If you're a true follower of YajiSuzu, it is impossible for you to have missed the announcement of the amazing collaboration for today : "Pokemo. Presents Yajima Maimi & Suzuki Airi Accoustic LIVE".
Impossible for you to also have missed the particularly original and pretty well designed goods that released as well as the marvelous photosets of these true talents girls together, such as these ones :
Obviously, we obtained an illegal radiorip after the event (you know, those things we all hate because it doesn't respect the work of our idols and leaves no suspense but that we all, without exception, have to download at least once to hear the sweet voice of our oshimen or just a damn good concert because we can't wait ?), and since I just want to hear the absolutely angelic, beautiful, poetic voice of my oshimen as sweet as a pool of candyfloss in which I plunged my soul in desperate quest for love from this pure being blablabla - and that I just wanted to listen to a damn good collaboration - I download it. Punkt.
AND.
It's only after checking the setlist that I
fucking hasted my lovely self to play that radiorip (while skipping the MCs)
GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry, that looked good on my PC)
01. Sakura Chirari
Awwww ! The acoustic version sounds so mature compared to the original. Although I'm used to °C-ute's one, their voices are really incredible on it. I find, at the first listening that their voices complement each other. Airi has a more gentle tone that make the song slowly trickling and Maimi's adds a little spice. Yeah I'm suspicious when I describe songs. I LOVE MUSIC OK. This version is a very nice and very good entry into the live. I also love the instrumental part, catchy and joyful as it should be for that song.
02. Yes! All my Family (Suzuki Airi solo ; Yajima Maimi chorus)
YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. It's. been. about. freaking. time. I'm. waiting. for. that. I was so tired of sad ballads for Airi lately, I wanted Yes! All my Family back ! Done ! Though, I'm generally a big fan of songs with a nice instrumental, but I must say that this version is totally different and I don't know what feeling it leaves me, if I prefer it to the other or not. I think this song is something that needs a real dynamism, and even if the instrumental is very well reflected through the orchestra or whatever, it makes me feel a little weird not to hear wotachants here and feel less "connection" with the audience than in normal lives. It will probably grow on me. Airi never disappoint me. She still has that childlike tone, cheerful and pleasant when she sing it, acoustic or not. I think it's a good point.
03. Lonely Girls Night (Yajima Maimi solo ; Suzuki Airi chorus)
To be honest, I've never been interested in this song. I didn't like the album SHOCKING 5 and I didn't pay attention to it in live because I found it boring - contrary to her other solo songs, I think I've never even listened to fully. I make the effort to go forward for the report here, I must say that the lyrics are very nice and the acoustic version attracts me more than the original. Great job Maimi ! Her voice was truly amazing here, I'll pay attention to your work more !
04. Venus (Shocking Blue) ~ Love Machine (Morning Musume.)
OH. MY. GOSH. I was surprised. By everyone talking about Girlfriend from Avril Lavigne I didn't even noticed there was another song in English in their live ! Venus was just so adorable, I can't believe that, being really objective I really think it was truly good even though I didn't get some lines. I'm really impressed by them, I just want H!P to have more songs made my other artists than Japanese ones in their events and why not doing some singles totally in English when their level will improve ? So I'm really glad they took the initiative to push forward their fear of singing in English and do efforts to starting something new and original in the H!P world. The mixing with Love Machine was truly good too.
05. Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
This made me smile so much, I can't even explain. I can't wait to watch that in live, I'm sure they were soooo cheerful. I absolutely impressed by them, they did a great job ! I love how Maimi forgot some lines. Airi blew me away, like truly, she really wanted to sing in English and I'm just so impressed by her talent. During Buono!'s concert they read a French letter and she was the one with the most fluent accent, here she is too.
They could do the crappy Japanese version and they did the English one. That is just adorable from them. They didn't swear, too, contrary to Avril in her song, that little detail made me smile too.
06. REMEMBER YOU (Suzuki Airi solo + guitar)
I've always loved this song and the lyrics that touches me greatly. I loved how Airi had timidly played guitar during her solo event a while ago, I'm glad she took the time to improve to give us an even more successful performance, she seems more confident I guess it's a great new. The musical accompaniment made by the other musicians makes this version better than any previous one. I also noticed her way of saying "Remember you", it's not a "Rimemba yuu" anymore and even if it seems trivial probably for some of you, it's something that is really important for me, knowing that she is really working hard on her English. I'm really proud of her.
