Album review: MiChi - Up to you

MiChi is right on cue with her studio debut. Slickly produced pop. Catchy hooks. A bit of an underground edge. A look which is different to your average Japanese pop star to catch your attention. Yep! MiChi will fit right in. But whilst everything seems all nice and A-okay on the surface, the real test is of course the music. And MiChi does not disappoint. Her music passes the test with flying colours and shreds your faves.

I've not heard a J-Pop artist drop an album of this style and pull it off in a good while. Quite a few of the songs remind me a little of the kind of songs which featured on Ayumi Hamasaki's Next level. Only MiChi pulls them off better because she has more sass and a vocal that doesn't warble, is much sharper and she doesn't hang on every note as Ayumi can do when it's not needed.

The easiest category to file MiChi's album under would be pop. But that's a bit too general given the sounds the album encompasses and spans. So, to be more specific let's say Up to you is a pie that consists of slices of synth pop, rock, acoustic pop, dance and a ballad. Despite the variety, Up to you has a very consistent sound, in large part due to the album being produced by one person, T.O.M. Some songs on Up to you do have similar sounds, so you can expect to hear one song and think "Wait, that bit sounds like what'cha'ma'callit..." But no two songs sound EXACTLY alike, and the songs aren't worse off for it either. Every song on this is so bloody good, that it's hard to go knocking points off for similarities.

Much of MiChi's album consists of the pop / rock sound that been popularised again by songs such as Kelly Clarkson's "Since U been gone", Katy Perry's "Hot 'n cold" and pretty much everything Max Martin, Shellback and Dr. Luke have had a hand in producing over the past 2 years. This may not sound like the best sales pitch of MiChi's music. So just take it as a loose comparison. But think fun, poppy hooks and a little bit thrashy here and there and you're kinda half way there. Kinda.

"Promise" is a song that I'm sure many MiChi lovers (full on lovers and potentials) have heard. It's was certainly 'the one' that turned me into a fan. The song is such a fun, feel good song that it's impossible to hear it and not feel lifted and chipper. It really does move you. I played it to one of my friends at work and she immediately asked me to do her a mix CD with it on there. "Change the world" shares the same 'feel good' vibe. And if you like "Promise", you'll like this song. "Kiss kiss xxx" sits nicely in-between "Promise" and "Change the world" sound wise. Then you have a banger like "Hey girl", with a bounce you can work your waist to. Very No Doubt-ish. I can't believe I disliked this song when I first heard it on the "Change the world" CD single. "Something missing" is my favourite song on the album. Thrashy, edgy, catchy and a great hook. This most definitely should have been a single. Closing the album is the title track "Up to you", which sounds exactly like "Promise", but with vocoded vocals, a bridge section of ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ thrown in and a key change at the end. Still, it's a great song and a nice way to close the album. Especially after the albums' ballad "You".

Whilst MiChi is down with the trashy light pop, rock - she truly lets go and comes alive on the dance cuts. These are the songs where MiChi's edginess and affinity with the underground scene start to show in spades. The first time I heard "Madness vol. 1" I could not believe it wasn't made into a full length song. It's so catchy. "Why oh why" is a trip of a song. Blips, synths, stamps, hand claps and a head nodding hook. It sounds something Tommy february6 would want to snatch with both hands. "Shibuya de punch" is odd, but it will make the shoulder bounce. The song is about some guy getting beaten up, mugged and nobody doing anything - all to a backdrop of glam pop. Gotta admire the art. I wasn't keen on this song at first, but I f**king love it now. As with "Why oh why" the song goes on an extended run of instrumental sections, which switches in ways that you do not see coming.

As is a current trend around the world: MiChi's album features the dreaded auto-tune. And on quite a few songs too. If MiChi's vocals aren't auto-tuned, then they're heavily filtered and vocoded. In MiChi's defence, It works because the songs her vocals are effected on are so frenetic and energetic that it helps her vocals merge almost with the music itself. "Promise"'s pre-chorus sounds much better when MiChi's vocals are filtered than not (as on the 'Smart sports version' of the song). But there are a couple of occasions when it feels like it's too much and unnecessary.

MiChi's debut album is bloody awesome. It came as a real shock. I figured that the singles and B-sides were so good, that there was no way the album could match the quality of them consistently. Boy, was I wrong. If you've heard any of MiChi's singles and liked them, then you'll love this album.

MiChi is officially in my list of J-chicks I love.

RATING: 10 / 10

Album highlights:
■ Madness vol. 1
■ Promise
■ Change the world
■ Why oh why
■ Hey girl
■ Kiss kiss xxx
■ Rain
■ Oh oh...
■ Something missing ★ J's fave
■ Wonderland?
■ Shibuya de punch
■ You
■ Up to you

All about the girl: MiChi in the spotlight