anyway. The crazy and constant synth riffs are cool and they never let up, actually making this song the most aggressive on the album. If you can get past the yelling, you’re set.
I honestly felt that it wasn’t necessary to include the SA’08S/A mix of SUPER MUSIC MAKER on the album but since it’s so different from the original, I think it’s okay. The remix is less electronic than the original and the vocals sound less distorted as well. A new mix of FREE FREE would have been great too though.
After all of that, a new track finally appears and it is awesome. Mysterious is my favorite of the album’s new tracks and I find it to be an addicting mix of laid back synth and thumping beats. In this case, the song’s repetition is GOOD and the main reason why I think it’s so damn catchy. Despite the lack of variety and the sameness of Suzuki’s vocals, the rhythm is very infectious.
Imagine THe WeekeND, a song from her last album DOLCE, but about a million times better. That’s what I make of change of my life, a retro inspired track that has a heavy 80s new wave sound. The synth lines are funky and I like the constant beats that go along with them. Suzuki’s vocals are similar to what was heard in Mysterious, but that is not a bad thing at all.
The next track features a more involved and synthed up arrangement compared to the previous two songs. LOVE MAIL is filled with higher pitched synth riffs and upbeat vocals from Suzuki. I liked her “cuter” sounding vocals most of the time, except for when she yells “LOVE MAIL!” to signal the beginning of the chorus.
The ending of LOVE MAIL goes right into the aggressive sound of A token of love, which was originally the B-side on the ONE single. I think this song is pretty cool and I love the strong, rampant techno beats mixed with that deep synth. The verses are actually my favorite parts of the song because of the great rhythm heard in Suzuki’s vocals.
I want to say that TRUE is something that Perfume would do because of the way it starts but Suzuki eventually makes it her own. Her deeper vocals are a good indication of that and the bridge features an interesting organ-like sequence. It’s not exactly the most memorable song, but the music has more sweeping synth riffs compared to the previous tracks.
flower is probably the most unique song on the album because of the inclusion of strings. The beginning is very pretty with the flowing strings but there is also a strong beat as well. The overall arrangement is melodic too, the chorus being the best part. Suzuki’s vocals are slower paced for the verses and she showcases elongated notes, but her voice gets stronger for the chorus. This song is definitely a welcome addition to the album.
Ending the album in the most absolutely perfect way is none other than ONE. I love this song to death and I think it is one of the best songs that Yasutaka Nakata has produced for Suzuki (along with FREE FREE). It’s such a strong techno track that is just saturated with intensity. It’s incredibly catchy with a rhythm that never slows down, except for the effective beats that end the song.
Without a doubt in my mind, Supreme Show is Ami Suzuki’s best album. While I said her previous album DOLCE was “great”, this album is far greater in terms of overall sound and Suzuki has found a genre of music that suits her the best. Nakata has created a niche of the ”J-tek” genre that really fits her and she excels at it. While the album as a whole isn’t as aggressive as I initially thought, I take Supreme Show for what it really is: club and house music at it’s best. This is NOT a true dance album and more songs have the laid back, mid-tempo sound of can’t stop the DISCO than the high octane dance vibes as heard in ONE. Even so, the entire album is very addicting and each track compliments the next perfectly. To end this review, the album is the epitome of FIERCE and one of the best of 2008.
Overall Rating
5 stars