DIARY
March 26, 2008
01- My Beginning
02- Soba ni Iru ne feat. SoulJa
03- ONE WAY
04- My Dear Friend
05- Last Letter
06- Rhythm
07- GOOD TIME REMIX feat. MIKU from YA-KYIM
08- Higher
09- Paradise
10- This Day feat. Dohzi-T
11- Kono Mama De
12- Anata ni Aete Yokatta
13- Mama e
14- DIARY

 

Soba Ni Iru ne feat. SoulJa – 10/10
The album opens with a pleasant sounding pop/R&B song with a simple classically influenced piano melody. The composition of the song is very interesting as Thelma and SoulJa singing at different times and there isn’t exactly a chorus, just a few repeating lines. If there is a chorus, it is very similar to the verses. However, the song isn’t bland. There are times when the piano stops, or when the song changes key. Thelma’s voice is beautiful and layered very well. SoulJa also contributes to the calmness of the song and compliments Thelma’s vocals incredibly well. Everything harmonizes very well.

 

ONE WAY – 10/10 (Preview Song)
This R&B song is very well done. Many J-Urban upbeat songs will sound similar. ONE WAY uses similar beats, but includes a sweet melody in the background that compliments all parts of the song – verses to chorus. The song is very addicting, and Thelma’s vocals sound strong and perfect for the song. Her rapping is amazing in the bridge. I would give this song above a 10 just because I’m so impressed with it =P

 

My Dear Friend – 9.5/10 (Preview Song)
Actually, I really like Thelma’s vocals in the beginning of the song and chorus. She sounds a little whiny, but I think it has to do with the tone of the song. Again, Thelma uses a typical J-Urban song like Miliyah would sing, and adds some great new elements to the instrumentals so that it doesn’t sound boring. First of course, her singing. Second, the violins and other sound effects. The beat changes in the chorus here to make the song more upbeat since it is slower in the verses. This is just very well done, like the previous songs.

 

Last Letter – 9.5/10
I love the verses here because like I said, Thelma makes sure they are interesting with new effects than regular J-Urban songs. She uses both a piano melody and guitar melody. The bass also helps to move the song along by playing a large roll in the song. All of this almost draws attention away from the beat, which is probably why Thelma’s songs sound so different. The chorus isn’t exactly to my taste, but her humming afterwards is amazing. But just just like in the verses, the chorus moves along nicely so even if you don’t love it, it is easily listenable.

 

Rhythm – 9/10
The song opens with a beautiful taste of the chorus of this song, and I am instantly attracted. Thelma again uses piano, guitar, and bass melodies. The chorus adds in more layers of vocals and some synth violins. The transitions are not abrupt and the song flows very nicely. I am in love with her vocals in the chorus – they fit in perfectly with the song. I actually love the whole chorus melody, and how the song ends with all of the instrumentals continuing their melody while she is done singing.

 

GOOD TIME REMIX feat. MIKU from YA-KYIM – 8.5/10
I have not heard the original version of the song, so I can’t really compare. I like the verses of the song and the sound effects, but the chorus is a little boring – It doesn’t add anything new to the song. I think as an R&B collaboration, it is pretty good instrumentally. But something is still missing from the song.

 

HIGHER – 9.5/10 (Preview Song)
I’m immediately drawn in by an addicting synth beat and amazed right after with a taste of the upcoming chorus. There are some instrumental gaps with the verses, but everything rolls in wonderfully for the chorus. This song reminds me a lot of Rhythm. The entire chorus instrumental is amazing and is hard to pick apart and critique in such as short time =P Thelma uses a lot of different synths in the chorus, that sounds great. However, they sound a bit out of place in the bridge. The last chorus changes keys and I hear Thelma’s true vocal power =O

 

Paradise – 9/10
The opening is a little boring… not as exciting as the previous song! But the guitar melody that follows in is very addicting and that attracts me to the song. You actually hear the full guitar chords, not just a little melody in the background. It is a very nice change for the album at this point. The choruses are still a bit bland, but it’s still a good song. This song makes me want to go to the beach

 

This Day feat. Dohzi-T – 8/10
The opening melodies to this song sound very BoA-like. All cute and childish. The song then relies on piano chords. I do not like how Thelma’s vocals are harmonized in the chorus AT ALL. It is kind of annoying. The song in all feels very childish… and it just didn’t work =P To put it bluntly, I do not like it. (But maybe someone else will, so I can’t rank it insanely low)

 

Kono Mama De – 10/10
Wow, Thelma speaks English pretty well! Finally we hear a ballad by Thelma. I am getting chills from listening to this song. Her voice is beautiful, and the light violin synths in the background sound perfect. The dripping sounds remind me on CK’s “Butterfly Garden”. The guitar melody also gives the song more character. In the second chorus, more violin synths are added. Overall the song feels very jazzy and mature. There are so many pluses to the song I just had to bump it up to a 10.

 

Anata ni Aete Yokatta – 9/10
This song opens with some real guitar work, and makes it sound pretty jazzy and blue. I’m not good with identifying these styles though =/ So I can’t really tell. The song has many pauses, and doesn’t add anything new in until the chorus over a minute into the song. Even then, it’s not enough to pick up the pace. Over the length of the song, Thelma’s vocals are layered more and I’m impressed with the harmonization in the 2nd chorus. The guitar solo is also nice. Although it is a bit boring (that being its only drawback), the song works well in its category.

 

Mama e – 8.5/10
I’m wondering now why the album is slowing down! Mama e is pretty much a mid-tempo ballad and is a bit boring until the first chorus. I love how the violin synths pick up and there is a lot of harmonization. I can tell that this song’s lyrics are pretty corny even though I don’t know much Japanese (Well I think even if you knew just English you’d find it corny)… but unlike Miliyah, Thelma does a good job limiting the corniness in the vocals and instrumentals.

 

DIARY – 10/10 (Preview Song)
The final song on the album is a gorgeous ballad. I can tell by the opening that it is going to be very beautiful. The chorus picks up from the slower verse, and Thelma’s beautiful voice surprises me. The violin melody is beautiful and reminds me of some of BoA’s jazzier songs. The piano, guitar, and bass continue in the 2nd verse to pick up the pace. The instrumental bridge is beautiful, and stands out especially since Thelma is an R&B singer. DIARY combines elements classic to ballad making, so it’s no surprise how good it is. Most J-Urban singers don’t do well in ballads. But this is beautiful. I’m now impressed with her versatility.

 

Quality of A-sides: A
Quality of B-sides: A
Album Flow: B+
Singing: A+

 

Final Score – 95% A
I first listened to ONE WAY a while ago and was impressed by the song, but didn’t think much else of Thelma. I couldn’t understand the hype about her. After deciding to listen to this album, I was so surprised that I hadn’t realized her potential earlier. Thelma’s music is brilliant and different from other J-Urban singers. In fact, as a SINGER she is different from the others. My first realization is that she can make R&B songs even more interesting than some other singers. Songs such as Rhythm and HIGHER remind me of Miliyah Kato. ONE WAY reminds me of SATOMI’. As a newcomer, how can Thelma create songs that are better than these two singers’? Her music is very creative and fresh. Secondly, I realized Thelma’s overall talent. She can really pull off any category of music as proven in this album. She can sing an addicting R&B dance song, beautiful ballad, mid-tempo R&B track,… she can even rap well!! I can’t wait to see what Thelma releases next!