Radio Phone Album Review
BEST ~third universe~ (eternal LISTEN LOVE)
Throughout the past couple of weeks, I've become more and more fond of Kumi Koda. And especially recently, I've without a doubt become a stan, or a least a really big fan of Kuu. I think this says a lot, being that my initial assessment of Kumi was not at all a good one, and in fact I sort of despised her as a musical artist. But because I have seen just how great her material is (with a lot of help from Kumi stans like britneyfan), which ultimately is what is most important about any artist (for me), this positive has trumped any negative views I formerly had of Kumi. And with that, here are my thoughts on Kumi's fifth best album,
BEST ~third universe~
Track One. Koi no Tsubomi
I love really cute uptempo songs! And this is just what Koi no Tsubomi is. Kumi sings wonderfully in this song. Her vocals are very attractive and cute, which meshes well with the music. I could very much so hear this song in an anime, such as Cardcaptor Sakura, lol. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this song was used in an anime; it really sounds as if it was meant for cute shoujo anime. Anyway, very good song! 5/5
Track Two. I'll Be There
A nice laid back pop rock song. It's relaxing and very sweet! Mid-tempo. Just perfect. Kumi sounds wonderful. 5/5
Track Three. Ningyo Hime
A more aggressive pop rock song! Much more rock and edgy than I'll Be There. This song has something like an angry vibe? Maybe angry isn't the right word, but you get the point. Koda does a very good job of playing the part vocally. The same way she sang with a cutesy voice for cutesy song like Koi no Tsubomi, she sing with a edgy, more gritty voice to fit this song's vibe. And when I say sing, I mean it. At no point in the album thus far has she tried to skimp on her vocals, which I love and greatly appreciate. The song is great! 5/5
Track Four. With Your Smile
Another cute anime-sounding song! Gives off the same vibe as Koi no Tsubomi! After looking into this, I see that both songs were from the same single (4 Hot Wave), lol. While this is very similar to Koi no Tsubomi in cutesy feel, it's very distinct. They aren't the same song at all. You could consider them something like sister songs, lol. And just like it's sister' With Your Smile is wonderful. 5/5
Track Five. Yume no Uta
Koda better sing it out! Let me just say, I absolutely love by this song. This is a heartfelt ballad if there ever was one. This song oozes power and passion, and Kumi vocal performance is strong and flawless. There was once a time where I doubted Kumi's singing abilities. I had indeed realized that I was wrong even before listening to this album, but listening to this album reinforced that, and this song specifically put the cherry on top. The song's musical production is filled with music, sounds, and instruments that blend so attractively and reinforce the strength of the song. Amazing song. 5/5
Track Six. BUT
The album now gets right into uptempo dance numbers. This song is very nice, something like electropop urban dance. Kumi talks during the verses, but returns to singing for the pre-chorus and the chorus. The vocal performance during the versus turn me off, but it's such a small negative since the rest of the song is great. I like it! 5/5
Track Seven. FREAKY
Get freaky! Lol. R&B/Hip-hip/dance pop,with a small guitar riff on the beat as well. Not as uptempo as BUT, but definitely not mid-tempo. Kinda catchy, not bad at all. 3/5
Track Eight. Girls
Another cutesy uptempo pop record! Koda does these types of songs so well, because again, this song is awesome! I'm not even going to repeat that is soungs like it came right out of an anime, even though it does, lol. She sounds so cute on the song; it's great. 5/5
Track Nine. Ai n Uta
The second ballad on the album. And it's so good!! I love it. Kumi sings this song so well! This ballad has less music than Yume no Uta, and is a tad more uptempo that Yume no Uta as well.Those are just some distinctions I'm making. It's a wonderful, wonderful song. 5/5
Track Ten. LAST ANGEL
An uptempo dancy record. It's very catchy and "cool." It's also cool that Kumi made this song a collabo with a man. During the second verse it's cool to hear the male voice sing, for me especially because I wasn't expecting it, and he sang his part well. This song is great. 5/5
Track Eleven. anytime
A sweet, chill, laid back song. I don't think I would call it uptempo only because of how laid back the song is, but it is faster paced. It's very sweet song, and Kumi sounds great, as usual. Like the song, Kumi vocals are sweet and laid back as well. I like it very much. 5/5
Track Twelve. Moon Crying
Another strong, strong ballad, with strong vocal performance. I love these ballads. So passionate, like you could cry! Kumi wins every time. 5/5
Track Thirteen.That Ain't Cool
Kumi's English verse! I can't!
Song is upbeat and catchy. It's cool that Fergie is in the song. 3/5
Track Fourteen. Lady go!!
Lady lady go!! This song starts off with a bang, and what a wonderful bang it is! It's cutesy, but more mature than the other cutesy songs on the album. It's not a huge huge difference, but you can tell the difference when listening to it. It's uptempo cutesy dancy pop. Kumi's vocals on this song are so good and cute. The autotune on her voice during the chorus sounds very good! It like puts you in a trance! This is an excellent case well-used autotune. Lady lady go! Here we here we go! 5/5
Track Fifteen. TABOO
I can listen to this song and groove with it, but it's not a song I would go out of my way to listen. It's not awful, but aaah, you know. Somewhat catchy. It's the lack of really good vocals that is missing for me. For whatever reason, she's singing very reserved like. I can imagine her singing well, and even singing it all the way out on certain parts of this song, and me loving it. But it's not here. 3/5
Track Sixteen. stay with me
What a nice way to end the album! A lovely ballad. Kumi has been slaying these ballads through and through, and she continues not to dissapoint here with this last one. Her ballads really are special, I would truly stand by that. This ballad is very sweet and strong, just like her singing here. Fab song. 5/5
BEST ~third universe~ is a masterpiece best album. The strongest points on the album are without a doubt the cute uptempos and ballads. The standout tracks are just about every song on the album, so no need for me to list them, lol. Definitely a five star album. Kudos Kumi, kudos.
I don't know when I'll be done, so I won't have the B3U review until later whenever I get back. 
Also thought it'd be worth a mention that Secret First Class Limited is the best selling music DVD by a female in J-Pop history with sales of over 325,000+.
