Review of Sanada Genichirou's album - "Sho"

I've not had time to post this review even though this album was released at the end of last month. For now, I will go through the main CD itself and will post a review of the bonus CD which features Sanada's seiyuu, Kusunoki Taiten and Tezuka Kunimitsu's seiyuu, Okiayu Ryoutarou at a later date. Note that the tracks which I recommend will be marked with an asterisk.

1) Fuurin Kaazan - Instrumental*
Strong blend of Asian-style and Kitaro-type of music. Majestic feel which brings out the aura of the Emperor i.e. Sanada.

2) Fly To Tomorrow
A fast rock number where the lyrics are mainly about embarking on a journey now to achieve the dream, do not be fearful and prepare to face obstacles along the way.

3) Ginmaku no Bogey*
Retro-style, mid-tempo, an 80s feel. Description of a stormy night in the city is meant to bring out the theme of loneliness felt by a man and what lies ahead after the skies clear up. Somehow, I get the idea that this seems to be talking about the solitude Sanada experiences as he's at the top but he can't really find someone to share his success. And Taiten-san's voice is really suitable for such a song, partly due to his low vocal range and the image of Sanada where he doesn't really look like a 15-year-old after all. ^__^

4) Kirisame*
Sentimental number with lyrics depicting a rainy afternoon. "Others seem happy to me. Even though I'm pleased about the pursuit of my passions, I feel lonely when I stop to take stock of my life. I can't lie to myself about this. I didn't know how gentleness was until I saw your smile. The present will become nostalgic memories in time to come." This is one of the few songs which suggests a tinge of romance as most songs have lyrics talking about Sanada's passion for trying to make it to the top be it for tennis or any other thing else. And if he's that lonely, I'm glad to keep him company. :-)

5) No Surrender
This is the only song which Taiten-san wrote the lyrics for and he said that it was tough to do it during the Rajipuri clip in the bonus CD. This is a fast, techno-style number which is in tune with the central theme of striving towards your goal without giving up. Personally, I do like the lyrics which Taiten-san wrote but the melody doesn't suit my tastes.

6) ROLLING STARS
Rock style number, same theme as what I mentioned above.

7) Totsugeki! Gekkan Pro Tennis [Sanada Genichirou Hen]*
Retro-style song with lyrics in the form of the interview thus most of the lines are sung by Inoue & Shiba from Gekkan Pro Tennis. What struck me most was how they managed to turn this into a rather catchy and groovy song and it turned out to be better than I expected.

8) Seishun no Kage tachi*
Guest star for this track is Hanamura Aoi and this is yet another rare number in this album because it's a sentimental duet. Well, there's nothing to suggest that Sanada and Hanamura are put together as a couple (I would be the first to object since Hanamura is already paired with Shinjou). In addition, the song is of the enka-genre which makes it even more interesting. The main message is about the helplessness and uncertainties experienced during youthful days and the things you can't achieve during this period. Hm...I know Sanada looks too "mature" for a junior high kid but this just seems way-off for him to sing in the prime of his "youth".

9) One Way Dream
Fast tempo-band style number. I like the lyrics but not the music. "A wolf breaks free of the pack to seek challenges and thrills while being oblivious to the solitude it will face. Even if I try to hide my outstanding performance, I still stand out from the crowd. No matter how many rivals come my way, I will not hesitate to crush them". Don't you think the lyrics just seem so fitting of Sanada's confidence in his abilities?

10) SQUALL*
Fast number, lyrics in line with central theme but I like it mainly for the melody.

11) Miraizu ~way to go~
Guest star is Yukimura Seiichi but I was quite disappointed with this song. It's a slow and groovy number where the lyrics are nice too. The biggest issue would be Yukimura sounding more like he's reading his lines instead of singing and there's not much changes in the melody whenever he sings. That's why I think it spoils the entire song.

12) Shinkiro*
Slow number which is soothing to the ears. "Achievements are but a fleeting sight. However, I want to leave a proof of my existence thus I will build a bright future with the hard work of today."

13) Pride
Slow number, same message as the central theme.

Conclusion
Although I am recommending about half of the songs in this album, the other half bores me primarily because of the fact that the central theme is repeated too often. I would have wanted more variation to that because there's more to explore in Sanada other than his passion for achievements. I thought that the ingenious way of an enka in a duet manner with Hanamura Aoi was a brilliant idea. It would have been better to show off a more varied perspective of Sanada Genichirou as a person.

As for the guest lineup, I was initially apprehensive of the Gekkan Pro Tennis duo and Hanamura foiling the songs but they turned out to be very good at singing with Sanada. The issue lies with Yukimura where the seiyuu, Nagai Sachiko cannot do anything about the problem at all because the melody forces her to sing with almost the same tone throughout the song. I expected more from the Top 2 of Rikkai but was disappointed because of the melody.

On the whole, I will not say that this album is terrific even though I'm a big fan of Sanada but it's still worth buying the album for the good songs. Besides, you may have a different take on the album due to differing tastes. The biggest incentive would be the bonus Rajipuri CD which lasts for close to an hour where there are lots of humour and juicy details shared by Taiten-san and Okiayu-san. I'll share that with all on a later date.