Artist: May J.
Album: “Believin” EP
Label: AVEX Music Creative
Year: 2010

Intro

I decided to check this EP out from May J. since it had been some time since I checked out any of her music, and it was suggested that I listen to this EP called “Believin’”. May J. often releases good music, so I felt that it was worth checking out.

Good

Normally, I dislike it when albums have intros, interludes, and outros, but in this case, I enjoyed them. The interludes in this project are better than most other albums out there mostly because they’re like mini songs. The interludes are better than a lot of songs other artists have.

Most of this album is pretty high energy especially “Ano Ni Tsu Ga Arukara” which is the lead track featuring Ryo the Skywalker. She also has Urata Naoya from AAA on a song too which is also really hype. The amazing thing is that even though she has guests on her projects, it’s always reminded that she’s the most important vocal in the song, especially with her powerful voice. The guests add to the song but are never the primary focal point.

Due to her ability to speak multiple languages, when she does a song in English, it just sounds so natural especially like her rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”. I feel that May J.’s artistic vision and amazing vocals allow her to remake this song to her own liking. She’s one of the very few artists in the world that can remake this Christmas classic but with a twist.

Bad

I was pretty amazed at how much I really enjoyed this project. This EP was a prelude to a full-length album released months later called “Colors”. If this was a prelude, then this prelude is better than a lot of artists’ full-length albums.

Overview

Listening to this EP reminded me why May J. is one of the best vocalists in all of Japan. She can hit those notes for ballads or work with guests collaborators on a song. She can belt out songs by herself or she can make hip-hop and R&B songs.

Overall rating: 4.5/5
Reviewed by: Timtastic