Eri's cover songs review + moar H!P iTunes goodies

I'll start off with the goodies first. Chisato, as well as a slew of other Hello! Project members released a couple of solos a couple of days ago. It's unknown if it is tied to this Hello! Cover thing, but who cares. They are studio quality solo recordings!

And now onto a review of Eri's. I don't have all of other's, so a review of them will have to wait. But I will go ahead and say that Airi's solo was pure win.

Eri has spent some time in my top 10 favorite members. She's been as high as #4. She has (pleasantly) surprised me on numerous occasions with her power. I've always considered her to be a solid singer, but not great. Definitely underrated though. Would her cover album hold up to my past evaluations of her?

1. Furusato (originally by Morning Musume)



This song has been covered to death (including this one, my iPod now has six different versions and there are even more than that out there), so you'll have to forgive me if I wasn't looking forward to hearing this for the millionth time.

There is something cool about Eri's version though. She uses a lot of vibrato, which works well in this song, I think. Eri's version just seems sincere and that is exactly how a song like Furusato must be sang to do it justice.

2. Koi wo Shichaimashita! (Originally by Tanpopo)



I never was a fan of Tanpopo (I'm not even a fan of Tanpopo#), but this was one of the songs that I actually liked. Kamei is one of the few current H!P members that would have fit right in with the original Tanpopo. For the second song in a row, this is sang exactly like it should. I might like this version a bit better than the original.

3. Manatsu no Kousen (originally by Morning Musume)



If I had known she was singing this song, it probably would have been one I'd look forward to. It's one of the few Morning Musume classics that I don't think is sung enough. We've had more than enough Love Machine or Renai Revolution to hold us off for another 20 years. I'd love to hear this or Memory Seishun Hikari a little more often.

Eri's version is seriously awesome. If this was my first exposure to Hello! Project, I would instantly become a fan. I won't go as far and say its as good as the original, but it's by far the best cover of the song I've ever heard. This is my most listened to song of the cover album.

4. Seinaru Kane ga Hibiku Yoru (originally by Tanpopo)



Okay maybe I should reconsider my dislike of Tanpopo because this song is straight up amazing. Manatsu may be the most played song of the bunch, but this is my highest rated song of the bunch (I rated it 4.5/5 stars on iTunes). Eri's version was my first exposure to this song so I came in not knowing what to expect. Because of that, I can't compare, but I do know that this is another excellent choice by Eri. She really knows her voice well. If you only buy one song from the bunch, I would suggest this one.

5. Egao ni Namida ~Thank You! Dear My Friends~ (originally by Matsuura Aya)



My first exposure to this song was at the Elder Club graduation. I remember being awestruck hearing Aya sing this song along with all of H!P. She just sounded great and looked so cool standing in front of her kouhais. I was really, really worried for Eri taking on this song. I would have thought it to be out of her range, but she completely proved me wrong. Aya definitely sings this better, but Aya sings everything better than everyone so that's not surprising. This is a very, very close second best song of the cover album for me.

6. Love Namida Iro (originally by Matsuura Aya)



Yay, more Ayaya songs. Should be great right? Not quite. Maybe it's because Chisato already covered this song first. Maybe it's the fact that I've heard Aya sing this a dozen times before. Whatever it is, I'm not realling feeling this cover. For me, Love Namida Iro is just classic Ayaya and because of that, it is virtually impossible to not compare it to the original, which Eri's version cannot begin to compare. If I had to pick a version besides Aya's then I'd go with Chisato's, but again, no one can beat Aya.

7. Koi no Hana (originally by Abe Natsumi)



Okay now we're back on track. I kind of like the original. You can definitely tell it was written for Abe if you've ever listened to her music before. With that said, this could totally be an actual Eri single. Once again, I think Eri picked a perfect song for her voice. This is exactly the type of song I hope she sings if she decides to go solo after she gets her health in order. Actually this is kind of out in left field, but I'd like to see her sing an enka song just for kicks.

8. Onegai Miwaku no Target (orginally by Melon Kinenbi)



Again we have a song that I'm hearing for the first time. I'm kind of indifferent to this one. It's nice to hear Eri sing a rockish song to change things up a bit, but I'm not sure if it fits. This might grow on me though.

9. Kousui (originally by Melon Kinenbi)



The last song of the album. It's not bad. Doesn't make me want to sing along (which is probably for the best). I kinda wish she picked a different song other than this one, but I'm not really complaining. She sounds pretty good here; I just don't like the song.

And there you have it. Overall I really enjoyed this cover album. It's a really, really interesting concept if done properly (i.e. having the girls pick their own songs and not making them do the same songs as Eri). A couple of the songs I probably won't be listening to unless they pop up during shuffle, but the rest of them I definitely will listen to again (as in right now).

If you want to support Eri (and you know you do), then you can buy the songs here: http://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/id406607944

Just click the button on the far right of the song you want to buy that says "iTunes で見る" and iTunes will open on your PC (assuming you have it installed). You can then purchase the songs from inside iTunes.