07. Kimochi wa Tsutawaru - BoA (Suzuki Airi solo)
YES? YES? YES?! YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES ! THIS SONG. TOO MANY MEMORIES. H!P KIDS AUDITION. THE THING I WATCHED 52156158181 TIMES AND THE MOMENT WHEN I DISCOVERED HER AND I TOLD MYSELF "IT'S HER. FROM NOW." *calm* Well. This is a truly marvelous performance, even if as usual when she's singing and can't really take her breath Airi's screaming more than singing for some lines. Besides that, I'm just very surprised at her choice, but also truly ravished. So much nostalgia, I can't imagine the reaction of the fans who followed her since H!P Kids and are seeing her, grown, after all this time singing this song with the same passion. Great. Just great.
Lol, Caroline Airi is back during the MC ! (For those who don't know, the character Airi was playing during the AB°C tour as °C-ute's Tap teacher)
08. Ame - Moritaka Chisato (Yajima Maimi solo)
Blew. Me. Away. I've never been a fan of Maimi's voice tone during calm songs, really not at all. I think her voice is better suited for dynamic songs, but this was so soothing, pretty and precious that I have to admit that - even if I never had any doubt about it - she is really talented and if she puts so much inside a performance, ballad or genki, she can be so wonderful beyond words ! The instrumental accompanying her sweet voice is considerably beautiful, too. Amazing.
09. Sweet Memories - Matsuda Seiko (Yajima Maimi solo)
Continuing the awesomeness of the previous performance, I am pleasantly surprised. That was an superb combo of "sweet melody".
10. Boyfriend - aiko
I loved that song ! Their voices are perfect for it ! Kinda jazzy and I loved the variety of the tone in the lines, sometimes low, sometimes sweet, sometimes impressive, sometimes funny... Absolutely successful performance, probably their best duet in that live for the moment from my point of view.
11. Aitai - yuzu
The kind of emotional and powerful ballad I love, through the lyrics or the melody. Maimi's voice which give even more power and Airi's one which accentuates makes it all wonderful. I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE WHAT'S THEIR MOST AWESOME PERFORMANCE IT'S ALL GOOD.
12. Sekaichii HAPPY na Onnanoko
It... it sounds like the NES version ahahah. I loved it ! Even more joyful than the original one. Not a performance that particularly blew me away though.
13. JUMP
This one, too, didn't blew me away or I didn't really "listened" to it deeply. Their voices are, as usual, creating a superb harmony though. I also loved how they shared this performance with the fans by asking them to sing !
14. Kimi wa Jitensha, Watashi wa Densha de Kitaku
When I saw that on the setlist I spazzed. Surely my favourite single from °C-ute and I sincerely wanted to listen to an acoustic version of it. Gives us a little preview of what their solo versions of this song will be eh? Even though the instrumental in studio sounds better than the acoustic for this song - since it have kinda deep meaning, the acoustic one seems more "lovely" than this one ? I don't know how to explain. I prefer the single version recorded in studio for the instrumental, but I loved this performance for the true talent of these girls emerging from it.
15. Image Color
Well, as most of the °C-ute song in acoustic here, it didn't impress me that much or left something "inked" into me, but it was... cute.
This initially promising collaboration proved to be as beautiful and amazing as its announcement let us expecting it. I never listen to the entire radiorip usually - crappy quality - and here I was really surprised by the quality of the setlist and all the performances that each girl could do, being solo or duet. I cannot wait to see them live and I remind for those who don't know that Mai will, in her next USTREAM show, show a part of this event more than perfect. It's not a surprise that these two are members of the H!P-singers-aces, but this is a proof of their talent so put that every time someone is saying "OMG GETTING TOO MUCH LINES NOT FAIR TSUNKU WHY YOU NOT RESPECTFUL I HATE H!P ME NOT LISTENING TO °C-UTE ANYMORE".
What did you think about this collaboration ?
Thank you for reading my post.
See you soon !
In many cases, they sang songs together,
