While we await for the official Dinner show report from the VAMP gang that attended Akina’s dinner and Countdown show (I can’t wait), I thought it might be good to highlight some of my favourite performances at this year’s 紅白 from what I can view from Youtube. Like many, I felt that it lost its charm since the 80s, but this year was surprisingly stronger than the last few (since 2002, which was the last time I enjoyed the program). To be fair, I haven’t watched many of the others in its entirety, but from what I saw from Youtube for this year’s, they have mostly chosen the right song for the singers. Here are some of my favourites:
(1) Dedication to Danny Bunny
I am not a fan of 大塚愛 because she has a rather nasal and high pitched voice, but this performance has my vote for my favourite this year because it is so colourful. The song is basically nonsence but it is FUN FUN FUN, and she sang it very well. Look out for the background dancers. This is very much in the vein of what Danny likes, so it is specially dedicated to him.
(2) Dreams Come True
Considering that her husband died a couple of months back and this is her first performance since, it must have been very difficult for her. Moving …
(3) アンジェラ・アキ Angela Aki
Special points go to Angela for her "bo-chap" (I no care) attitude when it comes to dressing up (or down in her case). For the second year in a row, she wears a sports jersey. Extra points for consistency, albeit a little boring. Brings a smile to my face though. She is absolute proof that talent does triumph over hype. An energetic performance.
(4) 絢香
Many fans were puzzled when it was revealed that she will be singing 「Peace Loving People」 because it was an album song, and her most famous song in 2007 was a collaboration with コブクロ called 「Winding Road」. NHK did not disappoint and 絢香 showed off her powerful vocals in a double performance. Here is two separate videos because the one that is combined is not allowed to be embedded.
(5) コブクロ
This year’s biggest act コブクロ with their hit song 「蕾」. A wonderful harmony of voices
(6) 秋川雅史
Last year’s best performance and discovery, proving that his charm was not a fluke the first time round, he is flawless here once again.
(7) 平井堅
Looking more handsome than I have ever seen him, here is 平井堅 attempting another difficult song. Care to try this at Karaoke next time, Kenanthony?
(8) 中村
This year’s surprise entry, 中村中 is actually a man, but it is hard to tell from her vocals, and only at the end does she reveal more of her true identity. She is a true diva from the costume down to the performance. Am I the only one who thinks that it is great that someone is making an effort to help 紅白 regain some old fashioned glamour. Especially for DJ Suzy …
(9) 中島美嘉
I don’t follow the J-Pop scene as much as I used to in the 80s, and 中島美嘉 is one of the few singers whose music I enjoy from this new batch of singers. Though she is more famous for her ballads, she proves here and during last year’s performance that she can handle uptempo numbers too … live … not pre-recorded. Gothic Beauty here and definitely lends to her nickname "The Ghost" that Danny and Kenji give her.
(10) BoA
Proving that she is Korea’s best export in Japan and that she can deliver ballads too is BoA. Giving a much quieter performance here than in her previous years, she shows that she is not a bad singer.
This is by no means, my Top 10, but definitely some of the better performances I have seen. There are still many performances that have not been uploaded, but these are proof that it is a marked improvement from last year’s. the ratings have improved slightly too, and some comments is that the song list is correct. I was a little worried about all the 紅白ヴァージョン but it has proved to be a blessing in disguise. I am a little biased too because I am not a big fan of 白組, so I didn’t bother to click on many on the male performances. 徳川英明 is good but I wish it was 小林明子 singing it. It’s just eerie that he’s singing "I’m just a woman …" His performance last year was much better and I hope that he will sing 「Rainy Blue」 if he gets invited next time.
The worst performance award so far goes to our "Recycle" queen 浜崎あゆみ, and she earns this nickname from me because her stupid big dress is the same every year and her songs all sound so similar. Can someone please tell me the difference between this and 「Voyage」, 「Dearest」, 「Secret」 and all her other ballads. She is shockingly bad here, a very tired and uninspired performance. I wonder how she is going to move from this to her Countdown show? Can someone also tell me how can she be the Queen of J-Pop if we judge just by statistics. She may be hardworking and clever, but she is rather boring in my opinion. Watch out for the high pitched cat like greeting that she gives out every year after each performance. The difference this year is that she doesn’t even bother to smile. Maybe she was a little embarassed by her performance.
